GIE Sahanala is a hybrid, multipurpose company established in 2010 to provide alternative economic incomes to rural communities in two key conservation corridors in Madagascar. Sahanala principle products are conventional, organic or Fair Trade certified Vanilla and cashew nuts.

Sahanala provides important alternative income opportunities for rural populations in the priority Madagascar hotspot to sustainably utilize natural resources and realize economic returns from natural assets. Sahanala and Fanamby, an environmental nonprofit organization member of the GIE, work together to empower local communities to care for their natural habitat while enhancing their livelihood with additional revenue stream. Sahanala’s activities in 6 regions of Madagascar provide:

• disincentives to the local communities for clearing new land for hillside rice production
• support for the buffer-zone around the reserves and natural parks surrounding the villages
• corridors between several important protected areas
• a sustainable, non-extractive alternative source of income to local communities

GIE Sahanala directly employs 140 people. Of whom 80% are women, and 90% live in economically deprived rural areas of Madagascar. It directly impacts over 1,175 households.

The cultivation of cocoa in this region of Madagascar contributes to a wide variety of ecosystem services, including: preventing erosion, promoting topsoil formation, preserving hydrological cycles, ensuring carbon sequestration, and providing buffer habitats and corridors for the region. This cultivation system also supports slope cover and forests acts as a buffer against cyclone damage including flooding and landslides. Preservation of the ecosystem in those regions is critical to provide the adequate climate for food crops to grow.

While Africa produces over 70% of the world’s cocoa, source countries typically receive less than 1% of the total supply chain value. Madécasse seeks to change this dynamic, not only by ensuring the farmers receive higher returns through increased capacity, but also by producing and packaging product in Madagascar for export, thus generating and securing jobs. While still an issue, unlike other sectors such as tourism, this supply chain is less influenced by country risk issues.

 The farm hires workers during different stages of the year, employing 150 permanent workers (9% women); and 1,034 temporal employees for the harvest season that spans December to April. Approximately 435 workers are Mexican (25% women); and 599 are foreign workers (34% women). Some of the main achievements in conservation efforts done by the company are:

• Private conservation agreement to protect 1,181 ha of forest. Further protected and reforested areas within the property also exist.
• Water consumption in the milling house process is only a 30% of the industry standard, becoming more efficient in the practice than traditional producers.
• Implementation of water treatment systems and monitoring to avoid watersheds pollution.
• Use of hydroelectric energy as main source for the farm operation.