Scent Travelogue Madagascar

Madagascar
Ravintsara, ylang-ylang, ginger and more

Fragrant plants: Ravintsara, ylang-ylang, ginger, pink peppercorn, pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, clove bud, etc.
Growing region: Ambanja Province, Madagascar
Cultivation partner since: 2012
Cultivated area: approx. 20-30 ha

Tropical forests and bizarre landscapes, lemurs and chameleons, baobabs and a stunning variety of aromatic plants: Our ethnobotanical journey leads to one of our favorite "Grand Cru"* projects, which demonstrates a path to preserving natural diversity while securing people's livelihoods. Even the last remnants of Madagascar's biodiversity hotspot are threatened by poverty and exploitation from overseas.

Since 2012 we have been a partner of the organic fair trade project with the beautiful name «Les Aromatiques bio du Sambirano» in Madagascar. It is characterized by a strong commitment to infrastructure, education, and medical care. The cultivated areas, which strictly adhere to the ESR/Ecocert guidelines of Fair Trade and organic farming, are situated in the hot, humid climate of the Sambirano River.

*"Grand Cru" is our label for particularly high-quality organic oils whose origin is characterized by a social or ecological added value.

Arrival at Red Island

This is it, the Grande Île, the great red island – upon arrival in the capital, it initially presents itself as black. Black the evening sky over the metropolis of Antananarivo, black the smog that accompanies us out of the city the next day. Black the burned fields, traditionally cleared by slash-and-burn agriculture, which now cover the island's central plains in place of the former primeval forests. After a short cultivation period, the thin, nutrient-poor layer of soil will be eroded, leaving behind the red laterite that gives it the nickname "l'île rouge" (the red island).

Threatened paradise of biodiversity

Madagascar, the sixth continent, is known as a biodiversity paradise, yet it remains a politically and ecologically troubled country. Poverty threatens the island's natural wealth; forests are burned for rice cultivation and livestock farming, and ancient trees like rosewood and palisander are felled and illegally shipped overseas for export. Who can afford to think about nature conservation when their family needs to be fed? Our ethnobotanical journey takes us to the tropical, humid north of the island, where a promising project is demonstrating a path to biodiversity conservation and sustainably supporting an entire region: through a form of agriculture that integrates with and protects the existing forests (agroforestry), a cooperative with over 2,000 smallholder farmers, and an infrastructure focused on education and healthcare.

Salut, vazaha!

After a roughly twenty-hour drive through the mountains, across barren, red valleys and plains, the landscape transforms. Our eyes feast on every splash of color: the rivers reflecting the blue of the sky, shaded by giant mango trees; the luminous chameleons by the roadside; the brightly patterned garments of the people. "Salut, vazaha!" – hello, strangers – someone calls to us through the window, and finally, the patches of green coalesce into a Garden of Eden: we have arrived in the microclimate of the Sambirano, where the earth steams and the humidity embraces us – for we are not close enough to the coast, where the sea breeze always provides refreshment. Not far from the Mozambique Channel, the area around the provincial town of Ambanja is characterized by lush green vegetation. Here, the ylang-ylang tree bears its lemon-yellow, fragrant blossoms.

The tropical humidity, with its almost daily downpours, provides ideal conditions for agriculture, which supports approximately 60% of the population. The most important crop is cacao, and a variety of aromatic plants are also cultivated here – including those grown by our organic fair trade cooperative: The local essential oils of ylang-ylang, pink pepper, ravintsara, vetiver, and others bear the "Grand Cru" label in the farfalla range.

What the employees benefit from

Planting and harvesting are generally women's work, while the men handle the plowing and the tasks around the distillery. A six-day week with a regular eight-hour day and above-average wages are not the only benefits for the employees of the organic plantation:  “What I like here,” says Justine, a long-time ylang ylang picker, “is the better working conditions due to the infrastructure such as toilets and showers or the first aid station near the harvesting areas – and also the good culture of co-determination and the possibility to contact the management directly with questions and information.” 

Medical aid for the entire region

One percent of the cooperative's profits go into a fund. This has financed the renovation of the village school and sanitary facilities, as well as a cultivation advisor who trains villagers in organic rice farming and helps them increase yields in their home gardens. The affiliated medical center improves medical care for the 30,000 people in the surrounding villages. The system functions similarly to a health insurance scheme, which is not common in Madagascar: Employees pay a small percentage of their wages into medical care, which they and their families can access when needed.

Partnership with over 2000 organic small-scale farmers

In addition to its own organic plantations with permanent staff, the project includes an important trading partnership: the direct, fair purchase of harvests from approximately 2000 small-scale organic farmers who cultivate cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and other crops on often very remote farmland.  Purchase and price guarantees ensure their income through the cultivation of fragrant plants, protect them from exploitative middlemen, and are a real alternative to illegal export of precious wood, hunting for lemur meat, or livestock farming involving slash-and-burn agriculture.

Organic mixed cropping in the crop jungle

A visit to the pink peppercorn grove fulfills a biodiversity dream. The Schinus terebinthifolius, also known as Baie Rose – unrelated to black pepper – grows here seemingly in the heart of the rainforest. At first glance, we fail to notice that we are not in a primeval forest, but rather in the middle of an agroforestry forest – full of a diverse array of useful plants that are allowed to grow together in a wild mix: ylang-ylang alongside cacao, mango, and vegetables; papaya next to citrus fruits; and in between, the enormous Brazilian pepper trees with their pink berries. Harvesting the berries is done entirely by hand, and later, women's groups sort them using brushes – a huge undertaking that is Fair Trade certified and provides an income for several women. Once dried, the berries are steam-distilled, releasing their spicy, oriental-scented essential oil with its bouquet of floral notes. 

A forest full of "good leaves"

Mimi, a Malagasy agronomist, has planted 3,000 ravintsara trees for her organic fair-trade project. Ravintsara means "good leaf" in Malagasy, and its essential oil is particularly valued there for treating colds. The young ravintsara forest is also intended to protect the soil from erosion and provide a counterpoint to the daily destruction of vast forests. Although the fragrant forest is only about 20 kilometers from the distillery, the disastrous condition of the road makes the journey an ordeal: the arduous trip along the bumpy track to transport the ravintsara leaves to the plantation takes almost a day.

A bridge

Prospects through education – another aspect of the project that is very close to our hearts here in Madagascar. This also included ensuring the repair of a bridge, which now allows the children of the village school to get to school even during the rainy season. And which, upon our visit, rewarded us with a cheering crowd of children: "Merci aux amis farfalla! Thank you to our friends at farfalla!"