Sustainably sourced raffia: improving local livelihoods in Madagascar

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is working with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to build climate resilience, improve sustainability practices and raise incomes in communities reliant on raffia for their livelihoods. In areas surrounding the WCS-managed Makira National Park, ITC is training women’s associations on climate-change adaptation and climate-smart raffia harvesting and processing techniques as well as organizational management. The raffia project is the first step in broader collaboration between ITC and Madagascar’s trade and environment ministries to promote exports of sustainable natural resources to bolster rural livelihoods while conserving biodiversity. Empowering rural women with environmental knowledge and market intelligence is the key to giving them a voice in community based natural resource management. It enables them to source, manage and trade their produce locally and internationally, thus generating additional income for their communities and improving livelihoods.