Supporting Women Vanilla Farmers in Madagascar: The Promise of VSLAs and Alternative Livelihoods

Abstract

To examine how to strengthen the income security and overall resilience of women vanilla farmers, I ask: How can Duke Lemur Center (DLC)-SAVA Conservation better support the livelihoods of local women vanilla farmers in Ambodivoara, Madagascar, through training in alternative livelihoods? What is the economic, social, and environmental potential for the establishment of village savings and loans associations (VSLAs) for women vanilla farmers? Drawing from three months of field research in Madagascar, I offer policy recommendations to answer these questions.