Food Security Outreach Volunteer: New Initiative

Apply by

January 1, 2025

Know by

March 1, 2025

Depart on

August 31, 2025

Duration

2 years, plus 3 months training

Project description

Volunteers serving in this program will receive a 15-day special leave to their home of record around the midway point in their service, including airfare and per diem.

At least 80 percent of Malagasy people are farmers living on less than one US dollar per day. Dependance on rain-fed agriculture, limited access to irrigation, inadequate farming techniques, (made worse by increasingly erratic climate events) and other shocks are having significant negative impacts on Madagascar’s economy, decreasing agriculture productivity and national food production. Human caused environmental degradation, exacerbated by climate change-related shocks and stressors (floods, drought and cyclones) increase food and nutrition insecurity in Madagascar, especially for farmers.

The Government of Madagascar (GoM) has limited agricultural extension capacity, leaving an important gap in their ability to support and empower small-holder famers and households with critical knowledge and skills to adapt to an ever-changing climate. To improve their nutrition and ensure food availability and access all year, smallholder farmers need improved agriculture practices, such as climate smart agriculture practices and technologies, along with income generating activities that increase their adaptive capacities and resilience. Notably, these farmers need new knowledge, skills and low/no-cost practices and technologies in bio-intensive crop cultivation as well as improved soil fertility management to maximize food production on limited land. Additionally, knowledge and skills are needed for low-cost, asset-based water management practices and technologies essential for managing erratic rainfall or periods of prolonged drought.

https://www.usaid.gov/madagascar/environment-and-climate-change

Food insecurity is significant in Madagascar, impacting the island’s public health and economy. The World Bank data ranks Madagascar’s stunting rate as the world’s 5th-highest, with 50 percent of under-five year-olds suffering from stunted growth. According to UNICEF, Madagascar is one of the 10 countries in the world with the highest burden of chronic malnutrition. Acute malnutrition among children under five varies from 10 to 20 percent in the country's most vulnerable regions during the 'lean season' when food supplies are limited.

Research has shown that alleviating stunting among children under two, through improved availability and daily access to nutritious food, has dramatic effects on cognitive function, language, and behavioral development, and significantly contributes to overall reductions in morbidity and mortality.

The Main Purpose Of Peace Corps Madagascar’s Agriculture Project Is To Work With Farmers And Their Households Achieve Climate Resilient Food Security Through Three Main Activities

• Farmers and other stakeholders develop improved capacity in small, local, bio-intensive, climate-smart food production to increase daily availability of and access to nutrient-dense food for household consumption.
• Farmers and other stakeholders develop improved capacity to generate agriculture-related income to increase access to nutritious food and strengthen resiliency
• Women of reproductive age and/or key household decision makers develop their capacity to consume a more diverse and nutritious diet.
  
  

Agricultural extension Volunteers can work with lead farmers, NGOs, community-based organizations, schools, and key community members to promote a variety of sustainable agricultural practices including bio-intensive gardens, agroforestry, climate smart agriculture, and farm-based income generation activities. To promote healthy nutrition, Volunteers work with household decision makers (e.g., mothers) and co-conduct nutrition trainings and cooking demonstrations. Peace Corps Madagascar provides training on these activities to ensure that enthusiastic generalists with limited agriculture and nutrition background are equipped to support their community.

Peace Corps Madagascar promotes gender awareness and girls’ education and empowerment. Volunteers will receive training on gender challenges in Madagascar and will have the opportunity to co-implement gender-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During service, Volunteers will partner with community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency. As part of their work, Volunteers will also report on these efforts and their impact.

Climate change activities

As The Impacts Of Climate Change Become Ever More Evident, The Social, Economic, And Environmental Context Within Which Smallholder Farmers Seek To Maintain And Improve Their Livelihood And Support Their Families Will Continue To Change. This Will Add Significantly To The Challenges Of Smallholder Farming, Particularly For The Most Disadvantaged Communities. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, You Will Be Trained To Use a Participatory Approach And Tools To Identify Locally Determined Priorities And Conditions, Including Those Related To The Impacts Of Climate Change. As An Agriculture Volunteer, You Will Be Trained To Use This Local Knowledge In Engaging Smallholder Farmers In a Climate-smart Approach That

• promotes the adoption of improved, appropriate, and adaptive agricultural practices and technologies that sustainably increase productivity;
• builds and strengthens household resilience by integrating and diversifying existing and new agriculture-related income-generating opportunities; and
• reduces greenhouse gas emissions attributable to ineffective and carbon intensive farming practices and encourages adoption of agricultural practices and activities that sequester carbon.
  
  

Required Skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture and one or more of the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
  
  

OR

• 5 years' professional work experience
  
  

Desired Skills

Highly competitive candidates have extensive experience on one or more of the following:

• Agronomy, Horticulture, Agribusiness, Agroforestry, Food Security, Climate Smart Agriculture or crop production fields
• Experience in a variety of farming techniques
• Experience in nutrition education and promotion
• School garden experience is highly desirable
  
  

Required Language Skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. Volunteers will be required to learn the Malagasy language or a dialect. It is essential for successful Volunteer service. Trainees who do not reach minimum language skills by the close of Pre-Service Training may not be sworn-in as Volunteers.

In limited ways, French language skills can be useful in some areas of the country. Volunteers will not use French in their daily lives and work, but French is often a transactional and technical language. For example, newspapers, restaurants, tourist activities, or technical reports by partner organizations may utilize French. Peace Corps Madagascar does not provide French language training.

Living conditions

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and one of 17 megadiverse countries. Its terrain is diverse, and the climate can change drastically from the coast to the highlands. Volunteers are placed throughout the east coast, the highlands, northwest, the southeast, and the deep south, and living conditions can vary greatly from one Volunteer site to another. Volunteers should be flexible, resilient, and willing to live in very modest conditions – likely without electricity or running water. Agriculture Volunteers typically live in small villages, often with a population less than 2,000.

• Housing: During service, Volunteers live in private one-room or two-room housing. House material often depends on the region, with walls made out of local wooden material on the coast and bricks in the highlands. Volunteers have individual outdoor bath houses and shared or individual latrines, but often no running water or electricity. Some communities may have access to generators or solar chargers that can provide electricity/battery recharge, but that is not standard.
• Communication: Almost all communication is conducted by cell phone. You will have an opportunity to buy your phone during Pre-Service Training if you did not bring an unlocked phone from the States. Call costs are based on the number of minutes used and texts sent and are deducted immediately. Incoming calls and texts, even from the US, are free. It is possible for many to access very slow Internet or messaging apps through the purchase of local data plans for smartphones.
• Transportation: On a case by case basis, Peace Corps may provide a bike, helmet, and basic bicycle maintenance training to assist you in daily routines such as biking to nearby markets or visiting sites around your village if needed. You may also be required to walk or bike between 3 to 10 kilometers to reach a main road or an outlying village where community partners live and work.
• Food: In Madagascar, rice is the staple. Other foods include cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. Meat and fish could be expensive or difficult to find depending on the region where you serve. Fish is more present on the coast and beef and chicken in the highlands. A variety of eggs, beans and peanuts can be used as source of protein. Vegetables vary by region but most of them are produced in the highlands.
  
  

Madagascar is graced with wonderful, though seasonal, fruits such as pineapples, peaches, plums, bananas, etc. But during the off-season, specific fruits may be unavailable and also unevenly distributed across country. You will do your shopping at the local market, but some items might have to be purchased at a larger town nearby.

Strict vegetarians and vegans may be challenged, but it is possible to maintain a vegan diet. Volunteers should be mindful of food customs in Madagascar: turning down a plate because it has meat may be seen as rejecting a gift. However, with Malagasy language skills and good relationships, you can explain your dietary preferences.

The cultural environment of Madagascar is known as social and welcoming. Volunteers of diverse backgrounds may experience specific challenges. There are support networks and trainings in place for navigating these challenges.

Malaria is highly endemic and Volunteers must be prepared to take chemoprophylaxis without exception (preventive pills taken daily or weekly, depending on your choice of option).

Serving in Madagascar

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Madagascar: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, health, and safety -- including health and crime statistics -- in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Medical Considerations

Before you apply, please review Medical Information for Applicants to learn about the medical clearance process.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Madagascar: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Medical considerations

Before you apply, please review medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.

Couples information

While people in Madagascar may be generally tolerant, values concerning sexual orientation and gender identity may be different than some parts of the U.S. Same-sex marriages are not permitted under Malagasy law. Volunteers will need to be mindful of cultural norms and use their judgment to determine the best way to approach sexual orientation and gender identity in their communities and host countries. Staff and currently serving Volunteers will address this topic during Pre-Service Training and identify support mechanisms for Trainees.

Heterosexual couples wishing to apply to Madagascar must both apply to the same sector.

Madagascar is a patriarchal society, so the male is often seen as the head of the family. Some couples will often face situations where the community seeks to first listen to the husband. Couples have to find their own culturally appropriate strategies to engage their co-workers about their views on gender roles and gender equality. As in many patriarchal societies, women may perform comparable labor, but have limited social, economic, or political power. Therefore, couples are supported by staff, peer support network, and community partners on effectively supporting each other when navigating these different gender roles expectations.

The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexuality is criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couple placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process Recruiters and Placement Officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/faqs/lgbtq/.