The contribution of women's associations to local development

The first women''s association in Ambalanirana appeared in 1997 thanks to the twinning of their commune with the Brittany region (France). In 2012 this rural commune had 5 associations with a total of 53 members. Active in the agricultural sector they operated in 2010 a total area of 68.4 ha with an estimated production of 47.8 tons. Among other things the commune recognizes these associations as local development bodies and grants them plots of land for systematic reforestation. The women''s groups are developing their activities thanks to technical support to promote agricultural production. However support in the area of marketing is non-existent. Despite an encouraging dynamic the sustainability of women''s associations is still fragile especially in the current socio-political context. Reluctance to pay membership fees responsibilities as a mother and limited access to land holdings hinder the development of women''s associations. In addition there is a lack of women decision makers at the local level.