Regenerating Rainforests in Madagascar

With your support, Health In Harmony is demonstrating how investments in community-designed solutions improve food systems and protect forests in southeastern Madagascar. In 2025, Madagascar became the first country in the world to establish a national standard authorizing dried Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae and larval powder for direct human consumption, validating Health In Harmony’s pioneering approach and setting a global precedent.

Households around the Manombo Special Reserve continue to lead critical climate adaptation initiatives that improve livelihoods, strengthen nutrition, and safeguard rainforest ecosystems.

The BSF farming program, first piloted in 2021, is evolving. Families now operate 150 household farms, producing over 1,800 kilograms of fresh larvae every six weeks. Larvae provide year-round protein for human and livestock consumption, while composted frass fertilizer restores soils and boosts native tree seedling growth. At the same time, the program is now a hub for community learning, research, and collaboration, integrating climate-smart food production with restoration efforts.

Strategic partnerships with local research institutions, including the Madagascar Biodiversity Center, and collaborations with regional authorities have strengthened FAMI-HIH’s impact, combining technical expertise, evidence-based monitoring, and community leadership to improve nutrition, restore degraded lands, and create sustainable livelihoods. Together, these efforts buffer communities and ecosystems against climate shocks, including cyclones and droughts, while reducing pressure on forests.

Thank you for your continued support of community-led climate solutions in Madagascar, made possible because of your belief in locally driven action. Your support enables Health In Harmony to equip families, strengthening resilience and protecting forests now and for the future.

Our Malagasy affiliate, FAMI-HIH, was recently incorporated and is continuing its positive impact alongside local communities in the Manombo Rainforest. This ecologically rich area is being transformed by community-designed solutions and initiatives that link access to health care, food security, and climate resilience with rainforest conservation. 

The Manombo Rainforest represents one of the last coastal lowland evergreen forests in southeastern Madagascar, and is known for its high biodiversity, including endemic species like the white-collared lemur. 

Recent HIH research confirmed Manombo’s remarkably rich ecosystem, which hosts over 100 species of vertebrates, many of which are endemic and threatened. Using eco-acoustics and Environmental DNA (eDNA), the monitoring initiative confirmed the presence of 50 species from sound recordings and 113 species from water samples. 

Crucially, the data revealed that primates there are highly endangered, including the critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) and the Manombo sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesorum), which are endemic to this rainforest. These detections provide essential information for local communities to map out vital habitats for strategic conservation and reforestation efforts.

Local communities, our partners, and you, our supporters, are united by the same objective: enable integrated, community-driven models to protect forests, strengthen resilience to climate and economic shocks, and support sustainable livelihoods. More than ever, rainforest communities need your financial support to continue what they do best: protect the ecosystems that preserve our planet.

Thank you for standing with us.