After her divorce a few years ago, Vaviroa (age 33) found herself the sole supporter of her four children. But she was undaunted, and set up to cultivate various vegetables on the small plots of land owned by her family. She planted beans, courgettes and other crops. While most of her yield was used by her family, she was able to sell her excess to others in her village and neighboring ones.That all came to a crashing end with the arrival of Cyclone Haruna in 2013. The cyclone tore through the areas north of Tulear where she lives, bringing with it massive flooding that wiped away her fields.Today, thanks to CRS’s DiNER FAARM Program funded by USAID/OFDA, Vaviroa is once again planting these valuable and nutrient-rich crops in her fields. With the vouchers she received from the program, Vaviroa was able to purchase new seed stocks and plant her fields again. Today, the produce she grows is providing essential nutrition to her family, while the surplus she sells brings in much needed cash to the family’s coffers.

Vaviroa points to a courgette plant.