Recycling waste from the lychee industry in Madagascar

A sustainable approach to improve competitiveness and reduce environmental impact

In October 2024, COLEAD through the Fit For Market Plus programme, initiated an innovative collective training course in Madagascar entitled “Assessment, reduction and recovery of waste from the lychee sector”, aimed at improving the competitiveness of local companies while addressing environmental and social issues. This event is the first stage of a three-phase training project that will allow the knowledge acquired to be progressively adopted and applied directly in the participating companies.

A three-stage training model

1. Before the lychee picking campaign (October): introduction to the basic concepts of waste management and monitoring.
2. During the lychee campaign (November-December): on-site measurement of waste quantities.
3. After the campaign (January 2025): Analysis of the data collected and exploration of waste reduction and recovery solutions.

Why this approach?

The main objective is to enable companies in the lychee sector to identify losses and turn waste into economic and environmental opportunities.

Studies have shown that optimising waste management in the lychee sector can

• reduce product losses
• provide economic recovery solutions such as compost or energy production
• minimise environmental impacts, particularly soil and water pollution.

Promising first results

In the first phase, participants were trained to understand the economic and environmental benefits of better waste management, to identify the types and causes of waste along the production chain, and to set up a precise monitoring system using record sheets. The knowledge gained from this training will enable the participants to implement systems adapted to their operational realities.

The second phase is now underway. It includes remote coaching to help companies collect data during the campaign. The data collected will be used to assess the best reduction and recovery options, taking into account technical and financial realities.

Participants will meet in January 2025 to

• analyse the data collected
• explore appropriate waste recovery solutions
• share experiences and discuss future training and support needs.

This initiative is fully in line with COLEAD’s commitment to the transition to more sustainable agri-food systems. By helping stakeholders in the lychee sector to improve their practices, COLEAD is contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in terms of responsible resource management and reducing environmental impacts.

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS.