Pink, It's Like Red But Not Quite

There has recently been a lot of coverage of the rice produced by the farmers' cooperative I work with, Cooperative Koloharena Ivolamiarina. This rice, Madagascar Pink Rice (known as "vary dista" in Malagasy), is marketed in the United States by Lotus Foods. They have recently released a new marketing campaign for their organic products, and this includes a few videos about our project. First, here is a 15-minute video made by professionals (aka not me) that talks about the entire rice-planting process and the challenges the farmers face in achieving organic certification. Second, here is a 3-minute video made by an amateur (aka me) that was then edited by Lotus Foods to fit their product line. This video focuses on one of our farmers, Rakoto Emmanuel, the new poster-boy for the Organic Madagascar Pink Rice! Here is a shot of that packaging (far right):

Also, here is a nice write-up on the rice: Madagascar's Magic Rice. They include a mouth0watering description:

The rice, a pale pink color, smells like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, is very nutritious and yields are double that of other varieties.

and a nice write-up on the importance of using SRI to produce the rice:

Dista yields are also high for another reason—farmers are using the Système de Riziculture Intensive, or System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to cultivate it. SRI practices include transplanting seedlings when they are very young and growing them widely apart, adding compost from organic matter to the soil, weeding regularly, and using a minimum amount of water instead of flooding fields. This helps create deep root systems that are better able to resist drought, while also increasing yields, strengthening the plant, and enhancing its flavor.

This is why the technique is strongly pushed by local and international organizations, and it is a cornerstone of our training as Peace Corps Environment Volunteers.

I recently met with a farmers' group who are interested in getting involved in this project. They include a technician who was instrumental in altering the SRI technique utilized in Madagascar by having the seedlings planted in miniature pots made of bio-degradeable paper. This makes the transplanting easier and creates a healthier root structure for the rice. Anyways, while speaking with him, he mentioned that he had been part of the team that received Jim Carrey and company when they came to Madagascar in 2008. Carrey came to Madagascar with his organization, Better U Foundation. They visited my area, looking at our cooperative's rice fields and visiting our office, as well as other Lac Alaotra fields and landmarks. Until talking with this technician who worked with Carrey, I had only heard about this event. Now I have a nice photo of Carrey upon his arrival in Amparafaravola:

I hope he enjoyed being a "Vazaha" for a day!


Finally, I wanted to link to Madagascar chocolate and vanilla company Madecasse's facebook site, where they are trying for 1,000 likes... from their site:

Rally around a good cause and support bean-to-bar chocolate from Madagascar! All 1000 of our friends will receive a coupon for 10% off an online purchase and 20 lucky winners will be selected for a special Madecasse treat.

This company was started by (Returned) Madagascar Peace Corps Volunteers, and they make some tasty chocolate so be on the lookout for it!