Textiles of change: Village-based artisans & nature-inspired designs

CPALI
Jul 31
3 min read

Updated: Sep 18

Scaling opportunities for village women to participate in nature-based enterprise can help advance conservation and deliver livelihood benefits in communities bordering protected forests. Our locally-run sister organization, SEPALI Madagascar, led the first round of an exciting new program that's training women in remote communities to make textiles from sustainable materials like wild silk and raffia. Seeded with a small grant from Thistle Farms, the program is helping to grow the circle of local artisans who can earn income from converting farmer-sourced fibers to stunning products that honor the natural world.

Step into the workshop in northeastern Madagascar where sustainable silk and raffia textiles are crafted by experienced artisans. Also hear from one 2025 artisan trainee about why learning these skills is important to her. (Video credit: Matthew Scott)

Sixty artisans, one goal

SEPALI Madagascar’s new Women’s Artisan Initiative empowers local circles by creating sustainable livelihood opportunities through craft. Trainings delivered in March through May of 2025 were led by skilled wild silk and raffia artisans who produce textiles for our collaborative social impact enterprise, Tanana Madagascar.

"I love learning to make crafts by hand. I'll use the money that I earn to send my daughter to school." - Mahalevona Women's Artisan Group trainee

This season's trainings in the villages of Ambodivoangy, Fijoana, Mahalevona, and Marirano focused on raffia weaving, patchwork, silk cocoon cleaning and softening, and raffia processing.

Strengthening resilience through craft

The four focal villages in this year's artisan training program lie on the margins of Makira Natural Park and Masoala National Park in Madagascar's "green heart" where the largest remaining contiguous forest area is found.

CPALI supports farmer-led tree nurseries in these communities that hold 40,000 seedlings. The young trees will be planted on farmer lands over the coming year under our locally led Regenerative Agroforestry Initiative.

Many trees in farmers' nurseries in the artisan training villages are hosts for wild silk moths. Their cocoons can be sustainably collected and sold for local artisans to produce textiles and crafts. Restoring native trees in degraded agricultural landscapes helps create space for disappearing biodiversity while supporting household incomes. Farmers in the region have reported seeing mouse lemurs and forest birds in their agroforestry systems. These species inspired crafts made by local artisans.

Next steps

This program launched with a central training workshop. Fourteen women’s group representatives were invited to visit the SEPALI Madagascar office for a one-week training that focused on different weaving techniques, dyeing natural materials with locally made plant dyes, patchwork, and traditional drop spinning.

On-site trainings in the four villages (where access requires journeying by riverboat, Bay crossing, or, in two cases, a full day of foot travel through mud and water crossings in heavy rains) equipped local artisans with the skills to make endemic bird, lemur and wild moth ornaments from sewn and collaged silk and raffia. Their creations are finished by skilled artisans in the SEPALI Madagascar workshop.

Cultivating economic opportunities in remote communities takes time. Funding is being explored to sustain and scale this program.

What do the finished products look like?

See for yourself! These delightful wildlife crafts are now available for order. 100% of revenue from sales goes to locally led programs in Madagascar.