This page details the research being conducted as a part of the TASC Madagascar Project.
Research Title: Application of the DPSIR Framework to Slash and Burn Agrilculture in the Eastern Highlands of Madagascar.
Research Title: Application of the DPSIR Framework to Slash and Burn Agrilculture in the Eastern Highlands of Madagascar.
Researcher: David Buckley, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA
David's research in this area aims to provide an integrated assessment of the complex relationships influencing the origins and consequences of slash and burn agriculture, and patterns of deforestation and land use change in the eastern highlands of Madagascar. Please see further details below.
Why Madagascar?
Madagascar is considered to be one of the most significant areas for biodiversity on Earth and is a global priority for efforts of environmental conservation. Its biodiversity, typically found in its forests, faces a multitude of threats due to a range of both domestic and international pressures. Changes in anthropogenic activity have been widely assimilated with an alarming rate of deforestation in Madagascar, suggested to hold detrimental implications to both biodiversity and the livelihoods of its population. Compatible solutions balancing conservation and human interests are necessary to face difficult challenges related to poverty alleviation, prevention of environmental degradation and economic development. However in order to address such contentious issues at local, national and international levels, a greater understanding of the magnitude of overlap between socio-economic, ecological and cultural factors influencing forest processes and their management is needed.
What is Slash and Burn Agriculture?
Slash and burn agriculture, also called 'tavy' in Madagascar, is the traditional and most prevalent land use practice in eastern Madagascar. It has long been cited as the chief cause of upland degradation and deforestation in Madagascar, as well as holding damaging consequences in other tropical forest regions around the world. During tavy, primary forest or secondary vegetation is cut and burned to prepare the land for rice cultivation. Rice is grown on the plot for one season and then replaced with a root crop such as sweet potato or manioc. Plots must be left for a fallow period before being reused; the length of which increases each time the land is recycled for cultivation.
Why is this research important?
Debates surrounding slash and burn agriculture are at the centre of some of the most difficult and high profile environmental discussions on both a national and international stage. The practice has long been vilified by the Malagasy government as a result of its intimate link with the continuing loss of forest cover. However other stakeholders within the dispute argue that tavy is a crucial low-input and labour-efficient strategy employed by rural farmers for essential sustinence and livelihood needs. In addition to its practical attributes, tavy also holds significant cultural and historical value to the Malagasy people further cementing its role in the centre of the lives of many rural populations. Consequently, tension has arisen from conflict betwen the needs of rural farmers and forest management strategies, leading to resistance to policies and a prickly stalemate regrading the future use of the forest.
