Biting the Bullet: Dealing with the Annual Hunger Gap in the Alaotra, Madagascar

Abstract

The hunger gap (the annual period of hardship when most crops are growing but not yet ready for harvest) remains a reality for many smallholder farmers throughout the globe. With a population largely relying on agriculture, and high poverty and malnutrition rates continuously afflicting the country, farmers in Madagascar are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the hunger gap, further putting pressure on already fragile ecosystems. Using a case study in the Alaotra region, we examine the seasonal trends of climate and agricultural resource dynamics, as well as characterize farmers’ experiences of and strategies used in response to the hunger gap, in order to assess how conservation may better consider the hunger gap to align its objectives with local needs. Results show that farmers are vulnerable to climatic events during a large part of the year, exacerbating the impacts of the hunger gap. The hunger gap appears to have varying degrees of impact on communities around Lake Alaotra, linked to factors such as road quality and agrarian structures—for example, land tenure and size of parcels—contributing to growing environmental degradation. We end by discussing various past and present responses aimed at improving the resilience of farmers of the Alaotra region, including improved accessibility, agricultural intensification, and conservation agriculture.

Land-Use and Health Issues in Malagasy Primary Education—A Delphi Study

“…We furthermore decided upon relevant topics that would allow operationalization in both contexts (Figure 1). For teaching the land-use issue, sustainable management of cultivation and soil are relevant topics [48,51,68]. As vanilla is the predominant cash crop in the SAVA region [20], we differentiated between vanilla and other cultivation (including rice).…”

“…Causes of the unsatisfying health situation in Madagascar are manifold, though limited access to infrastructure and resources plays an important role across the country. Access to soap or improved sanitation [45], bed nets for protection from mosquitos [46], alternative biomass for cooking [47], and foods for balanced nutrition [48] are all limited. Access to health care and health-related resources such as point-of-care technology or trained personnel is especially weak in rural areas [31,49].…”

“…Concerning food hygiene and healthy diet, limited market access in rural areas makes a healthy diet highly dependent on the seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables (cf. [48]). In rural settings, many households suffer from dietary deficiencies during the annual hunger gap [48].…”

“…[48]). In rural settings, many households suffer from dietary deficiencies during the annual hunger gap [48]. In contrast, food hygiene practices (i.e., cleaning the food and well-cooking-H.7) seem to be common in Madagascar even if urban households are more aware of the importance of clean food, compared to rural households [81].…”

A double‐edged sword: Realities of artisanal and small‐scale mining for rural people in the Alaotra region of Madagascar

“…The Alaotra region has been undergoing many changes over the last decades, and its inhabitants are experiencing increasing uncertainty about their livelihoods, tied to changes such as decreasing agricultural output, overexploited ecosystems, irregular rainfall and increasing food prices (Reibelt, Richter, Waeber, Rakotoarimanana, & Mantilla‐Contreras, 2015; Stoudmann et al, 2017). The appeal of ASM in such times is even greater, particularly in a region relatively close to mines, and where the effects of seasonality are strongly felt (Stoudmann et al, 2019). Participants from the Alaotra SES were almost all farmers first and only mined because of various hardships pushing them towards it, or because of various pull factors leading them to have made the decision to start mining.…”