The cattle raiders leave us no choice: New transhumance in the Mahafaly Plateau region in Madagascar

Abstract

This article reports findings from a qualitative case study on the recent development of a pastoral transhumance movement in the Mahafaly Plateau region in Madagascar. Interviews with pastoralists from 26 villages are analyzed within a framework of contemporary new institutional economics to investigate pastoral mobility, as a response to the Madagascar-wide problem of cattle raiders (dahalo). The conditions for the new movement are compared to a traditional transhumance movement comprising the same actors but in reverse geographical direction. Contrary to many previous studies from Madagascar, the results reveal that property rights regarding access to ancestral land are not a constraint to pastoral mobility. The new transhumance movement was enabled by pro-social norms of solidarity, guest rights and unconditional hospitality (fihavanana) shared by the pastoralists in the region. Additional vital elements are mental models of kinship (raza, longo) and the formal indigenous institution of trust creation by sincerity oaths (titike, kine). However, frequent cattle raids have led to social change and an environment of mistrust; placing social constraints on pastoral mobility. Hospitality and guest rights are increasingly bound to kinship relations, and the pastoralists' interpretation of kinship has become narrower. These social constraints are far more relevant to the new movement than to the more institutionalized traditional transhumance. The findings illustrate how Madagascar's cattle raiding problem has influenced the rural society's social norms and mental models. The study highlights how supportive social norms and fitting shared mental models influence people's capacity to adapt, especially in sociocultural settings ruled by informal indigenous institutions. RÉSUMÉDans une étude de cas qualitative, l'élaboration récente d'une transhumance pastorale à travers le plateau Mahafaly dans la ré-gion subaride du sud-ouest de Madagascar a été analysée. Des interviews ont été menées avec des bouviers de 26 villages de la région afin de comprendre comment cette nouvelle forme de transhumance est apparue et comment elle a été élaborée afin d'identifier les similarités et les différences par rapport à la transhumance traditionnelle qui reste d'actualité et suit la même direction mais en sens opposé. Les interviews ont abordé les expériences personnelles des bouviers sur la pratique de la nouvelle transhumance ou la transhumance traditionnelle ainsi que leur perception des menaces que représentent les voleurs de bé-tail (dahalo, en dialecte régionale malaso). Les avantages et les limites de la nouvelle transhumance ont également été globalement abordés. Les personnes résidentes de la zone littorale ont été interviewées pour comprendre comment elles percevaient la nouvelle transhumance et comment elles accueillaient les bouviers dans leurs villages. Contrairement à de nombreuses études menées à Madagascar, les résultats obtenus ici montrent que les droits de propriété portant sur l'accès aux terres ancestrales n...

New rules are not rules: Privatization of pastoral commons and local attempts at curtailment in southwest Madagascar

“…This laissez-faire attitude is reinforced by an ongoing cultural change process towards greater individualization (Goetter 2016). Moreover, restricting privatization of samata parcels does not fit with the traditional ideology that clearing, marking or fencing land legitimates its ownership.…”

“…From the end of November on, the cattle herds leave the coastal zone and spend the next four to six months on transhumance in the neighbouring plateau zone. Access to fodder and water on the plateau is generally free, and transhumance destinations are chosen independently by herd owners (see Goetter 2016). After their return, the coastal plain's grazing grounds provide enough grass for open grazing for approximately two months.…”

“…Demand has been increasing due to (1) a diminished growth of other fodder plants caused by the changed precipitation pattern, (2) higher total cattle numbers in the region due to population growth, and (3) a shorter transhumance period, prompted by herders' fear of the now frequent cattle raids on the neighbouring plateau. In addition, the majority of Tanalana people living on the plateau have started to send their cattle to the relatively secure coastal plain (see Goetter 2016).…”

Social-ecological traps hinder rural development in southwestern Madagascar

“…With foreign support making up ~40% of all government spending, large parts of the economy and the provision of public services imploded (Ploch andCook 2012, World Bank 2013). In southern Madagascar, social insecurity increased because of organized cattle raider groups (malaso; Feldt 2015, Götter 2016. Today, Madagascar has one of the highest levels of child malnutrition worldwide (WFP 2015a).…”

“…We provide a second analytic layer that incorporates findings from the wider SuLaMa project (Sustainable Land Management in Southern Madagascar, http:// www.sulama.de) conducted in the Mahafaly region. These relate to drivers of environmental change (Brinkmann et al 2014, Waeber et al 2015 and biodiversity decline (Ganzhorn et al 2001), challenges to improve agricultural systems (Hanisch et al 2013 and natural resource management in the region (Ratovonamana et al 2013, Andriamparany et al 2014, Manon 2014, Andriamparany 2015, Ranaivoson et al 2015, the role of livestock herding including its economic importance (Feldt 2015, Götter 2016, Hänke and Barkmann 2017, socioeconomic characteristics of local households (Hänke et al 2014Neudert 2013, unpublished data), local value chains (Coral 2014), and recent institutional changes in the region (Götter and Neudert 2015). The already published findings from the larger project are used as a backdrop, against which our own empirical data is analyzed.…”