Achievements and Challenges in Applying Participatory Sustainability Research: Field Study in Madagascar

As a part of the Leadership Development Programme for Sustainable Living with Environmental Risks (the SLER programme), Yokohama National University undertook joint field studies with the University of Antananarivo during 2011–2013. The second joint field study was undertaken from October 27 to November 10, 2012. Preparatory consultation meetings and an outcome presentation symposium took place in Antananarivo on October 28–30 and November 7, respectively, with the field visits from October 30 to November 6. A total of 17 participants, including seven faculty members and ten graduate students from two universities, participated in the field visits (YNU-SLER 2013a, b). The main objective of the field visits was to understand environmental risks and their mechanisms and to observe the intervention measures for reducing risks and promoting sustainability in Madagascar. The participants were separated into two groups and Group A visited the mid-east of Madagascar including Andasibe, Ambatondrazaka, and Alaotra Lake. Meanwhile, Group B visited the north-east of Madagascar including Andapa, Sambava, and Antalaha (the so-called SAVA region—named after the initials of its main cities, namely Sambava, Antalaha, Vohémar, and Andapa ).

The groups undertook (1) an environment/ecosystem assessment, (2) a soil survey, and (3) a social/stakeholder survey (interviews and questionnaire). However, the purpose of this paper is not to present the details of their field research findings. Instead, it

Table 19.2 Ecosystem assessment in Madagascar—Highlights

+++: Abundant; ++: Adequate; +: occasionally available; –: poor/rare; n/a data not available;

↑ Rapidly increasing; ↗ Increasing; → No change; ↘ Decreasing; ↓ Rapidly decreasing

Developed from Miura, 2013, Assessment of natural resource and social capacity in Madagascar,

unpublished

aims to highlight the potential and challenges in undertaking participatory sustainability research as a part of the environmental leadership development program.

Both groups had already gained an overall understanding of the trends in terms of environmental and ecosystem degradation through pre-visit literature review and interviews with stakeholders. Deforestation for charcoal production is prevalent, as is land reclamation to expand paddy and crop fields, and lumber extraction. In Ambatondrazaka, it is evident that deforestation causes siltation and sedimentation in irrigation channels and paddy fields, and reduces paddy field productivity. Due to the reduced rice productivity coupled with an increasing demand for rice, local farmers and villagers resort to forest destruction and land reclamation. A series of such behaviors constitutes a so-called “poverty-environment degradation vicious cycle” (Aggrecy et al. 2010). Based on the outcomes of the field surveys, assessments were also made of overall ecosystem service status and trends covering major ecosystem services, although the assessments were not exhaustive (Table 19.2).

Soil surveys were undertaken to examine the potential correlation between the land use practice and soil conditions, with a particular emphasis on whether land was excavated or under non-tillage cultivation (YNU-SLER 2013b). The groups conducted their soil survey on the assumption that soil conditions would be improved by conservational land use in the form of non-tillage farming or grass coverage of slopes for soil erosion control. It was assumed that the positive impacts on soil conditions could be shown by: (1) an optimal level of soil pH, or marginal deviation from the optimal pH level (expressed by “6.5—pH” when pH was lower than 6.5, and by “0” when pH was in a range of 6.5–7); (2) high electric conductivity; (3) high transparency of water containing dissolved soil; (4) a low level of soil hardness; and (5) low soil weight per unit. The results obtained in the soil inspection in the SAVA region concurred with the original assumption, as shown in Table 19.3.

Table 19.3 Soil analysis—SAVA region Correlation with non-tillage land use history—24 locations of 12 sites

Optimal range of pH is between 6.5 and 7 (Thermo Fisher Scientific n.d.)

Note: pH was less than 7 in all sites

Table 19.4 Social survey—Ambatondrazaka and SAVA areas Highlights (1)

(n = 35)

SAVA area (n = 27) 1 9 11 6 0 0

The soil samples taken at the site with the history of non-tillage land use demonstrated the projected coefficiency with the soil condition factors.

The groups also undertook questionnaire surveys to understand the socioeconomic conditions of people living in the sites visited. The questions encompassed household income level, the number of children in each household, and education history. The questions also included a self-assessment of the environment and invited suggestions for possible interventions to arrest environmental degradation and promote the restoration of the environment and ecosystems (Tables 19.4 and 19.5).

Table 19.5 Social survey—Ambatondrazaka and SAVA areas Highlights (2)

Ambatondrazaka area SAVA area

Agree Disagree Do not know Agree Disagree Do not know

Table 19.6 Recent development in environment/natural resource management in SAVA area

The outcome of the questionnaire surveys (n = 62) showed that 88 % of respondents regarded the surrounding environment as either severely degraded or degraded, and 87 % regarded the forests as severely depleted or depleted. Respondents at an income level of less than one dollar per day accounted for 70 %. The average fertility rate was in the range of 3.2–4.6 per household, which was equivalent to the national average of 4.5. With regard to education, 58 % of the respondents had completed no more than junior high school. In terms of interventions to arrest environmental degradation and promote restoration of the already-degraded environment, almost all the respondents supported the promotion of environmental education and enforcement of a penalty on illegal logging. On the other hand, only 48 % supported the idea of raising the tax on sales of charcoal, while just 19 % supported the idea of increasing the tax on land use. It showed that the options for generating additional payments on the part of local people were not favored.

It is also interesting to note the people's understanding on the causes of lavakar or landslides. By interviewing experts and local people, and observing sites, the groups discovered that massive landslides occur in Madagascar due to a mixture of excessive logging and deforestation (Table 19.6), and tectonic movement. It was explained that in the process of illegal logging and deforestation, the root systems of the trees degrade or disappear and create small spaces in the soil. Rainwater

Table 19.7 Social capacity assessment—Madagascar highlights

+++: Abundant; ++: Adequate; +: Minimal; –: poor/rare; n/a data not available; ↑ Rapidly increasing;

↗ Increasing; → No change; ↘ Decreasing; ↓ Rapidly decreasing

Developed from Oo and Aung 2013, unpublished

intrudes into such spaces and makes soil structures fragile. Such processes cause lavakar or landslides, possibly prompted by tectonic movement. The relative weights to be given to the various interventions for arresting lavakar therefore depend on whether people emphasize deforestation or tectonic movement as the major cause of lavakar. In the questionnaire surveys, 35 respondents indicated slash and burn as a major cause of lavakar, followed by logging (32), heavy rain (9), gravity (7), and tectonic movement (2). This result indicates that the local people have a reasonable level of understanding with regard to the causes of lavakar and there is potential to create a basis for undertaking collective actions to arrest lavakar and restore the degraded environment.

In the interviews with experts, officials, and local stakeholders, the groups strived to collect information on social capacity for managing the environment and ecosystems. The 2009 political crisis had compelled the Government of Madagascar to resort to austere fiscal and administrative policies, particularly in the environment and forestry sectors. The budget and the number of staff for the Ministry of Forestry and Environment had been cut substantially as donor countries had suspended economic assistance, except in humanitarian areas. They had done so on the grounds that the presidential election conducted in 2009 was not consistent with constitutional procedures and was considered to be a coup d'état or unconstitutional change of government. A democratic and constitutional election was planned thereafter and the first round of the presidential election was held on October 25, 2013, with the involvement of international election monitoring. The second and final round of the presidential election is planned to be held on December 20, 2013. The process of electing a president in a manner that satisfies constitutional requirements and internationally acceptable procedures is expected to ameliorate the current international financial assistance to Madagascar. Yet, as of October 2013, donor countries had not yet restored their economic assistance to the levels seen prior to 2009, and securing the finances for environment and forestry governance remained an arduous task. With the reduction in financial inflows from overseas, public-sector, business, and civil society organizations all continue to face economic constraints.

Based on information collected during the field surveys, questionnaires, and interviews, the social capacity for environmental and ecosystem management was assessed following the actor-factor analysis approach by analyzing the levels of (1) policy and law, (2) staff, (3) budget, (4) knowledge and technology, (5) law enforcement, and (6) capacity building (Table 19.7). While a certain level of accumulated knowledge and application of technology was acknowledged, the overall trend of social capacity was at a level that was barely sufficient and was either declining or unchanging.