The use of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) near Maromizaha Protected Area, Madagascar
Keywords:
SRI, tavy, conservation, Madagascar, System of Rice Intensification, Système de Riziculture IntensiveAbstract
Rice agriculture is key to food security in Madagascar, yet land conversion for traditional rice growing, or tavy, exerts significant deforestation pressures. A method known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI), has been promoted by development and conservation groups near Maromizaha Protected Area in Madagascar on the premise that it is more sustainable than traditional rice-growing practices. Although the aim of promoting SRI in the region has been to reduce deforestation pressures, preliminary observations suggest that SRI has not been widely adopted. Household surveys and observations were conducted in the communities surrounding Maromizaha Forest to assess the use of SRI, to inform future decisions on SRI training and other approaches. Results reveal that SRI has not been widely adopted despite familiarity and generally positive perceptions of the method’s usefulness. Various issues with SRI adoption near Maromizaha include disparities in access to training, the number of people per household available to participate in farming tasks, and the amount of land appropriate for implementation of SRI. We highlight questions surrounding SRI’s perceived impacts upon rice yield and to explore locally-informed sustainable agricultural alternatives to both traditional rice growing practices and SRI to reduce deforestation pressures in the Maromizaha area.
Résumé
L'agriculture rizicole est la clé de la sécurité alimentaire à Madagascar en même temps que la conversion de terres pour l'agriculture traditionnelle sous la forme de tavy est une source de déforestation. Des méthodes d'intensification agricole ont été proposées par des groupes de développement et de conservation. Une de ces méthodes, le Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI), a été encouragée dans le site d'étude de l’Aire protégée de Maromizaha sur le principe d’une plus grande viabilité par rapport aux pratiques traditionnelles de la riziculture. Si la promotion de l’SRI dans la région était motivée par une réduction des pressions de déforestation, des indications préliminaires suggèrent que le SRI n'a pas été largement adopté. Des enquêtes auprès des ménages et des observations ont été menées auprès des communautés riveraines de la forêt de Maromizaha afin de comprendre les choix des intéressés afin de mieux orienter les futures décisions sur la formation à dispenser pour l’SRI et d’autres approches. Les résultats révèlent que le SRI n'a pas été largement adopté malgré la familiarité et des perceptions généralement positives de l'utilité de la méthode. Divers obstacles à l'adoption du SRI autour de Maromizaha comprennent les disparités dans l'accès à la formation, le nombre de personnes par ménage disponibles pour participer aux tâches agricoles et la quantité de terres appropriées pour la mise en œuvre du SRI. Les questions relatives aux impacts perçus du SRI sur la production de riz sont exposées et mises en contexte avec des alternatives agricoles durables aux pratiques traditionnelles de la culture du riz connues localement et au SRI afin de réduire les pressions de la déforestation dans la région de Maromizaha.
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