Marc Ravalomanana's take on preserving the environment

Really, this is related to my Earthwatch expedition, even if it is more about Madagascar than Kenya! :)

In the most recent issue of the National Peace Corps Association's WorldView Magazine, there is an article by Marc Ravalomanana, the current president of Madagascar. The article is called "Madagascar Naturellement," which means "Madagascar Naturally." In it, he talks about the importance of combating poor health and poverty as part of saving the environment. "For its size, Madagascar contributes more to earth's biodiversity than any other place," writes Ravalomanana. However, the amazing natural wonders of the world's 4th largest island are constantly threatened by the practice known in Madagascar as tavy--slash and burn farming. This is a driving force in Madagascar's economy, as rural farmers convert rain forest into rice fields in order to survive, feed their families, and bring in a little money. Because Madagascar is among the world's poorest country (13 million of its 17 million people live on less than $1 a day), it is hard to convince farmers to leave available land as rain forest. The loss of the rain forest, however, further destroys the environment, contributing to erosion and the loss of habitat for plants and animals.

Ravalomanana sees health and family planning as important parts of conservation efforts in Madagascar. In rural Madagascar, poor families tend to be large. As family size increases, children will not be able to get enough food and they will be weaker, more susceptible to disease. Mothers will be at greater risk from too-frequent pregnancies. In order to feed these large families, farmers will have to further destroy their land in order to attempt to feed their families.

In Madagascar, large families have traditionally been considered a blessing. In fact, I was taught that the traditional blessing offered to a new couple at their wedding translates as, "May you have seven sons and seven daughters." The government must therefore fight tradition as well as poverty and a lack of information. However, through education and more healthcare options, "In only a few years, the average number of children per family has decreased from 6.0 to 5.2 children per woman, one of the lowest rates among surveyed countries in Africa."

There are certainly many who would argue against the family-planning based approach that Ravalomanana has taken. However, he writes eloquently about how much it hurts him to see the children of his country struggling from malnourishment and diseases that could be prevented with clean water and general knowledge about staying healthy: "I see families struggling to feed nine to 10 children. I see their children, my country's future, weak from malnutrition and disease. I see farmers destroying their land in their effort to provide for their children. These sights hurt my heart. " In his opinion, bringing down the birthrate and improving overall health will help diminish poverty in Madagascar; alleviating poverty will save the environment because farmers will not need to practice tavy. "Having children is a good thing," writes Ravalomanana, "but having information on when to have them is even better."

I'll leave it to you to read the article and decide for yourselves whether Ravalomanana's ideas have merit. I will say that in Samburu, an increasing population has led to larger herds, which then leads to overgrazing of the land. Overgrazing eliminates the grasses and other plants that help the soil in place when it does rain, therefore contributing to erosion. On thinking about it, however, in Samburu many solutions to poverty would mean abandoning the Samburu way of life. While on the surface that might seem good for everyone, I get a little sad thinking of one of the few traditional cultures left fading away, so it's a tough call. It is certainly true, however, that a lack of education and information contribute to poor health, too many pregnancies, and families that may not be able to feed all their children. Overall, it's important to keep in mind that conservation and development are full of tricky issues and must be handled with an eye toward the balance between what is "right" and what can be done given the way people really live.