Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Influence of Conservation Organizations on the Cultural Model of Swidden Agriculture in Eastern Madagascar

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Swidden agriculture is of particular interest to scientists and conservation groups because of its adverse effect on the endemic flora and fauna, but also because, as practiced with current human population densities in contemporary Madagascar, it is both ecologically and economically unsustainable. The Malagasy Government is trying to limit the practice of swidden agriculture by introducing wet field rice agriculture as well as non- indigenous conservation practices. However, the rituals associated with swidden agriculture in Eastern Madagascar may not be compatible with the subsistence pattern proposed by conservation groups and this incompatibility may result in resistance to the introduced subsistence practices. This dissertation research will test the hypothesis that as knowledge of non- indigenous conservation practices increases, knowledge of swidden decreases. The hypothesis tests whether the information conservation organizations are giving to the local populations on non-indigenous agricultural practices displaces knowledge of indigenous agricultural practices. By comparing the cultural knowledge of agriculture and conservation practices of communities with and without western conservation influences, the influences of western conservation efforts will be better understood so as to guide future programs. The broader impact of this research is that it addresses a problem that has significant influence to both anthropological theory (cultural models and sharedness of knowledge) and the Malagasy people (socio-cultural change) by providing a better understanding to the conservation groups in the area. In addition, the results of this project will be useful in other regions of biodiversity conservation concern where indigenous knowledge, rituals, agricultural practices and beliefs may not be compatible with non-indigenous conservation practices.