Can Malagasy Agriculture Come Out of the Demographic and Economic Impasse

Agriculture in Madagascar has long provided enough activities and jobs to absorb the increase in rural population, even in the areas of high population density. Since 1960, the population growth and pressure on land in rural areas have been intensifying. The space is now saturated in some regions and the agriculture sector is struggling to provide occupations for the new generations. The combined effect of a strong rise in the rural population and the seemingly perpetually fixed agrarian structures are creating a demo-economic impasse that public policies hitherto have not been able resolve. However, some far-reaching changes are beginning to show in the rural development domain that could offer prospects for overcoming the impasse: agricultural innovations in the densely populated areas, the enhancing of new spaces by migration of young people from the rural areas, or integration of agriculture into market systems.