Following up the every-day-learning processes of stakeholders in forming their land use change decisions in northeastern Madagascar
In the second field mission at the end of 2016, the Malagasy team of the telecoupling research project spent one month in northeastern Madagascar as part of work package 3 (WP3), looking into the social learning dimension of land use decision processes. We made a survey on the land-use-decision-processes of the stakeholders involved to establish the learning baseline. Stakeholders learn in their everyday life. Our main question was, “but how do they learn”? The data we could collect during this field mission will further serve as reference to evaluate what the stakeholders have learnt through the research project activities.
In parallel, we made use of multimedia in the form of social learning video as a tool to connect and bridge the learning of and with distant stakeholders.
Below are some impressions from our experiences during the field mission (Photos: © Patrick Laby):
Our first experience with social learning videos at the first study site we visited. The stakeholders were very interested in the concept, and were very attentive during the exercise.
This picture taken in a remote village in Fizoana shows a small hydropower system made by a local to get electricity for some hours.
A beautiful sunrise in Beanana during our early morning walk to the study site in the Morafeno commune, revealing the beauty of nature.
Still in Beanana, we passed by these recently burned plots. The slash and burn method is frequently used by locals in the region. During the workshops, we discussed with the stakeholders about how land use decisions are made, with the intention to initiate reflexion processes regarding theses practices.
A landscape view of a village in the Morafeno commune, surrounded by cloves plantations mixed with forest.
Field Mission adventures: we had to cross the river taking along the motorbikes to get back to Maroantsetra principal town after our field trip to Morafeno-Centre and Beanana.