Analysis of urbanization dynamics and farming recomposition: the case of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Abstract

In many cities in the South, urban sprawl continues to encroach on agricultural land. Yet few studies quantify and describe the recomposition of the landscape engendered by urban growth in built-up and agricultural areas. Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, though still very much agricultural, is undergoing increasing urbanisation. Against this backdrop, this article sets out to quantify, describe, and spatialize urbanisation dynamics and agricultural recomposition in this agglomeration. Particular attention is paid to ongoing dynamics on the agricultural plains, where urbanisation is progressing and of key importance for flood management. Using a mixed method combining quantitative and qualitative data, the article confirms that urbanisation is accelerating at the expense of farmland, particularly in the plains. It also highlights the diversity of land-use transitions, and the agricultural recomposition associated with urban growth. It then analyses the factors influencing urbanisation on the plains, and the flexibility of farming activities. It highlights that the key to influencing how urbanisation dynamics are in fact regulated—above and beyond devising rules and drawing up urban plans—is to act on hydro-agricultural infrastructure, farming conditions, the location of access roads, and to control embankments. These various findings may feed into public debates on land-use planning and the place agriculture may play in the city’s resilience.

Keywords

• Antananarivo
• urbanisation
• agricultural land
• flooding
• land-use transitions