Southern Madagascar, polycrisis and project failures: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Development Studies
• African Studies
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Southern Madagascar experiences recurring crises in agriculture, nutrition, security, and governance.
• Numerous development aid projects have been implemented over decades without resolving these persistent issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the reasons behind development project failures in southern Madagascar.
• To synthesize existing literature on development failures in the region.
• To propose an original methodological approach for scoping reviews in complex contexts.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of 63 peer-reviewed and grey literature studies published between 1990 and 2023.
• Studies were analyzed in both French and English.
• Focus on project failures within southern Madagascar.

Main Results:

• Identified a systemic interaction between agri-environmental tensions, state and aid failures, and inadequate consideration of socio-anthropological dimensions and gender relations.
• Highlighted the 'maldevelopment' equilibrium in the region.
• Demonstrated the challenges of conducting research in areas with many development actors and limited scientific output.

Conclusions:

• Development failures in southern Madagascar are rooted in complex, interconnected systemic issues.
• Addressing these failures requires a holistic approach that integrates socio-anthropological and gender considerations.
• The study offers a novel methodological framework for similar research contexts.