Cactus Pear as Dryland Fodder: Ambovombe Farm, Madagascar and Wellwood Farm, South Africa Compared, c.1920-1950

Abstract

For over a century the pros and cons of using Opuntia species (prickly pear, cactus pear) as stock feed in arid and semi-arid regions have been debated in print. The issue remains important since pastoralism is often a major livelihood option in disadvantaged dryland areas, and any introduced plant that might enhance pastoral production could be of great value. This paper seeks to test the argument that cactus pears increase the productivity of land devoted to livestock by comparing records for their use in two historically specific locations over a thirty-year period from 1920 to 1950: a French colonial veterinary service farm in Androy, southern Madagascar and a successful Merino sheep farm in the Karoo, South Africa. It explores the different types of experiment that can be undertaken to determine impacts on livestock-rearing as well as the methodological difficulties involved. It highlights the significance of particular Opuntia species or varieties (spiny and spineless, cultivated and wild) as well as particular ecological conditions and social management systems for determining productivity impacts. It also considers the divergent historical trajectories of investigations into Opuntia productivity in Madagascar and South Africa, relating these to broader contexts.