Land Use in Madagascar

1. In Madagascar, about 71% of the land is used for agriculture. Approximately 21% is comprised of forests and less than 1% is urban land.

2.
Monoculture
Pros - This method is much cheaper and machine usage requires less labor. It is very simple and successful crops enjoy very high rates of production.
Cons - This can also deplete nitrogen levels in the soils and it can spread diseases through the plants. There is a heavy usage of fossil fuels, chemicals and technology and it can cause a lot of environmental damage.

Polyculture
Pros - This only requires a smaller amount of land and natural resources can be used more efficiently. Water and electricity can be used more effectively to produce more. Animal wastes can be used as fertilizers and manure for crops. Also, the income for the farmers is a lot more stable and consistent.
Cons - It is difficult for the farmers to control all of their crops because they have to check on each one. Planning polyculture farming can also be very time consuming and planting which makes it a very laborious task. There is a need for  greater infrastructure to get the work done on a land for this method of farming.

Slash and Burn
Pros - This practice is very cheap. When practiced on a smaller land, it's not as devastating as burning down a great deal of land. If decades have past between each burn, it can be beneficial for the enivorment and the soil. 
Cons - Burning this tremendous amount of land is damaging to the environment. Without proerly evacuating animals in the area, the animals there could be killed. Also, slash and burn smoke causes the air quality to become really poor.

3. Madagascar primarily uses traditional farming methods which involves the slash and burn method. The main crop farmed in Madagascar is rice. It is grown throughout the country. Maize is farmed primarily in the south-central regions of the country and cassava along the east coast. The type of crop that takes up the highest percentage of the country's agriculture are cereal crops which includes rice and maize. The top 3 exported crops in Madagascar are coffee, vanilla and cloves.