Middle Classes and ‘Moderate Prosperity’ in Rural Madagascar

Much discussion of the ‘African middle class' neglects the social contexts of rural Africa. In this chapter, the author advocates the use of the concept of ‘moderate prosperity' as an alternative to the term middle class and tests that concept in the Itasy region of Madagascar. Using quantitative data from 508 households, Andrianampiarivo applies a clustering method based on four socio-economic factors: household income, head of household's education level, income structure, and land tenure. In his analysis, four moderate prosperity groups are identified, each of which employs one of three strategies of accumulation. The vulnerable moderate prosperity households adopt coping and defensive strategies, and have a diversified portfolio of on- and off-farm activities. The emerging and traditional moderate prosperity groups, meanwhile, are involved in adaptive strategies and rely, respectively, on polyculture and rice farming. The upper moderate prosperity households, finally, adopt strategies of accumulation that combine intensive farming with high-return non-farm activities or employment.