But rather than settle permanently in any one microenvironment and specialize on any one set of activities, Mikea households are very mobile and practice a diversified range of economic activities. They combine various agricultural, fishing, foraging, and market activities to better insure survival. Because the rainfall amount, timing, and intensity is quite variable and unpredictable, most Mikea households attempt to try as many different activities as possible so that if some fail, other activities can make up for them. Bram was lucky enough to be present during three years with different environmental exposure. In all three years, most of the households in his study grew corn in the forest, manioc in the savanna, and gathered wild tubers in the forest.
Corn is benefitted by rain and killed by drought.
Manioc, on the other hand, is destroyed by excessive rain and rather drought-tolerant. Thus it appears that Mikea households always grow both crops with the idea that one will fail and the other will succeed depending on the amount of rain. Wild tubers, which may not vary with rainfall, fill in the gaps in the food supply when both corn and manioc fail. All rights reserved .