Highways or Rice Fields: Madagascar's Critical Development Dilemma.

A solitary marker driven into the soil near the Madagascan village of a rural community foreshadows a transformation that will alter life here permanently.

On a peaceful, warm weekday, the only disturbances interrupting the villagers are the roosters calling and the sporadic sound of a scooter.

However, this rural quiet faces being shattered.

If construction begins, then in two years' time, the community may be displaced and in its place will be a modern highway.

Currently, the community exists around a two-hour drive from the capital Tana. Travel durations are poised to shrink as the proposed road linking the capital to Toamasina goes right through the center of the village.

The red post designates the intended path for this new road.

This fast road is designed to boost the nation's economic prospects, but it will exact a price for some.

The impact of the potential disruption on the farmers is immense.

A Life Built on the Land

A local woman has resided in Ambohidava her whole life.

Now in her seventies, she first started growing produce with her kin at the tender age of four. Her forebears have farmed here for generations.

The initial impression you notice about her is her kind expression.

Standing at 1.5m (4ft 10in), she welcomes a visitor into the dwelling she resides with her husband and serves a customary feast.

She has provided for her family – including a son who faces challenges due to coping with mental health issues – with agriculture her all her life.

But now, the family's pineapple and rice fields lie in the way of the highway project.

"It hurts me, I feel like I've been betrayed," she explains on a brief yet challenging walk down to her land.

"It is difficult because nobody has consulted with us about the highway. This is the land we have cultivated for centuries. It's devastating."

She also adds that no financial settlement has been reached with the authorities. This is a claim that residents often mention as one tours the area, but the officials have promised that payment will be given once the road is completed.

The Project Advances

The opening section of the infrastructure was officially opened by the former leader who commissioned the project in the summer.

He was ousted in a shift in power in later, with the current administration affirming it will maintain the project.

Constructed by Egyptian construction company Sancrete ultimately extend for some 260km and will charge approximately a small fee for passenger vehicles and a higher rate for commercial vehicles to use.

Regarding funding for the costly project, a portion will come from the state, with the balance from international backers, such as the development banks.

The modern surface and obvious lanes of this first stretch are very different with the unmarked, frequently potholed roads that characterize much of national roads.

Currently, traveling between the capital and the port involves taking what is called a national road.

Progress along it can be slow going, as heavy traffic on the two-lane road navigates small towns and avoids crevices in the pavement. Elderly locals filling in potholes with dirt in exchange for donations from travelers is a common sight.

At a transport stop, we meet a driver named a local trucker.

He has been driving this route in his vehicle, carrying cargo, often for the last nine years.

"The journey requires up to an extended period for a single trip," he explains. The government says the new highway will cut this commute to a fraction of the time.

"The current road is very bad. It's really narrow and there's lots of trucks, which makes me concerned. That's why our nation needs to construct this project," he adds, before continuing his journey towards the port.

Promised Economic Gains

According to government projections, the highway will lead to a tripling of activity at the main port, as well as open positions in related businesses, such as accommodation and fuel stops along the corridor.

It is also expected to help Madagascar to export more of its produce, including its renowned vanilla.

All of this could deliver a badly needed boost to the economy in a state where the World Bank says the majority of people live in financial hardship.

The builders also claim that the reduced journey times will help lower emissions by up to a substantial amount.

Ecological Concerns

Madagascar is home to many endemic species, with more than a high percentage of its animals found nowhere else on earth.

Environmental campaigners had been worried that the project would cut through some of the country's virgin rainforest, but it is understood that this no longer will be the case. Instead, the path will now go through zones that had already been deforested for other reasons such as agriculture.

The relevant official at the time, stated that the nation was getting the balance of protecting its heritage and environment with its economic development right.

"The first thing I want to see in Madagascar is the development of the state," he stated, speaking at the place where