Food insecurity continues to devastate Southern Madagascar. Severe weather conditions caused by climate change make it increasingly difficult for locals to harvest their crops. In a country where 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, such conditions can be deadly. The global pandemic has only exacerbated current challenges through market disruptions and limitations on humanitarian assistance.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) states that “Hunger is on the rise in Southern Madagascar due to consecutive years of drought, affecting half the region’s population or 1.5 million people”.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) of April 2020 estimated that over 554, 000 people in Madagascar’s Great South are living in acute food insecurity; an increase of 10% in October last year.