Drought in Madagascar: 500,000 people suffer from food insecurity

Text by: RFI Follow

Hundreds of thousands of people are in a situation of food insecurity due to the drought that has affected this area for several months. This is indicated in a bulletin published Monday, February 10 by the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report predicts 730,000 severely food insecure people on the Big Island by March. Two regions are particularly affected: Androy and Anosy because they have been suffering from drought for several months.

“ The last rains go back to September. We have cultivated a little but now everything is dry, ”says Jeannot, a resident of Tsihombe, one of the big cities in the south of the country. " It's like that throughout the district. People are living with the reservations they have made but it is certain that before long, many people will leave. What are we going to eat if there is no culture ? We already know there will be Kere, ”he continues.

Kere, famine, affects the Great South every year . " The crop prospects remain critical for the coming months, " said the FAO bulletin. In some municipalities, drought has caused 75% loss for rice crops. The cassava and corn fields were also affected. Signs of the suffering of the inhabitants of these two regions: the consumption of food shortages such as dried cassava and fermented milk has replaced staple foods and fresh foods. The number of meals also decreased and in 60% of the communes, temporary migrations to flee drought and hunger were observed.

" Some households sell their personal effects to cope with food difficulties, " said the report. The food crisis in Grand Sud, one of the poorest areas in the country, remains largely ignored. According to the barometer of the NGO CARE International published last month, it comes out on top of the ten humanitarian crises forgotten by the media.

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• Madagascar
• Natural disasters

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