Madagascar
- 1.31 million
- people facing high levels of acute food insecurity
- 90%-plus
- of population live on less than US$3.10 a day
- 28 million
- population
Madagascar is the world¡¯s fifth largest island, situated in the Indian Ocean with a population of 28 million people. Despite considerable natural resources, the country faces high poverty rates, with over 90 percent of its population living on less than US$3.10 a day. Chronic malnutrition affects nearly 40 percent of children.
Food insecurity results from factors including lack ranging from crop diversification and high reliance on rain-fed agriculture, to low incomes and rising food prices. Climate shocks are increasing in severity and frequency, causing damage to agriculture, infrastructure, biodiversity and coastal resources, and leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods.
The south of Madagascar is affected by a recurrent drought and the southeast is prone to recurrent cyclones and flooding. In these regions, up to 1.31 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity.?
The ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ (WFP) provides emergency food assistance to vulnerable people affected by crises, with operations concentrated in the south and southeast, and helps to build community resilience through innovative solutions. Strong emphasis is also placed on capacity building of Government and partners, such as in emergency preparedness.
What the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ is doing in Madagascar
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Disasters preparedness
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In anticipation of climate shocks, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳supports communities at risk through measures such as the distribution of disaster-resistant seeds, short-cycle farming activities, cash transfers and the dissemination of early warnings and climate information. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳also offers logistics support for disaster preparedness and emergency-response coordination. This includes workshops and technical training to strengthen national capacities, and providing equipment to national authorities. In other measures, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳pre-positions in strategic areas to enable a fast response.
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Emergency assistance
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ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳provides emergency food and cash to disaster-affected people, combined with nutritional supplements for women and children. Nutrition support is also provided to people suffering from tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Emergency interventions are coupled with food assistance for assets, where food is provided in tandem with people carrying out community work to support early-recovery efforts.
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Nutrition
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Through the ¡°MIARO¡± (¡°Protect¡±) approach, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳provides nutrition support to 42,000 children aged 6¨C23 months, and pregnant and breastfeeding women, to prevent malnutrition. We provide supplementary feeding and activities such as nutrition education and market gardening. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳strengthens the capacity of the National Nutrition Office, with a focus on scaling up initiatives that improve availability, access and consumption of nutritious foods.
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School meals
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ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳remains the largest provider of school meals in Madagascar, supporting 360,000 children in almost 1,000 primary schools in the southern and southeastern regions. WFP¡¯s school meals programme provides daily hot school meals, helping to increase enrolment and reduce the drop-out rate. ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳is scaling up the home-grown school feeding approach, which aims to supply school canteens with locally produced food. The approach boosts farmers¡¯ incomes while also diversifying school meals.
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Resilience building
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ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳builds community resilience to recurrent shocks through innovations such as the Rapid Rural Transformation model. Under this approach, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳provides communities with solar-powered hubs that generate clean energy for water for domestic and agricultural use. Training is also provided. The availability of clean energy has allowed people to set up businesses such as retail shops, while others are using the solar-powered energy to repair agricultural equipment. At the same time, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳supports 92,000 people with asset creation and skills training, and 102,000 smallholder farmers with training in post-harvest losses and support for agricultural production, food diversification and climate change adaptation.
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Logistics
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The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) facilitates post-disaster assessments and access to hard-to-reach areas. It ensures the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid cargo and personnel.
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Operations in Madagascar
Contacts
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Madagascar