Drought in Madagascar

For the past three years, Madagascar has faced its "worst drought in four decades". (Farand, 2021) In the year 2020, Madagascar's cumulative rainfall dropped from 89 inches to 53 inches according to Visual Crossing weather data.

Combined with sandstorms, the Covid-19 pandemic, and other challenges, the drought has brought devastation to both the environment and the livelihoods of people living in Madagascar. Since the majority of people living in Madagascar depend on rain-fed agriculture for their food supply, drought has led to widespread hunger in the country.

The drought is causing severe stress to vegetation, particularly in the southern region of the island. According to the NASA Earth Observatory report, large areas of vegetation in southern Madagascar are showing below-average health due to the lack of rainfall. (Hansen, 2021) The drought is having the same effect on crops. An FAO report projected the 2021 crop yield to be 50% below the average for the past five years. (2021)

The severe drought also puts Madagascar at risk of an increase in deforestation. Historically, during droughts farmers in Madagascar have tried to increase crop yields by increasing farmland through deforestation. In the article "Rain, forests, and farmers: Evidence of drought induced deforestation in Madagascar and its consequences for biodiversity conservation", it was found that during years of drought, deforestation is increased by 7.6% and in more dry areas deforestation can see an increase of up to about 17%. (Desbureaux and Damania, 2018) This increase in deforestation leads to harmful impacts on the wildlife of the region.

With the drought causing years of below-average harvests, many people in Madagascar are now at risk of starvation. According to a report by the FAO in May 2021, “The latest IPC analysis indicated that 42 percent of the population is facing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity" (FAO, 2021). At this time it was also predicted that those numbers would double by the end of the year. Food insecurity is mainly threatening the low-income populations who have limited access to quality diets.

As reported in a UN News article, many families are having to leave their homes or forage for wild food in order to eat. Families are resorting to eating locusts, cactus fruits, and wild leaves and roots. (Farand, 2021) Malnutrition has hit Madagascar's children the hardest. In the article, "Southern Madagascar faces 'shocking' lack of food", it was found that 28% of children under five years old are acutely malnourished and one third of these children are very severely malnourished to the point of high risk of death. (Makoni, 2021) As the drought continues and food supplies are running low, many people, especially in the southern region of Madagascar, are suffering from lack of a nutritional diet.

Many programs such as the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization are providing some aid to families in need of food. The FAO identified the need to provide at risk populations with seeds and tools to produce more food as crucial to decreasing the amount of food insecurity in the country. In May of 2021, in the FAO reported that they would need $40.4 million in US dollars to provide assistance for 224,700 households or about 1,123,500 people. The FAO reported that some of the top priorities in helping Madagascar during the drought includes introducing climate smart agriculture practices, promoting plant protections, providing livestock and crop restocks and improving livestock and crop health.