Southern Madagascar is experiencing its worst famine in history. According to UNICEF, 20% of youngsters are malnourished. In 2020, a locust infestation decimated all crops, precipitating the famine.
“We conducted active screening in each district and discovered that 20% of youngsters are underweight. This exceeds the tolerance level, and we have entered the emergency phase “According to Armand Rakoto, a representative of Unicef in southern Madagascar.
School canteens have been established to enable malnourished students to eat while attending lessons as part of an urgent government campaign to combat starvation in this hard-hit region of the island.
The ministry of Agriculture responded to the crisis and launched an initiative that provided people who lost everything on dry terrain that is irrigated with a solar-powered drip system.
“We’ll assist them in producing food. Food will be preserved in a food bank as a precautionary measure but also to ensure that it is available in the event of a drought “Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Harison Edmond Randriarimanana pledges.
A climate change-ready agriculture strategy is advocated by the World Food Program of the United Nations.
“It’s crucial to grow what works best based on the availability or lack thereof of water, as well as the qualities of the soil. The important thing to remember is that this is climate-smart farming. However, it must be complemented by agriculture that is focused on nutrition “Boliko Mbuli Charles, the World Food Programme’s representative in Madagascar, speaks out in defense of the organization.
More money is needed to combat starvation and prevent a fresh locust plague in southern Madagascar, according to the UN agency.
“All of our agricultural efforts could be jeopardized next year if we do not take action in the next weeks to limit the spread of the migrating locust. We require immediate assistance; we require USD$ 6,800,000, some of which may not be available for some time, but we require this money immediately so that we may take the required steps to avert a locust revival next year “,
