Background

Madagascar is a unique and beautiful country. Madagascar’s topography features a central, elevated plateau, a narrow coastal plain on the east, and a wider, lower coastal plain on the west, with significant mountain massifs and diverse landscapes including rain forests, deserts, and savannas. But besides this interesting diversity of the country’s topography, there is a tragic problem throughout the whole country.

Madagascar faces a severe crisis of poverty and food insecurity, with a significant portion of the population struggling to access adequate food and living in extreme poverty. The reasons for this are many, 1) living with the effects of colonialism, 2) lack of a unified educational system, 3) lacking quality infrastructure across the country, 4) ineffective government, etc.

Key Issues in Madagascar (According to the “World Food Programme”)

• High Poverty Rates: Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a large percentage of its population living on less than US $3.00 a day.
• Food Insecurity: A substantial portion of the population, estimated at around 33% (8.8 million people), is food insecure.
• Malnutrition: Malnutrition, including stunting and wasting, is a major concern, particularly among children.
• Lack of Infrastructure: Poor road conditions and limited access to remote areas hinder humanitarian efforts and aid delivery.
• Inequalities: Unequal distribution of wealth contributes to the problem, leaving many people vulnerable.

Despite the pressing needs, Madagascar has remained a largely forgotten crisis, according to Sylvie Montembault, who oversees EU humanitarian programs in the country.

“Each year, Madagascar faces recurring droughts, floods and cyclones, which devastate the crops of subsistence farmers, who make up a significant portion of the population,” she says. “The result is widespread hunger, which can lead to severe problems in small children, including stunted growth, impaired cognitive development and lifelong health issues. When the children get sick, they refuse to eat and lose all weight. The hospital is very far away and they have no money to pay for medical treatment.”

Between 40-60% of Malagasy children are affected by malnutrition resulting in stunting, anemia, and being underweight (Andriamparany, Hänke, & Schlecht, 2021). When children are stunted, they have less energy and proper health to attend school regularly negatively impacting their educational attainment. The issue of malnutrition carries into adulthood adversely affecting health and prosperity for Malagasy. The south of Madagascar receives global attention due to its desert and dry environment making crop growth especially difficult leading to more visual signs of food insecurity.

A March of 2025 the Madagascar Government news release states: Less than 5% of children aged 6 to 23 months receive an acceptable diet in southern Madagascar. Environmental shocks, including recurring droughts and biodiversity loss, exacerbate this situation, with 86% of households lacking access to nutritious food. It should also be noted that 24% of children in Madagascar are severely malnourished, consuming only two of the eight food groups essential to their development. (The eight food groups include fruits & vegetables, meat & fish, milk products, carbohydrates or starchy foods, fatty foods, sugared or sweet products, beverages.)

UNICEF describes the situation in Madagascar as one of the poorest countries in the world. Over 81 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty. More than 40 percent of people cannot provide themselves with sufficient food, and almost one in two children under five are chronically malnourished. Almost half of the population has no access to clean drinking water.

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Madagascar ranks 124th out of the 127 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2024 GHI scores. With a score of 36.3 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Madagascar has a level of hunger that is alarming.

• 39.7% of the population is undernourished – Undernourishment is defined as the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
• 39.8% of children under five are stunted – Child stunting is defined as the share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic under-nutrition.

In addition to the food issues, there is also a problem with safe water. Madagascar faces significant water challenges, with a large portion of the population lacking access to clean water and sanitation, particularly in the southern regions, which are highly vulnerable to drought. Roughly 57% of the population lacks access to improved water sources, and nearly half (45%) lack access to basic sanitation services. This region experiences the lowest water supply coverage and is highly vulnerable to drought, with chronic droughts leading to annual emergency appeals.

It is with these complicated and diverse number of reasons, that Friends of Madagascar Development seeks to begin programs that address these issues. We realize that we are a small nonprofit, but we do not see that as a factor to not address how we may begin to challenge the issues of hunger, poverty, contaminated water and a lack of planning for improving their life style. We have developed a strategy called “Village Redemption” which helps us to dialogue with the Malagasy people about the issues that need to be addressed for change.