By Willy BENINANDIANA | Executive Secretary
In Madagascar, the rate of chronic malnutrition affects 42% of children under 5 (MICS 2018 survey), one of the highest rates in the world with 66% of adults affected, 39.8% of deaths of children under 5 years and 31% of the population food insecure (PNAN III) which represents a large majority of the population for a country with high food potential. Generally, the most productive regions are highly exposed to chronic malnutrition impacting on stunting referring to a child too small for his age. Stunting is the inability to grow physically and cognitively, is the result of chronic or recurrent malnutrition. This situation puts the country in a vulnerable position, especially following the covid-19 epidemic which has hit the economy of Malagasy households hard.
In these situations, the country faces the phenomenon of undernutrition known locally as "Kéré". An emergency situation exposing households and communities in the Great South to serious food shortages. This phenomenon is linked to the lack of rainwater for agricultural activities from which 90% of the population draws their income from it, impact on the life of households leading to economic, social and political disarray.
According to media and United Nations sources, for the month of November 2022 to March 2023, 2,023,000 people are in the grip of famine, of which 1.97 million in crisis phase, 250,000 people are classified in a situation of alert and 72% of Madagascar South people on advanced famine.
According to the acute food security analysis (IPC 01/2023) for the period from November 2022 to March 2023, the Atsimo Atsinanana region is in phase 4 with 42,798 people exposed, 37,002 for the Fitovinany region, and 14,980 for the Vatovavy region
At the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, Madagascar, strongly affected by the passage of cyclones (Emnati, Batsirai, Cheneso and Freddy), recorded more than 35,000 vulnerable people affected with more than 14,000 displaced people. The Vatovavy Fitovinany is among the regions that are victims of these hazards.
Apart from the risks generated by climate change, the instability of the prices of agricultural products, the scarcity of resources, food and nutritional insecurity, but also growing monetary needs for consumption, education and health, weigh on the household economy.
Faced with these scourges, the Malagasy Government through its sectoral policies, its strategic plans to fight against malnutrition carry out programs to strengthen the resilience of households in terms of nutrition. For this month of June 2023, the HINA platform has contributed to alleviating the suffering of vulnerable communities in the Fitovinany region through high-impact actions with its members, in order to support and strengthen the resilience of 750 vulnerable households affected by famine.
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