Madagascar’s Drought Worsens Ongoing Food Shortage

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Madagascar’s population continues to suffer from one of the worst food shortages in African history as El Niño exacerbates the drought affecting the island. This marks the third consecutive year that Madagascar has been in severe drought and the worst in 35 years, preventing rural farmers from growing crops.

Over 1 million of Madagascar’s 20 million inhabitants do not have access to adequate amounts of food; 90 percent of the population lives beneath the poverty line. In addition to devastating essential crops, the drought has completely decimated the Manambolo river, a major source of Madagascar’s water, depriving communities of potable water. As people struggle to secure water, footage from local media continues to emerge, depicting people desperately digging beneath the dried-up lakes’ surface in hopes of getting enough water to drink and shower with. The United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) has been at the forefront of the crisis, distributing food to rural areas on the brink of starvation. The UNWFP estimates that $70 million is needed to properly allocate enough food to prevent mass starvation across the country, but it has only received $16 million in donations thus far.

Despite being one of the most dire ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world, the food shortage has received very little media attention. Willem Milik, head of UNWFP operations in Madagascar, pleaded for increased international media coverage and donations, stating, “Madagascar is very seldom in the news. It’s completely isolated.” The Indian Ocean island suffers one of the worst cases of chronic malnutrition in the world, with an average of two out of three children having stunted growth because of very limited food resources.

Madagascar’s problems are not just health-related, but also environmental in nature.  In past years, Madagascar has been severely affected by a variety of natural disasters including floods, cyclones, and locust infestations. Experts predict that natural disasters in Madagascar will only increase in severity and frequency because of the rampant environmental degradation plaguing the nation. Since 1950, 80 percent of Madagascar’s forests have disappeared because of a combination of severe natural disasters and deforestation. Whether or not the drought will end anytime soon remains to be seen, but for now, a method of bringing food to these deprived areas is of utmost importance in order to prevent mass famine in the region.