Overview:

Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world and is situated east of Mozambique. The Malagasy people are thought to be predominantly of mixed African and Austronesian origin. Madagascar is renowned for its biological diversity, and is home to a significant proportion of the world’s plants and animal species. Madagascar’s primary source of income is agriculture, a sector that employs 88% of workers. 

Food crops of Madagascar are rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and groundnuts. Cash crops include coffee, vanilla, cloves, sugarcane, cotton, cocoa and sisal. The island is a former French colony and maintains strong economic and cultural links with French-speaking West Africa.

• Madagascar is prone to natural disasters, including chronic drought, flooding, recurrent cyclones, and epidemics. It suffered from two consecutive cyclone seasons between 2007 and 2008, leaving little time for people to recover their livelihoods.
• Seasonal food insecurity is a frequent occurrence in Madagascar. Eight percent of the population suffers from chronic food insecurity, while 50% are impacted by temporary or seasonal food insecurity (Rapport SICIAV/MAEP/FAO). Temporary food insecurity is particularly ubiquitous from November until March also known as the lean season, as it is the period between harvests. 
• As the cyclone season (December-April) coincides with the lean season, the populations’ coping strategies are further strained thus increasing their vulnerabilities.
• UN statistics indicate that more than 40 percent of children under five are moderately or severely underweight.
• In the south, drought areas have been expanding in recent years, encroaching adversely on human habitats.