Madagascar’s Southeast Region Suffers from Severe Food Insecurity After Hurricane Freddy
The south-eastern region of Madagascar was hit hard by Hurricane Freddy and Storm Cheneso, which caused extensive floods and damaged crops, including rice fields, at the beginning of the year. The impact of the cyclones has sparked a food insecurity crisis after nearly 880,000 people had already experienced acute food insecurity at the end of 2022.
According to Denis Bariyanga, the operations coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Madagascar, nearly 80,000 people require immediate food aid for the next three months in the Vatovavy region, which was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Freddy. Many households are resorting to negative coping strategies such as leaving their area to find work or asking their children to work to support the family.
However, some households are developing positive resilience mechanisms to mitigate the impact of the cyclones. For example, some people are diversifying their income sources by engaging in chicken farming activities or small businesses that are not affected by cyclones.
It is evident that Hurricane Freddy has exacerbated the food insecurity crisis in Madagascar’s south-east region, and immediate aid is required to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of people. The international community should cooperate with Madagascar’s government and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent assistance to those in need. Moreover, investment in long-term sustainable solutions should be prioritized to reduce Madagascar’s vulnerability to natural disasters.