Seeds for Supper as Drought Intensifies in South Madagascar

Farmers are in despair at the drought crisis in Southern Madagascar, where at least 1.14 million people are food insecure. Credit: Miriam Gathigah/IPSBy Miriam GathigahBEKILY, Madagascar, Jun 14 2016 (IPS)Havasoa Philomene did not have any maize when the harvesting season kicked off at the end of May since like many in the Greater South of Madagascar, she had already boiled and eaten all her seeds due to the ongoing drought.Here, thousands of children are living on wild cactus fruits in spite of the severe constipation that they cause, but in the face of the most severe drought witnessed yet, Malagasy people have resorted to desperate measures just to survive.“We received maize seeds in January in preparation for the planting season but most of us had eaten all the seeds within three weeks because there is nothing else to eat,” says the 53-year-old mother of seven.She lives in Besakoa Commune in the district of Bekily, Androy region, one of the most affected in the South of Madagascar.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that an estimated 45,000 people in Bekily alone are affected, which is nearly half of the population here.Humanitarian agencies like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimate that 1.14 million people lack enough food in the seven districts of Southern Madagascar, accounting for at least 80 percent of the rural population.The United Nations World Food Programme now says that besides Androy, other regions, incl...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Advancing Deserts Africa Aid Climate Change Development & Aid Economy & Trade Environment Food & Agriculture Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Natural Resources Population Poverty & SDGs Source Type: news