ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR: The U.S. Embassy, through USAID/Madagascar, announced two new food security programs,  which will directly benefit over 620,000 individuals. The programs Asotry*, implemented by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA); and Fararano*, carried out by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), will receive a total of $75 million in support (over 188 billion Ariary) to reduce food insecurity and increase vulnerable households’ resilience to shocks in five regions: Amoron’I Mania, Atsimo Andrefana, Atsinanana, Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy-Fitovinany.

The range of activities of this new program will include sustainable agricultural production and marketing, natural resource management, non-agricultural income generation, integrated health and family planning programming, nutrition, water and sanitation, disaster risk reduction, vulnerable group feeding, and social safety nets.

 “These new programs are a sign of the United States’ renewed commitment to Madagascar,” said USAID Madagascar Mission Director Susan Sawhill Riley. “The ultimate goal of our work is to ensure that families, mothers and their children have the means they need to produce quality food for themselves and their communities.  Over half of Malagasy children under 5 years of age are stunted and at increased risk for suffering from permanent, irreversible effects of malnutrition throughout their lives.”   

Asotry will work in the Haut Plateau in Amoron’i Mania and Haute Matsiatra where the prevalence of stunting is among the highest in the country.  ADRA will also work in the southern districts of Atsimo Andrefana in communities faced by food insecurity due to drought, locusts and natural disasters. Fararano will operate along the East Coast in Atsinanana and Vatovavy-Fitovinany which sees cyclones more often than most regions in the country.  CRS will also work in food insecure communities in northern districts of Atsimo Andrefana, both projects aiming to improve child nutrition and livelihoods through integrated agriculture, nutrition and resilience activities.

Through its Food for Peace (FFP) programs, USAID provides development food assistance to reduce food insecurity among vulnerable populations by addressing underlying causes. USAID also provides emergency food assistance to address needs arising from natural disasters, such as floods or droughts, and complex emergencies often characterized by insecurity and population displacement.

* Names of harvest seasons in Malagasy