Committee:​ ​World Food Programme (WFP)

Agenda:​ ​Developing Infrastructural support

for Accessible & Affordable Food
Country: ​Madagascar

Madagascar being a member of the “Vulnerable Twenty” (V20), a group that gathers 20 nations
that may see their future development severely impacted by climate change. The country will be
exposed to cyclones, climate change is expected to bring stronger cyclones and further droughts,
which will have a huge impact on food security and infrastructure where about 90% of its
population already lives on less than $3 a day. Although Madagascar's economy is essentially
agricultural, much of the land is unsuitable for cultivation because of its mountainous terrain,
extensive lateralization, and inadequate or irregular rainfall. Only about 5% of the land area is
cultivated at any one time. Hence, agriculture is still the backbone of 75% of Madagascar’s
population accounting for 86% of all jobs and 60% of youth employment. The three sub sectors
– agriculture, livestock and fisheries – are key to reducing poverty and improving food security.

Living conditions went downhill over the past 25 years, while the population has doubled,
reaching 17.9 million in the year 2004. The political crisis of 2009 to 2013 hampered
socioeconomic development, increasing poverty- extreme poverty. The resulting decline in
agricultural productivity was further aggravated in 2012 and 2013 caused by a locust infestation,
which destroyed as much as half of food crops, and severe drought, which hampered agricultural
production in most of its regions. Like other countries undergoing rapid growth in population,
Madagascar struggles to increase agricultural production sufficiently to feed its people. For the
country has the world’s fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition that counts to 47.3% and
ranks 15th in the number of children affected (2 million).

2 major strategies were made by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),
based on Madagascar’s strategic opportunities program for 2015-2019. It aims to improve the
income and food security of marginalized people, especially the youth. First, Ensure that
effective, climate-resilient production systems are widely adopted by farms and rural enterprises;
second, Improve access by rural smallholders and enterprises to markets and priority value
chains. Almost 15 rural development projects were finished by the IFAD. THE Government of
Madagascar and the World Bank to action partnered to adapt irrigation infrastructure in battling
climate change. The first step was to develop new norms for irrigation schemes that would better
resist cyclones. The hydraulic infrastructure construction norms, that are flood resistant, provide
guidance on how to incorporate flood evacuation into irrigation plans and how to use materials
adapted to the soil. A set of laws were then passed to ensure that the implementation of these
norms is compulsory.

Madagascar, the home of rich biodiversity believes that there is hope in improving and securing
their agriculture for accessible and affordable food for its people. Providing them with the
needed infrastructures will help them sustain their livelihood. Strong implementation of laws and
regulations is needed to achieve its goals. Implementing sustainability in terms of agriculture and
infrastructure will not only address economic, agriculture and environmental problems but will
also make Madagascar a resilient nation.

References:

(n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2019, from

https://www.wildmadagascar.org/overview/loc/37-agriculture.html

Building Madagascar's Climate Resiliency to Ensure Food Security and Preserve Livelihoods.
(n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2019, from
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/12/04/building-madagascars-climate-resiliency-
to-ensure-food-security-and-preserve-livelihoods

Inclusive consultations move Madagascar forward on transformation of land and livelihoods.

(2019, May 09). Retrieved July 9, 2019, from
https://www.thegef.org/news/inclusive-consultations-move-madagascar-forward-transformation-
land-and-livelihoods

Madagascar. (n.d.). Retrieved July 9, 2019, from

https://www.ifad.org/en/web/operations/country/id/madagascar?fbclid=IwAR1WO4jfkW64Dix6
ZpvoMWII0Vtd6LhGQktYmKLYSqzlgFI42tBJf0yurDA