MADAGASCAR / FOOD INSECURITY

Farmers in Southern Madagascar, hit by three years of devastating drought, urgently need more support so they can plant crops in time for the December and January planting seasons. FAO, IFAD and WFP - have joined forces, targeting 850,000 people in the worst-affected districts. FAO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:51
• Production Date: 18 November 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION - FAO; INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT - IFAD; WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: AGRICULTURE; FOOD CROPS; FOOD DISTRIBUTION; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Geographic Subject: MADAGASCAR
• MAMS Id: 1778448
• Parent Id: 1778448
• Alternate Title: unifeed161118d

Description

STORY: MADAGASCAR / FOOD INSECURITY
TRT: 02:50
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / MALAGASY / NATS

DATELINE: NOVEMBER 2016, MAROVATO BE 1 / TSARAMPIOKE / TANANDAVA SUD / ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

Shotlist

NOVEMBER 2016, TSARAMPIOKE, MADAGASCAR

1. Various shots, drought ridden countryside
2. SOUNDBITE (Malagasy) Zoetsoa, President of Farmers Association, Tsarampioke:
“We suffer from the famine. Children and old people have no food. We need help to install water pumps, even a small aid will help.”

NOVEMBER 2016, MAROVATO BE 1, MADAGASCAR

3. Various shots, villagers receiving food aid from WFP

NOVEMBER 2016, ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Moumini Ouedraogo, Representative, World Food Programme, Madagascar:
“Joining our effort it makes the difference. While WFP will be providing food, FAO can be working on the seed to provide quality seed for them to plant for the next season.”

NOVEMBER 2016, MAROVATO BE 1, MADAGASCAR

5. Various shots, villagers receiving food aid from WFP

NOVEMBER 2016, ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrice Talla Takoukam, FAO Representative, Madagascar:
“We have been trying to respond to emergencies but also at the same time to build the resistance capacities of the communities, to be able to take care of themselves. An example is with the seed sectors, FAO has provided the capacity for the communities to be able to produce themselves.”

NOVEMBER 2016, MAROVATO BE 1, MADAGASCAR

7. Various shots, villagers receiving food aid from WFP

NOVEMBER 2016, TSARAMPIOKE, MADAGASCAR

8. Various shots, IFAD trainer providing training in more efficient farming and marketing techniques

NOVEMBER 2016, ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahima Bamba, IFAD Country Programme Manager, Madagascar:
“The benefit of getting farmers to work together in cooperatives or into any kind of institution is the benefit of collective action.”

NOVEMBER 2016, TSARAMPIOKE, MADAGASCAR

10. Various shots, farmers irrigating their land sown with of drought resistant seed and a water pump provided by FAO

NOVEMBER 2016, MAROVATO BE 1, MADAGASCAR

11. Various shots, family eating a meal provided by WFP food aid
12. SOUNDBITE (Malagasy) Vola Soaromeny, Villager, Marovato Be 1:
“In the past, we had food to eat. Now, we have nothing to eat. There’s no rain. So we can’t plant. All the crops have disappeared. There’s nothing.”

NOVEMBER 2016, TANANDAVA SUD, MADAGASCAR

6. Various shots, beans and maize produced with the help of FAO and IFAD

Storyline

Farmers in Southern Madagascar, hit by three years of devastating drought, urgently need more support so they can plant crops in time for the December and January planting seasons.

The drought has left an estimated 1.4 million people food insecure.

The lack of sufficient rains brought about significant declines in the production of maize, cassava and rice production in the south of the island earlier this year.

SOUNDBITE (Malagasy) Zoetsoa, President of Farmers Association, Tsarampioke:
“We suffer from the famine. Children and old people have no food. We need help to install water pumps, even a small aid will help.”

In response to the crisis, three UN agencies – FAO, IFAD and WFP - have joined forces.

FAO's immediate agricultural response is targeting 850,000 people (170, 000 small-scale farming households) in the worst-affected districts.

SOUNDBITE (English) Moumini Ouedraogo, Representative, World Food Programme, Madagascar:
“Joining our effort it makes the difference. While WFP will be providing food, FAO can be working on the seed to provide quality seed for them to plant for the next season.”

In the village of Tsarampioke, FAO has provided farmers with quality drought and disease resistant seeds and a water pump to extract ground water for irrigation.

SOUNDBITE (English) Patrice Talla Takoukam, FAO Representative, Madagascar:
“We have been trying to respond to emergencies but also at the same time to build the resistance capacities of the communities, to be able to take care of themselves. An example is with the seed sectors, FAO has provided the capacity for the communities to be able to produce themselves.”

Meanwhile, IFAD is teaching more efficient production techniques, as well as helping farmers to get better access to markets.

SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahima Bamba, IFAD Country Programme Manager, Madagascar:
“The benefit of getting farmers to work together in cooperatives or into any kind of institution is the benefit of collective action.”

WFP is scaling up its ongoing food and cash relief operations to reach nearly 1 million vulnerable people by the end of this month.

SOUNDBITE (Malagasy) Vola Soaromeny, Villager, Marovato Be 1:
“In the past, we had food to eat. Now, we have nothing to eat. There’s no rain. So we can’t plant. All the crops have disappeared. There’s nothing.”

WFP is expanding its nutrition programme to prevent and treat malnutrition among more than 200,000 pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five, while continuing to assist some 230,000 school children with daily hot meals.