Context:
Madagascar is the third lowest ranked country on the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI). Almost 40 per cent of the population is affected by acute or chronic undernutrition with the situation being particularly serious in the south-east of the country.
Women and children bear the brunt. If children lack important micronutrients in the womb or during their first two years of life – the so-called 1,000-day window – it will have a lifelong impact on their health and development. Growth will be stunted and cognitive abilities impaired.
Approach:
The project combines measures from areas such as agriculture, education, social protection, food and hygiene. It addresses the following points:
- It creates networks for groups of women in remote villages where they can learn about new food and hygiene habits.
- It provides training fields where village communities can grow a variety of crops in line with agroecological standards.
- It mobilises local economic potential through savings groups. These groups show women in particular how to invest their income and thus prepare better for future food crises.
To this end, the project works with civil society partners that are already established in village communities. These include Deutsche Welthungerhilfe, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Madagascan organisation GSDM.
In order to create an environment conducive to promoting long-term food security, the project also advises the Madagascan Government on ways to implement effective food policy.