Antananarivo — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contributed US$45 million in 2022 on behalf of the American people to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help provide life-saving food assistance in southern Madagascar, as half the population faces acute food insecurity following consecutive years of drought. The contribution has helped prevent a further deterioration of food security in southern Madagascar, where half the population is acutely food insecure worsened by rising fertilizer and fuel prices on the global market.

"We are grateful to the United States government and the American people for their strong support to WFP's emergency response in drought-affected southern Madagascar, which helped avert famine during the 2021/2022 lean season," says Pasqualina Di Sirio, WFP's Country Director in Madagascar. "While significant progress has been made, it's important that we continue to work together to reduce the humanitarian needs that remain unacceptably high."

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, more than 2 million people - in the southern and south-eastern regions of Madagascar - are estimated to be in acute food insecurity while half a million people are acutely malnourished.

The support from USAID has enabled WFP to provide vital food and nutritional assistance to the most severely affected households and avoid a complete humanitarian catastrophe. In November, almost 800,000 people received in-kind food assistance and cash-based transfer from WFP under the drought response in southern Madagascar. WFP also provides nutrition support to prevent and treat malnutrition for nearly 80,000 children and 12,000 pregnant and nursing women.

"Through USAID, the American people are pleased to support the dynamic interventions of WFP on behalf of some of the most vulnerable people in Madagascar," said Anne Williams, USAID's Mission Director in Madagascar while on a recent joint field visit to the village of Ankirikirika, in the Amboasary district, south of the country, with WFP and the Hon. Harifidy Ramilison, Minister of Agriculture. "In Ankirikirika, we observed an efficient, well managed operation to get assistance to whom it is needed most."

The United States is WFP's largest donor in Madagascar, having contributed more than US$100 million to WFP operations in the country over the last two years.