01 · The problem
What is happening
Southern Madagascar is semi-arid and prone to drought. Consecutive poor rainy seasons around 2019–2021 led to severe food insecurity, with the World Food Programme and partners scaling up emergency assistance. A World Weather Attribution study found that rainfall variability was the main driver and that the role of human-induced climate change in that drought was small, highlighting underlying vulnerability — poverty, limited infrastructure and land degradation — as key factors in the crisis.
Critical severity. Severe, persistent harm to health, ecosystems or livelihoods. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.
02 · Causes
Why it is happening
- 01
Rainfall variability
The south experiences highly variable and often low rainfall.
- 02
Land degradation and sandstorms
Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion and sand encroachment.
- 03
Structural vulnerability
Poverty, limited irrigation and poor infrastructure reduce resilience.
03 · Impacts
Who and what it affects
- 01
Acute food insecurity
Crop failures leave households without enough food.
- 02
Malnutrition
Children are particularly affected by acute malnutrition.
- 03
Migration
Families move in search of food and work.
04 · Solutions
Documented approaches
Humanitarian food assistance
Emergency food and nutrition support.
Expected effectPrevents loss of life during crises.
Water infrastructure
Pipelines, boreholes and water storage for the south.
Expected effectImproves water access for households and farms.
Drought-resilient agriculture
Drought-tolerant crops, soil restoration and anticipatory action.
Expected effectReduces vulnerability to future droughts.
05 · Key indicators
What can be measured
No reliable quantitative indicator is included for this issue. TerraLens shows figures only where a credible source supports them — consult the sources below for current data.
06 · Sources
Where this comes from
- [1]WFP in MadagascarWorld Food Programmewfp.org(opens in a new tab)
- [2]World Weather AttributionWorld Weather Attributionworldweatherattribution.org(opens in a new tab)
Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.