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    Situation analysis of food insecurity: community focus groups' perceptions PDF Print E-mail
    madagascar.pngAn analysis of the food insecurity
    Glossary: food insecurity
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    A situation that exists when people lack secure  access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal  growth and development and an active and healthy life. It may be caused  by the unavailability of food, insufficient purchasing power,  inappropriate distribution, or inadequate use of food at the household  level. Food insecurity, poor conditions of health and sanitation, and  inappropriate care and feeding practices are the major causes of poor  nutritional status. Food insecurity may be chronic, seasonal or  transitory. 
    (FI) situation in Madagascar was carried out in 2004 with the resources provided by the EC under Project GCP/INT/741/EC and the technical support of the FIVIMS Secretariat. The analysis draws from all available information sources to seek to answer key questions for decision-making: How many people are affected by FI? Who are they? Where are they? Why are they affected? How to improve their condition?

    The analysis relies heavily on the data from the Commune Census (CC) carried out in 2001. In the CC, the incidence of FI is self-assessed by the community focus groups. Estimates are therefore based on people’s perception and not on objective measurement.

    In summary, the analysis showed that:
    • More than half the population of Madagascar, i.e. about 10 million people, are affected by chronic or seasonal FI:
    • FI is widespread in rural areas, in particular in the provinces of Fianarantsoa and Antananarivo, but is also present in urban areas, especially in the capital;
    • FI is concentrated in remote and less productive areas;
    • Some characteristics associated with vulnerability
    Glossary: vulnerability
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    The presence of factors that place people at risk of becoming food insecure or malnourished, including those factors that affect their ability to cope.
    are common across the country (e.g. size of cultivated areas, productivity, demographic attributes) and vulnerable groups often include: small producers, landless dwellers, some producers of export products, households with high dependency ratios, etc. Across all these categories, women and children are the most affected by FI;
    • According to 60% of the focus groups, variations in producer prices in the markets is the main cause of deteriorating living standards over the last 5 years;
    • Coping strategies frequently include credit and diversification of sources of income where development projects could play an important role. But their impact is currently limited by the fact that they tend to be implemented in the most accessible parts of the country while vulnerable groups are most often concentrated in remote and isolated areas.
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