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MADAGASCAR: Just add water, better seeds and new knowledge

25 May 2009

IFOTAKA: Communities in southern Madagascar have a wealth of experience in dealing with the unforgiving, arid conditions of their region, but not even their finely honed farming skills and knowledge passed down for generations can withstand the relentless drought.

"Drought is the cancer of southern Madagascar. It creeps up, and once you start to address the problem, it's too late," Tovo Hery Zo Roabijaona, director of the government's Early Warning System (SAP) in the south, told IRIN.

Three consecutive years of drought and meagre harvests have pushed families beyond their means, putting thousands at risk of hunger. "People here are very resilient; they have adapted to live with droughts over many years. With a little bit of water they would be able to manage - but now [drought] is too often, and it is getting worse."

Read the full article on IRIN.