Madagascar: From famine to hope

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1:47When you picture a farmer, who do you see? In Madagascar, that farmer is almost always a woman. On this island nation in the Indian Ocean, the climate is changing. Droughts get longer and cyclones more common. And still, women farm. They plant crops, they save seeds, they feed families. Survival here depends on them. And yet despite the extreme weather, they're not only enduring, they are experimenting, restoring and reinventing, transforming Madagascar's farming landscape.

2:26I'm Georgie Stiles, a food anthropologist, and I'm travelling across Madagascar to meet these women and understand how food systems can adapt as the climate becomes ever more extreme. From the BBC World Service, this is the documentary From Famine to Hope.

2:50I've just driven along dusty red roads for about two hours and have arrived at a farm outside of Madagascar's sprawling capital city, Antananarivo. The hills around me are green with trees and crops. Rice paddies sit in the valleys with people wading through the fields harvesting their rice. And others are taking the produce back into the village using zebu, a humpbacked cow and an old wooden cart.

3:20Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. situated off the southeastern coast of Africa. Once known as the Green Island, it's one of the most uniquely biodiverse places outside of the Amazon rainforest. But climate change has been particularly devastating here. Factors like poverty, a poor economy and intense deforestation have placed this country in a perilous situation. Droughts and cyclones have exposed its red soil, renaming it the Red Island. Four out of five people here are subsistence farmers. They rely on this soil. But rapidly changing conditions have ravaged agricultural production, pushing 1.9 million people into acute food insecurity, meaning they're either in or on the brink of famine, and nearly 40 % of children under five are chronically malnourished.

4:18A collective of women hoe the land, taking out the grasses that have grown and turning them into the soil below. The crops they will eventually plant here will help feed their families for the rest of the year.

4:35That land up there, it's still part of the collective land and we've already put cassava there. So here we would grow peas and green beans. We also have here bee farming and fish farming. We also have seeds bank, raised poultry and zebu farming as well. And we use those fertiliser to grow our crops. Despite over 80 % of agricultural work being carried out by women, According to the World Bank, less than 10 % of women own land. And that's why I'm here, because this female-only farm is changing that. Farmer Laluna explains how. The lands are owned by the group. So for the collective land, we would all work together.

5:32There are 60 women, but inside the commune we have 150 members. What we do is to save money, to be able to rent more lands. It's the pride of having my own land and also be able to make decisions on the land. I don't need to consult my husband. All of the farmers here are not only growing food to feed their families, they are radically overhauling traditional land ownership systems which are rooted in patriarchal clan-based societies. In Madagascar, women don't inherit land from their parents. Lands are given to sons and daughters are just given a very small part of the land that they call tanimbiavi, which means women's land.

6:33Lilia Ravanarasowa, a farmer and founder of FEMS & Action Rural de Madagascar, a woman-led farming solidarity network, helped these women start this farming project in 2019.

6:50If she's not married, she can use that to be able to get some income. But when she gets married, she would follow the husband. But if the husband dies, she is not allowed to use the land unless her kids give their mother a portion of that land to work on. Especially in the countryside, men would be the one holding the money.

7:25In 2005, Madagascar introduced a model for land reform, opening the door for families, communities and individuals to claim land, including women. So in the eyes of the law, both men and women have equal rights to buy land. But customary laws, which keep the man of the household in charge, mean that in reality, it's much harder for women to earn the money they need. Some people would have very big land, but they're not using it. So we would ask if they rent. We are raising awareness among the women and helping them on how to own a land. Lilia had to overcome these deeply ingrained patriarchal norms in her own family life.

8:12I've been facing a very big challenge. My parents-in-law, they've been really on to me because they told that their son was not like other people's son because their son is at home raising the kids and doing all the household work. and they've been accusing me of always being out. But guess what? Compared to their other daughter-in-laws and their children, I still have more products than they have. I also owned many lands. So now instead of badly comparing me to others, now my parents-in-law, they say to their children, you know, you're not like Lilia, she's doing very well. So now I'm the role model of the family.

9:16But it was a very long fight. It took me years before I'm where I am today. These challenges and worse are faced by women throughout the collective. Women wanted to come here. the husbands did not approve. But some of them came anyway and once home, the husbands would beat them. But when the husbands started to see the results, then they would be the ones who would encourage their wives to come and be trained.

9:58FEMS and AXION Rural now boast over 10 ,000 female members across Madagascar, and not only helps women gain access to land, but teaches them a locally adapted climate-resilient farming technique called agroecology. This is a farming system that aims to empower farmers. Thriving on shared local knowledge, it removes dependence on chemical fertilisers and foreign seeds, which often leave small farmers in debt. Leluna tells me what this means to her. I learned new techniques. It has improved the quantity and the quality of the products. And of course, it has also increased my income. Lilia explains more.

10:48It contributes to the protection of human beings and also protection of environment. and it also protects the soil, but also protects the local seed. Agroecology is very important because given the climate change, the soil is dry or maybe flooded, and agroecology really brings the nature back. And when you eat products from agroecology techniques, of course you are healthier.

11:29This combination of using locally adapted farming techniques and female land ownership models is growing into a powerful movement across Madagascar. Hunger does not affect everyone equally. Adult women are more exposed than men. And child malnutrition remains at alarming levels. Huli Raubina is the nutrition and gender specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Madagascar. She believes that more women owning land would be one of the biggest health improvements for families here. This is because they will be able to make more health-conscious and effective farming decisions, like the adoption of agroecology.

12:13Women are at the heart of subsistence farming in developing countries, yet they often have limited access to land, credit, imports and agricultural services. When they have secure land rights, women tend to invest a larger share of income in family food and nutrition, resulting in better child nutrition and stronger maternal health. This work is particularly important in a country facing extreme weather and climate change. Secure land acts as a true climate shield for farmers. Many women in Madagascar are already adopting climate-friendly practices like agroecology and have successfully strengthened family food security despite climate impacts.

13:10We have droughts, cyclones, and irregular rainfall regularly freighten crops. When women have equal access to productive resources like land inputs and agricultural services, yields can increase 20 to 30 percent. And women reinvest more in food, health, and children's education. Globally, this could feed 100 to 150 million people and reduce hunger by 12 to 17%. The UN, Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme are deeply concerned about food insecurity in Madagascar, particularly in the South, where years of severe drought led to famine in 2021 and 2022. While it's not officially in famine conditions right now, high levels of malnutrition and hunger persist.

14:16At 22pm, weather is sunny, a little bit windy, with some turbulence during our descent, and the ground temperature is 26 degrees. Wish you a pleasant stay at the Fort Dauphin. Have a nice day. I've come almost 1 ,000 kilometres south to the bustling city of Ambovombe in the Andro region of southern Madagascar. The landscape here is a far cry from the green, luscious hills that surround the capital city. Makeshift houses are packed tightly together and they rattle in the dusty wind, revealing groups of people. It's the scene of refugees, but these people have not fled conflict. The southern regions of Madagascar are experiencing the worst of the famine and climate crisis.

15:01The climate conditions have exasperated the unpredictability of rain across the region. And even when the rain arrives, it is often accompanied by cyclones, which wipe out entire harvest due to the lack of trees, making it one of the world's most insecure places for food. Our recording trip was even postponed due to a cyclone hitting the region and wiping out roads, making it very difficult for communities to access provisions.

15:39Here in Mbembe, we had a lot of trees, but we cut it because we are lacking of charcoal. We have to farm, so that's why we have to burn them. This was once a landscape awash with trees, but forests no longer cast a shadow over the people of the Androi region.

16:04We were farming before, but I couldn't do it anymore because of the famine, so we had to move here. I planted corn, pumpkin, watermelon, and sweet potatoes, but it wasn't a success. We didn't have any rain and it's so windy. I don't have any family. My parents are dead. My children are dead too. I moved in Mbwumbe to Beg. The community here, driven by poverty, cut down the trees for charcoal, housing materials and farming. Now, the barren conditions mean that many have left their homes and come to the city in search of work, food and water. We had to sell our land because of the famine, as we didn't have any food anymore.

16:51I have ten children, so it's a little bit difficult to feed all of them, but two of them are dead and eight are alive. A tragic reality of Madagascar is that every woman I've met so far has either lost a child, a sibling, or a close family member to malnutrition and hunger. Warning, the following ZipRecruiter radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F-words. When you're hiring, we at ZipRecruiter know you can feel frustrated, forlorn even, like your efforts are futile and you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine fortunately zip recruiter figured out how to fix all that and right now you can try zip recruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com zip with zip recruiter you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast which is our absolute favorite f-word in fact four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter, get a quality candidate within the first day.

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18:39Delicious spring gatherings start at Whole Foods Market. Shop the spring and bloom sales event with yellow sales signs throughout the store. And serve your loved one's Whole Foods Market seafood, always responsibly farmed or sustainable while caught. Explore vibrant seasonal flavors like their trending mango yuzu chantilly cake. Great for brunch or an after-dinner treat. Speaking of brunch, check out their deviled eggs, cold-pressed juices and more. Spring is in bloom now at Whole Foods Market. it. I'm Georgie Stiles and this is From Famine to Hope from the BBC World Service. The conditions in Madagascar have at times gone beyond desperate.

19:23A 2025 analysis by Save the Children states that the number of children projected to suffer from acute malnutrition by April 2026 has risen to nearly half a million, an increase of 54 % from the previous forecast. and the European Commission says that nearly 2 million people across the country are now in need of food aid and health assistance. Climate change has added even more pressure. The Malagasy government agrees that food insecurity is a direct symptom of their growing exposure to climatic shifts and has recognised the urgency in tackling root causes by integrating food systems and climate actions into their national strategies.

20:05Their approach supports adaptations like climate-smart irrigation systems for arid areas and the introduction of resilient seeds from abroad like Moringa. They say that they prioritise empowering women through partnerships with organisations like the World Food Programme and targeted initiatives which bridge the gender gap, including improving access to land, credit, technology and support for women-led cooperatives.

20:41We're lost? Yeah, we're lost.

20:48We are going off-road. I've travelled 10km west along a very bumpy dirt road from Amber Bombay to the Tismanananda commune. This is an area of red, dusty fields and dirt tracks that are lined with cactus and hardy bushes, with the only shade cast from singular tamarind trees dotted across the landscape and over steeply from strong winds.

21:19Salama, Kamul. Salama.

21:26I met farmer Laharan, sitting with her young daughter, Together they beat a sack of grain with long wooden sticks whilst her husband sang in front of a small wooden shack, home to this family of ten. As they show me around their farm, even the smallest amount of wind kicks up the dust that surrounds each crop. These crops are protected by a line of newly planted but very strong grain.

21:55It's very important to me to live here, But when we face famine, we always think to move to Mbukumbe. But I will be sad. So when it doesn't rain, we struggle about farming because the land is so dry. So, of course, we are facing famine.

22:22It's hard to imagine that just 80 years ago this land was covered in trees. Laharan considered moving to the city, but instead she took it upon herself to transform this smallholding. And just like Laluna's woman-led farm, she adopted the same locally adapted climate-resilient farming technique called agroecology to help grow crops in this desert landscape.

22:48So we are farming pemba and bajir only because it can stand off the sun. so that's why we plant them. The ambacs are protecting from the winds. Then we farm our plants like corns, like the badziri inside the ambacs trees. The apeba can save us. Like if we can collect this, if one of my kids are sick, I can sell them for affording the medicines. So we do all of our best to rely on ourselves and hope that God will give us rain. Lachian's garden is chemical-free. She grows using a variety of locally adapted seeds that she saved herself, which not only provides food to feed her family, but ensures resilience against the conditions that make farming here so difficult, acting as windbreaks, hardy to dry conditions, and putting nutrients back in the soil for future harvests.

23:55Today, she's a leading figure across the region, training over 100 women in these techniques and as a result, keeping families together within the community. This is a woman creating real change.

24:12So I bring them here, so this is my class. This is the showcase garden, the perfect garden. So they are convinced, they follow my structure. I teach them to solve that problem. When the cyclone comes, they can feed their family. My farm is stronger when I use agroecology. The main motivation is to be able to feed the south of Madagascar in a sustainable way. And we really spread agroecologic techniques all around Madagascar. Talotra is the executive director of CTAS, Centre Technique Agroécologique du Sud, and taught Lahran these techniques. Over her career, she's helped thousands of women across southern Madagascar achieve food security with agroecology.

25:08Talotra believes that these techniques are essential for survival here. What CTAS doesn't agree with is that people would be dependent on external food aid. We have planted more than 10 ,000 hectares, and from that we could grow 12 ,000 tones of mill, 8 ,500 tones of sorghum, and those could feed hundreds and hundreds of households with no water, with no chemical products. Now more than 37 ,000 families can grow their own food locally thanks to that techniques. She says women are key to the spread of agroecology across the south of Madagascar.

26:13If we want to bring development to the south, we need to help women develop and empower them. So spreading agroecology would be easier if those women owned their own land. They are the ones planting seeds, harvesting, so they can see directly the result of the agroecology techniques. But despite their successes, they need more help from the government. What we want is to have a national strategy for agroecology, also sustainability of the products, and a common effort by all the stakeholders is added value of agroecological products because it shouldn't have the same price as products with chemical products.