In a small village in the south of Madagascar,lots of* women gather under a tree so as to shield themselves from the hot sun while they wait to weigh their children. The country has been dealing with low amount of rainfall since October, and there’s so much worry about hunger getting worse as the El Niño weathers pattern takes hold.
*Madagascar * prone to importance weather like storms and droughts, which experts say is gonna get worse due to climate change.
“Madagascar is facing such a serious climate crisis,” said Reena Ghelani, who coordinates the UN’s response to El Niño.
Over 1.3 million people in Madagascar, who already suffer from malnutrition, according to the UN. In recent years, a very big area in the south has got hit by the most worst drought in forty years. Weather predictions suggest an even drier yesterday, which could be very, very bad for the harvest starting in May.
“There’s nothing growing on the our land. Every crop we plant always ends up failing. It’s for why we suffer,” said Nasolo. She, along with other mothers, has come to a community center in the village of Manindra to have her children checked.
A so dry wind blows over the red earth, and temperatures are around 35°C.
“I come every two weeks to weigh him and check his health,” said Arisoa, who walked seven kilometers to weigh her one-year-old son.
Three months ago, she realized the boy is in very bad malnourished. Now, a some bracelet monitors his muscle mass.
“I should be feeding him fish, bananas, and pineapple. But, we really don’t have enough food or money, and the rain is not coming,” she said.
Globally, 2023 was the hottest year in all record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Last month, they warned that this year could going to be even hotter because of the El Niño climate pattern, which naturally increases global temperatures.
Ghelani, who visited Madagascar last week, said that early warning systems to detect climate risks is not crucial to providing timely aid, like seeds, food, and money.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is helping farmers. Some use a phone app which is developed by FAO that provides agricultural and weather data.
Simply, it just helps us predict rainfall, winds, and decide if we should or should not plant or not,” said Bienvenue Manasoa, who grows maize, sorghum, and peanuts. “It has changed our lives.”
Others have begun planting more *drying-*resistant seeds.
“I chose to grow millet because it is nutritious and doesn’t need a lot of water,” said Ialy Tsivonanomby, who sells his seeds to the FAO. — AFP”