Food in Madagascar

Households obtain food through their own production, local markets and shops, street and informal sellers, restaurants, hotels, school canteens and targeted emergency or nutrition programs. Rice remains the national staple, but domestic production does not always cover demand, so imported rice also affects availability and prices. Madagascar has about 1.3 million hectares under rice cultivation and produces more than 250,000 tonnes of maize annually. Around 80% of employment is connected to agriculture, much of it rain-fed and vulnerable to weather conditions. Ranonapango is a toasted-rice drink traditionally made from roasted rice and water. Household cooking commonly involves boiling or steaming rice and preparing cassava, maize, tubers, pulses, vegetables, fish or meat. Improved stoves can cook more evenly, reduce smoke and use less firewood than traditional stoves. The Central Highlands are associated with rice, horticulture, cattle and dairy. The humid east is known for vanilla, cloves, coffee and fishing, while the drier west and south rely more on cassava, sweet potatoes, maize and cattle. Recurrent droughts in the south and southwest, and cyclones and floods especially in the north and east, can disrupt production, transport and food access. Rice planting for the main season normally takes place from November to February, with harvesting usually beginning from May. Lean-season pressure can increase before harvest, and rice retail prices were about 12% higher in November 2025 than in November 2024. Madagascar has no national fixed meal tariff; food prices depend on region, season, market access and shocks. Nutrition remains a serious concern: UNICEF reports that 46% of children under five are affected by some form of malnutrition, and about 46% of infants under six months are not exclusively breastfed. Only about one quarter of children aged 6 to 23 months meet minimum dietary diversity, with the share reported at about 6% in Androy. The national nutrition office, regional nutrition offices, community nutrition agents and health centres provide nutrition-related support. Food safety rules apply to local and imported food before it reaches the market. Law 2017-048 and the Health Code 2011-002 provide the legal framework for registration, food-business oversight and consumer protection. The food-quality and safety authority handles relevant registration and certificates, including the certificat d'immatriculation and certificat de consommabilité. Agricultural and plant-health services oversee plant products, veterinary services oversee animal products, and the Autorité Sanitaire Halieutique covers fish and aquaculture. Producers and sellers are responsible for safe production, processing, storage, transport and sale. Informal food is widely used, but it does not provide a general hygiene guarantee; check drinking water, hand hygiene, raw-food washing, thorough cooking, prompt consumption and safe reheating of leftovers. There is no evidenced universal food entitlement or national ration system. Targeted support may come through WFP or UNICEF programs, community nutrition sites, health centres and school canteens, especially during crises. Water scarcity in the south can restrict cooking, hygiene and irrigation. Madagascar has ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but no explicit constitutional right to adequate food was identified in the available research. More resilient food systems combine crop and diet diversification, climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, SRI or SRA rice methods, organic or agroecological support, improved cooking and strategic food banks or silos.