The human crisis at the country level Madagascar's initiatives to sustain the human dimension in spite of the economic crisis

Abstract

Madagascar's economic challenges intensified in the 1970s due to stagnant production, but the crisis reached its peak in the early 1980s with a balance of payments crisis. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank imposed inflationary policies to stabilize external deficits, leading to severe human costs. Efforts by United Nations agencies, such as UNICEF and WFP, to mitigate suffering were hindered by macroeconomic constraints, which limited strategic initiatives to address human welfare. This paper examines the socio-economic crisis in three parts: the evolution of social and welfare indicators, economic trends and adjustment policies, and positive examples and human adjustment conditions. Focusing on food and nutrition, the study highlights the critical role of rice in the Malagasy diet, accounting for over half of daily calorie intake and food expenditures for low-income families. However, per capita rice supply declined significantly from the 1970s to the 1980s due to production stagnation and population growth.