Madagascar in crisis

The Island state in the Indian Ocean is rich in minerals. Vast deposits of titanium, nickel and crude oil lie under ground and off the coast. But the vast majority of the population lives in poverty. Madagascar has been in a political crisis for four years now and the economy is stagnating. Uncertainty, fear and money worries dominate the daily lives of many Madagascans.

Madagascar's weak economy started to recover under the presidency of Marc Ravalomanana between 2002 and 2008. Growth was assisted by a liberal economic policy, investment and development aid. In 2009, Andry Rajoelina seized power in a coup and still heads a controversial transitional government. Donors have frozen aid, the prices of staple food has risen.

A plate of rice with meat and vegetables costs 500 Ariary (17 euro cents, 23 US dollar cents ) at the stalls of vendors on the streets in Antananarivo. That is a lot of money in Madagascar. According to World Bank, over 92 percent of the population live on less than an equivalent of 1 euro 50 cents a day. Many families go hungry.

Despite the many rice fields in Madagascar, the country still has to import this staple food. Local soil is fertile and there is sufficient water, but the agricultural sector remains far below its potential. Although 90 percent of the population work in agriculture, they generate only a quarter of GDP, says the World Bank.

Cyclones, floods and extreme drought hit parts of the island regularly, threatening the crops. There is still no effective early warning system or means of protection. Earlier this year, Madagascar was hit by locusts. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says there is a loss in the rice crop of around 630,000 tonnes.

Since the start of the political and economic crisis, many people have been looking for jobs on the land. They often have had no appropriate training, are familiar only with outdated agricultural techniques and can hardly afford any equipment, says the Madagascan NGO CITE. It helps farmers to take their produce to the market.

Agriculture is also the only hope for Jean-Noel and Erick Regis. They have come to the inland city of Antsirabe to work as rickshaw drivers and earn money for their families. But they can't always afford to pay the daily rent of 2 euros for the use of the “pousse-pousse.”. Before the economic crisis, they had 20 customers on a good day, but they have only four or five.

Working animals a source of food, or a financial investment - cattle are important for the survival of many families. With the crisis, however, crime has increased. Almost everyday newspapers report about so-called “Dahala”- cattle robbers who raid villages often stealing several hundreds of cattle. Clashes between residents and the police often end in injury and death

Eliane lost her brother in one such attacks. The “Dahalo” shot him, she said. With her relatives, she picks cotton in the dry fields of southern Madagascar. The family lives on cassava and maize. But last year a cyclone destroyed a large part of the harvest. Eliane has about 100 euros a year to live on.

The capital Antananarivo is the center of political life in Madagascar. Observers agree that the period of transition must end before the country can overcome the crisis and poverty. The presidential election has already been postponed many times. But many Madagascans say it is not who governs the country that matters, but whether there is any food on the table the next day.