The Impact of the dismantling of USAID on Madagascar

The closure of USAID has had a significant negative impact on Madagascar, particularly in areas including food security, health care, agricultural development, and environmental conservation.

As a reminder , USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, is a U.S. government agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961, its mission includes promoting economic development, improving education and health, and providing humanitarian assistance in various countries.

USAID's spending relative to U.S. GDP has historically been a small fraction. Typically, U.S. foreign aid, including all forms of assistance from various agencies like USAID, constitutes about 0.1% to 0.3% of GDP.

The Trump administration's approach to foreign aid and programs, including those of USAID, led to the closure or reduction of numerous initiatives.

The Key impacts on Madagascar include:

- Disruption of ongoing development and humanitarian projects: USAID-funded projects such as Vikina and Harea, which focus on resilience and food security for tens of thousands of households in southern and southeastern Madagascar, have been halted or severely affected. These projects aimed to help 88,000 households better withstand climate shocks like droughts, floods, and cyclones projected to worsen due to climate change.

- Collapse of agricultural support: In western Madagascar, over 1,000 farmers have been effectively abandoned following the withdrawal of USAID support. This includes the sudden cessation of promised farming supplies, technical assistance, and related social infrastructure like health centers and schools, as seen in the Menabe region. This withdrawal also undermined environmental conservation efforts tied to sustainable land management, as part of projects like Mikajy that sought to reduce deforestation and protect endangered species.

- Deterioration of health systems: USAID's past support contributed heavily to Madagascar’s health sector, including supply chain strength for pharmaceuticals and combating malnutrition. With USAID’s exit, programs that strengthened health commodity supply chains and nutrition efforts have weakened, threatening gains made against malnutrition and healthcare access.

— USAID has historically played a significant role in promoting family planning initiatives, providing access to contraceptives, including condoms, and supporting reproductive health education.

- Broader humanitarian and development setbacks: The closure of USAID is part of a global trend of funding cuts to aid programs, predicted to result in millions of avoidable deaths worldwide, including children under five, due to the loss of vital health, nutrition, and development services. Madagascar, with ongoing vulnerability due to climate and poverty, stands to suffer greatly from these program terminations.

- Loss of U.S. soft power and influence: The termination of USAID projects not only disrupts service delivery but also reduces U.S. diplomatic and developmental influence in the region, as many conservation and governance projects supported by USAID have ceased, leaving a vacuum that local illegal activities or other interests may fill.

Overall, the elimination of USAID programming has left large segments of Madagascar’s population without critical support in agriculture, health, nutrition, and environmental protection, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and challenging future resilience and development prospects.

A sad reflection on humanity.

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