Formerly a food-sufficient country which heavily exported its major food crop – rice – food security has become one of Madagascar’s most critical issues in recent years. Food stock shortages are frequent in some areas of the country, owing to political instability, natural disasters and lack of investment. With one of the highest rates of average per capita rice consumption in the world at 138 kilograms per person, rice production not only provides the nation’s single most important staple; it is also a major source of income and employment. Over 85 percent of the population relies on rice cultivation for their livelihoods.