Although deforestation and food shortages in Madagascar have been thoroughly studied
independently, their connections have yet to be investigated. This research aims to explore the
relationships between deforestation and food insecurity in Madagascar using a geographic
information system (GIS) to model spatial variables related to national land cover, food access,
and human health. Based on the United States United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) conceptual framework, a new Madagascar Food Insecurity Index (FII)
model was created. It contains aspects of social, physical, and biological phenomena that
intersect in geographic space to produce insecurity in food access, availability, and utilization.
The Madagascar FII model result identified the most food insecure areas as being in the eastern
portion of the country.