Challenges and Opportunities for Anticipatory Action: Lessons from Madagascar and Zimbabwe

Start Network roundtable discussions held in July and August 2025 highlighted that anticipatory action (AA) is transforming crisis management in Madagascar and in Zimbabwe. In both countries, AA has shown promise in delivering faster response times, protecting livelihoods, and reducing reliance on harmful coping strategies. However, similar challenges persist, including short anticipatory windows for rapid-onset hazards such as cyclones and floods, fragmented data and weak forecasting systems, and the exclusion of at-risk groups from planning and implementation. This learning report sets out the challenges and opportunities raised at the roundtables.