Where those conditions worsened faulty markets are usually to blame and, in extreme cases, the problem is the complete absence of a market. In Madagascar, for instance, poor households are almost completely disconnected from the few rudimentary markets that exist due to a lack of infrastructure (Hoekman and Olarreaga, 2007). However, the lives of poor men and women who are located in remotest regions are especially disconnected from the market. They typically work on small, rain-fed farms, growing staple grains partly for their own consumption.