Food emergency for vulnerable population in Sagaing region, Myanmar
A PROJECT BY ASIA TRENTO IN COLLABORATION WITH ASIA AND ASIA MYANMAR
WHERE WE ACT
The project foresees an intervention in the province of in the Saigang region in Myanmar. Sagaing Region is the second largest constituent unit of Myanmar with 5.3 million population, located in the northwestern part of the country. Its capital is Sagaing, located on the Ayeyarwaddy River. The river is the engine of the local economy which is based for over 85% on agriculture, followed by breeding and mining. The proposal is concentrated in the villages of Butalin municipality which is the most densely populated area in Monywa district.
WHY WE ACT IN THIS AREA
In the Sagaing region, during the monsoon season, farmers practice subsistence agriculture based on the monoculture of rice, followed by a legume (usually some local variety of peas), in rotation. The Department of Agriculture (DoA) has very limited personnel and resources and does not offer assistance services to farmers, who continue to use inefficient production techniques with an inefficient use of inputs, especially as regards the fundamental jobs purposes of rice production.
To make matters worse, after the extreme climatic events of 2015, with the heavy monsoon rains and the Komen cyclone which devastated agriculture in 26 of the 37 municipalities in the region, the interruption of the democratic process and the political instability of Myanmar, starting from 1 February 2021, they have caused a general and further very strong impoverishment of the population, especially in rural areas. In the project area the clashes are very heavy and, on 16 September 2022, at least 13 people were killed, including 11 children.
The rising food prices, linked to the ongoing heavy political crisis, COVID19 and the global food crisis, partly caused by the war in Ukraine, represents a serious threat to the food security of households in Myanmar.
As highlighted by the latest study carried out by WFP in the area, the main challenges that farmers have faced in the last three months (April-June 2022) are all related to the scarce availability of food due to: high prices, particularly harmful weather conditions in May and June 2022 and outbreaks of rice pests and diseases. These factors negatively affect the ability of farmers to produce enough food to support the family.
PROJECT’S OBJECTIVES
The general objective of the project is to improve the food security of the population affected by the food crisis and the consequences of COVID19 and the ongoing civil war in Sagaing, Myanmar
The specific objective of the project is to provide food assistance to vulnerable groups in the Township of Budalin, in the Sagaing region.
The aim of the project is therefore to support the food needs of at least 600 families who are currently facing hunger due to the prolonged Covid19 crisis and the current political conflict. The population of Budalin township is not able to maintain food self-sufficiency both because the difficulty of supplying it is now very complicated, if not almost impossible, given the restrictions on movement, and because human and financial resources are used to feed every day the family and cannot be invested in agricultural production. Food assistance is therefore an urgent need.
LE ATTIVITA’ DEL PROGETTO
The activities foreseen by the emergency intervention are:
- Purchase of 15,000 dry rations
- Distribution of 15,000 dry rations
The dry rations (food with high nutritional value) will be purchased by ASIA from commercial suppliers operating directly in the project area and will be distributed to 600 families that the communities themselves recognize as families in serious situations of food security.
BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT
The direct beneficiaries of the project are the 600 families (about 3,000 people) who find themselves in a condition of serious food shortage. Recipients of the rations will be above all the approximately 300 children under 5 years of age (126 boys, 174 girls) and for whom a balanced diet is foreseen in accordance with their specific nutritional needs.
PROJECT in partnership WITH
Sustainable Agriculture Team (SAT), an organization based in the city of Monywa in the Sagaing region.
PROJECT FUNDED BY
