The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the support of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), completed the provision of inputs for the most severe flood affected family farmers to restore agricultural production and livelihoods in southern parts of Myanmar.  

The support is provided within the “Restoration of livelihoods and strengthening the Early Warning Early Action” project funded by the FCDO that seeks to promote sustainable recovery and build back better of the flood affected people in Mon, Kayin States and Tanintharyi Region.  The support provided to vulnerable farming families in October consists of the following:

Agriculture inputs:  FAO provided vegetable seeds and fertilizer to some 2,083 vulnerable family farmers in Kawkareik and Kyainnseikgyi Townships in Kayin State.   

In Mon State, FAO provided some 2000 vulnerable family farmers with rice seeds and fertilizer in Kyaikmaraw Township, Mon State.  

In Tanintharyi and Palaw Townships, Tanintharyi Region FAO provided some 917 vulnerable family farmers with rice seeds and fertilizer.   

Most of the farming families who received the support were directly or indirectly affected by the 2019 August heavy monsoon rains that resulted in overflowing rivers triggering seasonal floods in many states and regions in Myanmar. The seasonal monsoons had severe and escalating impacts in Kayin and Mon State and Tanintharyi Region. About 131,727 acres of farmland were flooded while damage and loss to households are still be to assessed. According to the FAO-WFP joint RSM Survey, 57% of Kayin, 48% of Mon and 91% of Tanintharyi interviewed households were forced to use negative livelihood coping strategies such as reduced expenditure on health, spending the savings or selling households assets, etc. 

COVID-19 basic protective measures: FAO has integrated and completed several awareness-raising activities dedicated to COVID-19. Handwashing demonstrations have been conducted to help people understand the benefits of handwashing through practical exercises. FAO has provided face masks, soap, to farmers at the beginning of all field activities. All project activities integrate critical public health information about the importance of physical distancing and individual actions to protect oneself and others from getting sick.

In Kawkareik and Kyainnseikgyi Townships in Kayin State, FAO provided some 2,000 vulnerable family farmers with 208 boxes of face masks and 2,083 boxes of antibacterial bar soap. 

In Mon State, FAO provided some 2000 vulnerable family farmers with 200 boxes of face masks and 6,000 boxes of antibacterial bar soap.   

In Tanintharyi and Palaw Townships, Tanintharyi Region FAO provided some 917 vulnerable family farmers with 91 boxes of masks and 2,751 boxes of antibacterial bar soap. 

Launched in March 2020, FAO and FCDO are providing urgent support for the most severely flood-affected smallholder farmers to restore agricultural production and livelihoods while strengthening early warning systems at state/region, township, and community level, thus improving household resilience to future disasters, food security, and nutrition.