Ms Bui Thi Lan, FAO Representative in Myanmar, and The Ambassador of Japan Mr Higuchi are shaking hands after the signature of the Exchange of Notes. CREDIT: FAO / Sophie Le Jeune.

A new contribution of USD 4.49 million by the Government of Japan will support FAO’s appeal under the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan to provide assistance to flood- and conflict-affected communities in Myanmar.  The funding will help more than 12 000 families in two of the poorest states in the country, Rakhine and Chin, to rebuild their livelihoods and increase their capacity to respond to future disasters.

Rakhine was one of the areas most severely affected by the floods and landslides that devastated large parts of Myanmar last year. Many farmers lost their crops, more than 13 000 hectares of fish ponds and 23 000 hectares of shrimp ponds were damaged and over 10,000 homes were destroyed in the state.

Chin state has the highest poverty rate of all states in Myanmar (estimated at over 70 per cent) and is home to some of the remotest communities in the country. The recent Crop and Food Security Assessment report for Myanmar, released six months after the floods, highlighted that additional assistance to rebuild livelihoods is urgently needed, especially in poor, remote areas to ensure long term recovery and rehabilitation for highly vulnerable populations with little resilience and low agricultural productivity.

“This Japanese funding is critical to fill the gap between emergency response and development, with a focus on re-establishing livelihoods and poverty reduction. The partnership recognizes that long term measures which incorporate disaster risk reduction measures at the local level are required” said Bui Thi Lan, FAO Representative to Myanmar.

In addition to direct support provided to beneficiaries, the project will include institutional support aimed at long term, sustainable improvements with a specific focus on Rakhine and Chin. This will include: the development of a strategy addressing capacity gaps in disaster risk reduction planning within the agriculture sector at the community and state levels; improved coordination capacity at State and National level in the Food Security Sector; and the provision of technical training for community and state partners in aspects of emergency project management.

More than 60 000 individuals will be supported through the project with expected outcomes including: household food security and improved nutrition; community asset rehabilitation and replacement; the establishment of community-based resilience systems such as community tanks, small-scale irrigation schemes; enhanced knowledge and planning of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) by farmers and communities; and increased emergency stores of seed.

FAO has called for a total of USD 12.1 million to provide assistance to more than 330 000 flood-affected people in Myanmar in 2016.  To date, around 62,000 people will be assisted by FAO projects funded under the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, in addition to more than 93 000 flood-affected people assisted from 2015 funding. An additional USD 7.6m is required to reach the total targeted population in 2016. 

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 Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

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