Supporting Nargis communities in recovering their livelihoods

Labutta Township was amongst the most devastated by cyclone Nargis in 2008 with an estimated 190,000 individuals affected. The cyclone caused considerable economic hardship, resulting in loss of assets, a high livestock death toll, destroyed agriculture outputs and lands, and disrupted markets. In 2010, ACTED’s country plan was to continue supporting Nargis-affected communities in their longer term livelihood recovery by providing technical training to farmers and fishermen, distributing livestock and poultry, providing vocational training, introducing aquaculture systems, assets replacement, rehabilitating community infrastructure and ensuring affected families have an access to a safe habitat.

Storm resilient agricultural practices

The agriculture sector was the most heavily affected by cyclone Nargis. The cyclone destroyed 70 % of the paddy harvest product (the main source of livelihoods in the area), leaving farmers with no immediate livelihoods and with a high level of food insecurity. The longer term impacts are also a result of the cyclone and following flooding, which raised the levels of salination in the agriculture fields, significantly reducing potential future agriculture outputs. In addition, farmers’ pre-Nargis crop management practices, such as continuous cropping of rice, low diversification of crop varieties and species, high seed rate and usage of mineral fertilizer have been causing soil fatigue and degradation, ultimately lowering agricultural yield. ACTED has therefore been supporting farmers in improving their knowledge of alternative crop management techniques, providing them with storm and salt resistant seeds, and distribution of water buffaloes for working the fields. Yet, realizing that the challenges faced by farmers are not easily overcome, ACTED has further been supporting affected communities in diversifying their livelihoods activities, such as proving vocational training, developing aquaculture systems, enabling them to maximize the resources available around them, and learning how to improve the quality and health of their livestock, and other home animals.

Women leading the way to recovery

While disasters don’t differentiate between men and women, recovery activities need to be sensitized towards the different needs and realities experienced by men and women. To assure women’s needs do not fall short, ACTED has been supporting women through psychosocial and economic recovery activities.

At the start of 2010, ACTED supported women by creating five women-friendly community spaces which provided women with a protected area to discuss issues of common concern, receive trainings on hygiene practices, HIV/AIDS prevention, the right for women to be protected from gender-based violence, mechanisms available to deal with it, and the establishment of library spaces. Additionally, ACTED promoted economic and livelihood opportunities for women through vocational training activities, such as learning new trades as sewing, knitting, and processing vegetables, but also sharing best practices on improving their current livelihood activities by enh

ancing outputs and the health of small household animals, such as chickens and pigs, as well as their vegetable gardens. Women were encouraged and provided with capacity building on establishing and running a revolving fund system enabling them to withstand occasional shocks, and also to have a small fund available to start and/or grow their livelihood activities and small business. Finally, women had a role in restoring their environment, through participating in tree planting initiative and learning how to create alternative fuel efficient stoves for a cleaner and safer environment.

2011

ACTED’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities in Myanmar continues as we increase the geographical scope of our activities. Communities in the Township of Labutta with whom we have been working over the past two years continue to receive ACTED support, while at the same time we scale operations in other parts of the country, namely the area recognized as the Dry Zone which is known to have one of the highest levels of poverty in the country.

The experience that ACTED has had in Myanmar in the areas of livelihood, productivity and agriculture is being utilized to support others in the country working in the agriculture sector. As we scale up our operations in the Dry Zone we are look further into ways in which communities can improve their water management practices. At the same time, we are enhancing our operations in cross sector issues, as women empowerment and gender mainstreaming, mother and child health care, environment protection and sustainability, as well as the promotion of inclusion of persons with disabilities.