The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today announced that it has successfully delivered emergency assistance to more than six thousand rural households across Rakhine State, a region of Myanmar where nearly half the population is engaged in the agriculture sector
The initiative distributed around 200 tonnes of high quality seeds and more than 500 tonnes of fertiliser to more than 26,000 farmers in a bid to avoid food insecurity and improve self-sufficiency in the region, following two years of flooding and inter-communal violence.
“Thanks to funding by the government of Japan, this distribution is making a real difference in securing self-sufficiency for farming families in this area of Myanmar,” said Xiaojie Fan, FAO representative in Myanmar.
However, Fan also expressed deep concern about the situation of Rakhine’s rural population, particularly due to their low capacities to withstand shocks and crises, which often lead to reliance on food aid.
>“Regardless of all the support provided, current estimates suggest tens of thousands of people are in need of food security assistance. There is an urgent need to continue agriculture-based livelihood interventions as they are critical to reduce these figures. Even small investments in the agriculture sector can bring long-term impacts on the lives of rural populations,” said FAO senior emergency coordinator Andrea Berloffa.
