Sixteen percent of Myanmar’s 50.5 million
population, or a total of 7.8 million individuals, suffer from undernourishment
(last recorded 2007, down from 13.5 million in 2001). Agriculture in Myanmar,
which borders with India, China and Thailand, is a vital living for more than
half of the Burmese population.
Agriculture
exports from Myanmar are valued at US$686 million, and 98.2 percent of
Myanmar’s total water use goes to agriculture. Life expectancy, however, is
still low at 62 years of age, and the child mortality rate high at 71 per one
thousand live births (though having decreased from 85 in 2000).
FAO's main in-country programmes
Special
Programme for Food Security
Myanmar
is not listed as a Low Income Food Deficit Country (LIFDC); an SPFS is
currently under formation.
FAO,
together with the World Food Programme, is supporting ex-poppy farmers and poor
vulnerable families in Myanmar border areas with a project that aims to create
conditions for sustainable opium eradication. It also has the objective to
improve the socio-economic conditions of ex-poppy farmers and poor vulnerable
families in the Shan State of Myanmar.
FAO
also supports sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods in the northern
Rakhine State with projects that stabilize vulnerable individuals through food,
nutrient and livelihood security as well as natural resource management
through:
-
empowering
farmers, landless poor and female-headed households in producing more food;
-
generating
income through crops such as rice, pulses, rape, mustard, groundnut and
vegetables and through livestock production particularly poultry and goats and
through the development of oil mills and fruit tree nurseries;
-
reducing
ecological imbalance by using biogas plants;
-
developing
and strengthening local capacities and institutions in ensuring sustainability.
Myanmar
benefits from a Technical Cooperation Programme project on enhancing
livelihoods and income generation of Myanmar coffee smallholders through the
development of value-added coffee improvement aims to create better access to
food for beneficiaries as well as increase capacity to purchase inputs for
enhanced food production.
A
separate project on improving grain legume production technologies assisted in
strengthening national capabilities in technology in grain legume and seeds
production, so as to contribute towards sustainable food production, improved
food security and higher farm income.
Finally,
a 2008-2009 project for dairy cattle improvement, which aimed to transfer
technologies and know-how to the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department
(LBVD) and to dairy farmers, provided:
-
expert
advice as well as extension worker training in dairy cattle feeding and
management in the use of alternative feed resources;
-
the
establishment of a pilot performance recording scheme with modern analytical
methods;
-
assistance
to rehabilitate the AI service provision of equipment and import of a limited
number of semen doses.
Regional Programme for Food Security (RPFS)
Myanmar
has provided Technical Assistance to Malawi under the SSC programme. All
parties signed the tripartite agreement between Myanmar, Malawi and FAO.
Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary
Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) - Animal Health Component
Myanmar
reported Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)/H5N1 outbreaks in 2007 in
domestic poultry. During this period, one human case occurred. Successively no
outbreaks have been noted, however, the country borders several infected
countries including China, India and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, so
the risk of re-infection is high.
Since
2004 FAO has put country specific and regional Trust Fund and TCP projects in
place to help curb the outbreaks of HPAI in parts of Asia and continues to play
a leading role in the international prevention and fight against outbreaks of
Avian Influenza (AI). The projects address several issues, among them the
improvement of surveillance (including wildlife issues), laboratory
diagnostics, and the development of contingency plans. A regional approach has
been chosen and appropriate international support is considered necessary in
order to address the regional and international dimensions of the crisis.
Numerous
donors have contributed to the Special Fund for Emergency Rehabilitation
Assistance in FAO’s global programme to prevent, control and eliminate
(HPAI)/H5N1 from poultry. It also addresses social-economic, wildlife and other
issues.
Myanmar
benefits from the following AI projects:
-
Emergency assistance for the control and prevention of AI
in Asia, Middle East and North Africa is supported by Sweden as part of the
global programme on AI control and eradication;
-
Prevention and control of avian and human influenza in
Myanmar addresses
urgent short and medium term government actions to strengthen rapid detection
of HPAI in the country and minimize its spread should it occur.
-
Immediate technical assistance to strengthen emergency preparedness
for HPAI aims
to mitigate the risk of pandemic influenza and safeguard the livelihoods of
rural and peri-urban populations.
-
Improvement of prevention, control and eradication of
HPAI in Myanmar aims
to reduce and stop the spread of (HPAI)/H5N1 among flocks of birds in the
country thus reducing the risk of contagion to mammals and humans and avert a
possible pandemic. The current funding from the Avian and Human Influenza
Facility (AHIF) aims to fill gaps and maintain previously mentioned activities
as well as improve long-term implementation and sustainability. Priorities
include strengthening programme planning, coordination and management as well
as enhancement and maintenance of HPAI surveillance, laboratory diagnosis and
outbreak containment in poultry. An investment in veterinary epidemiology and
laboratory diagnosis will create sustainable and transferable improvements to
animal health and reduce the risk of HPAI in poultry production through
improved biosecurity systems in commercial and backyard poultry
production.
-
Regional coordination of AI control and prevention in
Asia aims
to improve control of HPAI in infected countries and to enable rapid detection
by strengthening diagnostic and surveillance activities and through a better
understanding of the epidemiology of the disease.
-
Strengthening the control and prevention of HPAI and
enhancing public awareness proposes to control HPAI in the Southeast Asian
sub-region and contribute towards international efforts to control HPAI in Asia
as well as reduce the risk of human pandemic, increase food security, and
promote the livelihoods of poor farmers in the region.
-
Immediate technical assistance to strengthen emergency
preparedness for HPAI regional activities addresses urgent short-term actions
to strengthen Myanmar’s capacity, detect HPAI and minimize its spread. The
project aims to contain outbreaks, increase animal surveillance, strengthen
veterinary services at the field level and mobilize stakeholders towards
building a community-based rapid warning and response system to meet the
challenge of an AI outbreak in Myanmar.
-
Strengthening cross border activities
among Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Myanmar to control
possible cross-border spread of HPAI will produce a platform for dialogue
and information exchange between countries in the region regarding potential
cross border and transboundary spread and provide increased understanding of
managing cross border trade while reducing the risk of HPAI outbreaks.
Myanmar
also benefits from these projects:
-
Emergency assistance for surveillance of influenza A H1N1
in pig and poultry production sectors in high-risk Southeast Asian countries, which aims to
generate information on the diversity, ecology and evolution of the current
influenza A subtype H1N1 virus and the potential risk for animal-human
transmission or vice versa and assists in strengthening field surveillance and
laboratory systems in ensuring detection and diagnosis of the influenza A H1N1
viruses and other potential subtypes in the pig population for target
countries. The project also addresses interrelated issues like bio-security,
socio-economics and farming production systems as well public awareness and
risk communication to prevent market shocks and reduce the negative impact on
the pork industry and ensure consumer confidence.
-
Restoration of food security and agriculture-based
livelihoods in the Cyclone Nargis-affected areas of the Ayeyarwady Delta
of Myanmar, has
the objective of restoring crop production and food security of the most
vulnerable farmers and landless households in cyclone-affected areas and to
rebuild their livelihoods in a sustainable manner in order to reduce dependency
on food aid
In the
future, Myanmar is set to be a beneficiary country of the under development EC
regional cooperation program on highly pathogenic and emerging diseases in Asia
(targeting mainly HPAI and Foot-and-Mouth disease).
Emergency and Rehabilitation
Southern
Myanmar was hit by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which took 140 000 lives and
affected the lives of some 2.4 million. It devastated the major rice bowl of
Myanmar particularly the Ayeyarwady, Yangon and Bago divisions. The disaster
also caused significant damage to the livestock and fisheries sector upon which
the people of the delta depend for their livelihoods.
After
the cyclone, the UN flash appeal for Myanmar Cyclone Nargis was launched. A
revised appeal requested US$481.8 million, while FAO appealed for a total of
US$ 40.9 million.
The
Tripartite Core Group (TCG) made up of the Association of South East Asian
Nations, the Government of the Union of Myanmar and the United Nations was
officially established.
The TCG
steered the preparation of the post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan
(PONREPP), which spans 2009 – 2011. FAO contributed actively to the livelihoods
sector of the PONREPP.
AI activities
Myanmar
experienced three waves of AI outbreaks in 2006 and 2007, causing significant
socio-economic losses to the poultry sector. The virus continues to circulate
in duck populations in wetland areas. In addition, cross-border trade and wild
bird migrations continue to pose risks for AI virus introduction, so ongoing
monitoring and surveillance are critical activities. FAO’s support to the
government’s AI control began in 2006, in collaboration with the LVBD of the
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
On-going activity and FAO response
FAO
currently implements a programme of 16 projects amounting to US$20 million in
the Cyclone Nargis affected delta region, the central dry zone, and the
northern Rakhine State. Donors include: Department For International
Development, Italy, Japan, Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program
(AusAID), UN Central Emergency Response Fund, Sweden, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Charitable Foundation, FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and Austria.
Activities are implemented through its Emergency and Rehabilitation
Coordination Unit (ERCU) within the FAO representation established in Yangon
following the cyclone.
FAO’s
programme in the delta covers the crop, livestock and fisheries sectors, with a
primary focus on livelihoods asset replacement and capacity building for people
affected by the disaster.
FAO led
the agriculture cluster in the UN cluster system for the Cyclone Nargis response.
Together, FAO and agriculture cluster members reached over 200 000
Nargis-affected households in the delta. A new coordination structure
established by the TCG has taken over for the recovery phase and FAO has been
appointed as the lead for the Delta Livelihoods Recovery Working Group. FAO is
also co-chairing the Thematic Group on Food Security and Agriculture with the
WFP that addresses the country-wide food security situation.
In the
drought prone zone, FAO is initiating water management and crop production
activities. In the northern Rakhine State, FAO is addressing chronic food
insecurity through a project assisting backyard vegetable production and
poultry rearing.
Avian Influenza
FAO
Emergency Centre for Trans-boundary Animal Disease is implementing three
country projects under a single umbrella with an overall budget of US$ 3.7
million. The first is funded by USAID, the second by the Avian & Human
Influenza Trust Fund and administered by the World Bank, while the third is
funded by AusAID and jointly implemented with the World Health Organization.
The activities have been integrated to avoid duplication and to allow efficient
use of resources. The programme’s focus is on building capacities in disease
prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and response including capacity
development in epidemiology and strengthening linkages with the human health
sector.
In development, FAO led the
preparation of the livelihoods sector in the prioritized action plan within the
PONREPP. The total urgent livelihoods need has been estimated at US$40 million
against a total of US$103 for the action plan.
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