Suchergebnisse

The fight against poverty remains the key development goal of the Government of Mozambique (GoM). Success in the transformation of the agriculture sector is considered a necessary condition for meeting the goal because agriculture and poverty are closely related. About 80% of the population heavily depends on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood, and about 73% lives in rural areas. Currently, the level of agricultural productivity is low compared to that in other developing countries, including southern African countries. The low level of crop productivity is not surprising given the dependency on rain-fed agriculture and the limited use of fertilizers and improved seeds. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; ReSAKSS

This paper discusses how different groups within Myanmar's population respond to multiple crises caused by the 2021 military coup, the economic and social consequences of multiple waves of Covid-19 and increasing global food and fuel prices. It is based on monthly observation reports (MOR) by local researchers to focus on the range of actions taken by Myanmar's silent accommodating majority. Contrary to conventional studies that treat "loyalty" and "passive resistance" as separate categories of individual or collective responses to government failures, this paper introduces "accommodation" as a strategy to reflect actions by those who have engaged in both compliance and passive resistance to deal with the military dictatorship in Myanmar. Those who practice accommodation strategies prioritize safety-first approaches that avoid open resistance to the military regime while simultaneously challenging its claim to legitimacy. Some of the strategies that undermine the military regime's claim to legitimacy, however, such as the civil disobedience movement in education and healthcare, further deprive the state of the resource to serve the needs of the general population and thus have detrimental and long-term impacts on individuals who use these. (Crit Asian Stud / GIGA)

For countries like Myanmar, where crop production accounts for the largest share of agricultural GDP, improved varieties are an essential source of increased and/or more stable crop yields. The adoption of improved varieties often increases the incentives for farmers to invest in complementary improved crop and soil management practices. For this reason most countries give priority to variety development, and Myanmar is no exception despite the very limited research budget allocated to crop research by the government. Yet improved varieties only generate benefits for farmers if they are adopted, and farmers only adopt new varieties if they are aware of their existence and benefits. For farmers to evaluate and adopt improved varieties they need access to quality seed (seed which is pure, exhibiting only the true genetic characteristics of the variety, with a high level of germination and uncontaminated by disease, weed seeds or other foreign matter). Access to quality seed is important because the attributes of farmer-saved seed degenerate with multiple seasons of use. Sustained benefits from variety adoption therefore require farmer awareness of, and access to, quality seed which preserves those benefits. Despite the importance of variety adoption and access to quality seed for crop productivity growth very few survey-based studies have been conducted in Myanmar. Our study focuses on the Dry Zone. This major agro-ecological zone was chosen for the following reasons. First, the Dry Zone is home to approximately 10 million people who are dependent directly or indirectly on farming for their incomes; second, a wide variety of crops are grown in the Dry Zone for which improved varieties have been officially released; third, access to improved varieties is recognized as an important means to adapt to rapid climate change experienced in the Dry Zone over the past thirty years (increased frequency of flooding and drought); and fourth, no previous survey-based studies on this topic have been undertaken for this zone. The specific objectives of the study are: 1) to determine the level of adoption of improved varieties for eight target crops; 2) to assess farmer preferences for varietal attributes for each of the crops; and 3) to assess the demand for quality seed. Data were collected using community and household surveys in 6 townships, two in each of the three regions that comprise the Dry Zone (Sagaing, Magwe and Mandalay Regions). Interviews were completed for a total of 1,388 households that produced at least one of the eight focus crops: rice, sesame, groundnut, pigeonpea, chickpea, green gram, black gram and sunflower. The results indicate that lack of awareness, not just lack of access, underlies low levels of uptake of improved varieties and quality seed by Dry Zone farmers. The good news is that this a problem that can be resolved through more intensive dissemination efforts, especially on-farm demonstrations that allow farmers to compare the performance of improved varieties or quality seed with their existing stock. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2; Feed the Future Initiative; MyanmarSSP; CRP2 ; EPTD; DSGD; PIM ; CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

Many governments imposed stringent lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health measure to suppress the spread of the disease. With consumer incomes already depressed, the potential impacts of these measures on urban food prices are of particular concern. This working paper examines the changes in Myanmar's urban food prices during lockdown using detailed food price data collected from a panel of phone surveys conducted in August and September 2020 of 431 family-owned retail shops in Myanmar's two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay. We find that the supply side of Myanmar's food retail sector was largely resilient to the shocks and lockdowns throughout the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates from a fixed effects differencein-differences model reveal that food prices were 3 percent higher in townships under lockdown compared to those not under lockdown, a statistically significant but modest effect. Lockdowns had smaller effects on prices for highly processed food items sourced directly from companies, but larger effects on prices for raw or lightly processed commodities sourced through wholesale markets, which comprise a larger share of urban consumer's diets. Retailer margins did not change significantly under lockdown restrictions, suggesting no evidence of price gouging. Overall, our findings of a modest impact of the lockdown on urban food prices underscore the importance of keeping the food supply chain–including wholesale markets and retail shops–functioning as completely and as safely as possible during times of crisis, as was mostly the case early in the crisis for the two cities in this study. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; MyanmarSSP; CRP2; MAPSA; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies ; DSGD; PIM ; CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

Agricultural policies affect almost everyone in the world, directly or indirectly. Improvements in agricultural policy analysis capacity can therefore significantly benefit society. This report synthesizes lessons learned from the Food Security Policy Innovation Lab's capacity strengthening efforts over the 2013–2018 period and from related capacity development initiatives conducted over the last four decades by the partner institutions in Africa and Asia. "Capacity" is defined as the resources required for people and institutions to reach their objectives and achieve results in an efficient and sustainable manner. Capacity development is therefore the process of enhancing, improving, and unleashing such resources—in people, organizations, and systems. In this report, the term "locally led" refers to institutions registered in the host country, led by nationals of the host country, and often, but not necessarily, affiliated with a public university or government unit in the host country. Why is the development of locally led agricultural policy analysis important? In principle, governments in developing countries could continue to receive policy analysis guidance from external research organizations, yet governments in most medium- and high-income countries rely on policy guidance from locally led research groups in their own countries. One lesson from capacity development initiatives is that governments are more likely to seriously listen to and engage with policy guidance provided by research units led by well-respected researchers in their own countries, who know the country, the culture, and the local politics surrounding agricultural policy issues. The impact of technical analysis and policy guidance cannot be divorced from policymakers' trust and respect for the person/group providing it. For these reasons, well-functioning locally led policy analysis units play a crucial role in an effective policy environment, and they can raise the probability that policy analysis will contribute to policy impact. These points in no way downplay the importance of international research units—in fact, they must often play a crucial support role to raise the capacities of locally led policy analysis units to improve the quality of policy decisions in their countries. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2; Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Food Security Policy (FSP); Capacity Strengthening ; DGO; DSGD; AFR

AbstractMyanmar experienced multiple COVID shocks as well as a military takeover in February 2021. Impacts on household poverty remain uncertain, however, because large‐scale in‐person surveys were impossible during the pandemic and heightened internal conflict. We use ex ante simulation models and phone survey evidence to estimate the poverty effects of these shocks and identify factors correlated with them. While each approach has limitations, and cannot explicitly validate each other, they both indicate rising rural and urban poverty and capital‐depleting coping mechanisms. Wider use of simulation modeling could help mobilize social protection faster than waiting for survey results in emergencies.

The objective of this contribution is to report the initial impacts of measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on Myanmar's agri-food system. Myanmar is one of several late-transforming low-income countries in Southeast Asia where agriculture still plays a large role in rural livelihoods, and where food prices are a key factor affecting nutrition security for poor urban and rural households. Whereas the economic impacts of COVID-19 disruptions on tourism and manufacturing were obvious to policymakers, the impacts on the agri-food system were less evident and often more indirect. This resulted in the rural sector being allocated only a very small share of the government's initial fiscal response to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. To correct this information gap, a suite of phone surveys covering a wide spectrum of actors in the agri-food system were deployed, including farm input suppliers, mechanization service providers, farmers, commodity traders, millers, food re ; PR ; IFPRI3; ISI; CRP2; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for all; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; MyanmarSSP; IFPRIOA; UNFSS ; DSGD; PHND; PIM ; CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

The purpose of this report is to provide information and analysis to government, civil society, and donors interested in improving the well-being of the rural population of Mon State, Myanmar. Specifically, the report analyzes the different sources of income for rural households, as well as their socioeconomic characteristics, with a view to helping identify constraints on growth and potential pathways to improving incomes. The overall picture that emerges is one of a struggling agricultural sector and an economy heavily dependent on services for local employment and on international migration for income. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,632 rural households, designed to be representative of rural households in Mon State as a whole. The survey included a household questionnaire and a community survey, and gathered information on demographics, all economic aspects of the household, and access to infrastructure and services at the community level. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; C Improving markets and trade; D Transforming Agriculture; Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Food Security Policy (FSP) ; DSGD