Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response

There is an urgent need to anticipate and mitigate the threat posed by COVID-19 to Myanmar’s agricultural sector and to rural households that depend on farming for income and for food and nutrition security. We evaluate options to address the threat and to support farmers to prepare their land and p...

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Main Authors: Boughton, Duncan, Goeb, Joseph, Lambrecht, Isabel B., Mather, David, Headey, Derek D.
Format: Brief
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143809
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author Boughton, Duncan
Goeb, Joseph
Lambrecht, Isabel B.
Mather, David
Headey, Derek D.
author_browse Boughton, Duncan
Goeb, Joseph
Headey, Derek D.
Lambrecht, Isabel B.
Mather, David
author_facet Boughton, Duncan
Goeb, Joseph
Lambrecht, Isabel B.
Mather, David
Headey, Derek D.
author_sort Boughton, Duncan
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description There is an urgent need to anticipate and mitigate the threat posed by COVID-19 to Myanmar’s agricultural sector and to rural households that depend on farming for income and for food and nutrition security. We evaluate options to address the threat and to support farmers to prepare their land and plant their crops on time in the short window before the start of the 2020 monsoon cropping season. Recognizing that no single intervention can address the full range of vulnerabilities faced by rural households, we recommend a combination: • Expansion of access to seasonal farm credit with extended loan repayment schedules; • Limited agricultural input subsidies targeting certified seed; and • Implementation of a cash transfer program to smallholder farmers. Despite the high cost of a cash transfer program, there are good reasons to expect that the benefits of such support to farm households will outweigh program costs in monetary terms – even more so if the economic benefits from the consequent lower incidence of malnutrition to which the program would contribute can be measured.
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spelling CGSpace1438092025-11-06T07:45:39Z Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response Boughton, Duncan Goeb, Joseph Lambrecht, Isabel B. Mather, David Headey, Derek D. nutrition security covid-19 farm income agriculture smallholders livelihoods food security subsidies disease control There is an urgent need to anticipate and mitigate the threat posed by COVID-19 to Myanmar’s agricultural sector and to rural households that depend on farming for income and for food and nutrition security. We evaluate options to address the threat and to support farmers to prepare their land and plant their crops on time in the short window before the start of the 2020 monsoon cropping season. Recognizing that no single intervention can address the full range of vulnerabilities faced by rural households, we recommend a combination: • Expansion of access to seasonal farm credit with extended loan repayment schedules; • Limited agricultural input subsidies targeting certified seed; and • Implementation of a cash transfer program to smallholder farmers. Despite the high cost of a cash transfer program, there are good reasons to expect that the benefits of such support to farm households will outweigh program costs in monetary terms – even more so if the economic benefits from the consequent lower incidence of malnutrition to which the program would contribute can be measured. 2020-03-01 2024-05-22T12:17:05Z 2024-05-22T12:17:05Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143809 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Boughton, Duncan; Goeb, Joey; Lambrecht, Isabel; Mather, David; and Headey, Derek D. 2020. Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response. Myanmar SSP Policy Note 2. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133687.
spellingShingle nutrition security
covid-19
farm income
agriculture
smallholders
livelihoods
food security
subsidies
disease control
Boughton, Duncan
Goeb, Joseph
Lambrecht, Isabel B.
Mather, David
Headey, Derek D.
Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title_full Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title_fullStr Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title_full_unstemmed Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title_short Strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in Myanmar against the COVID-19 threat: Elements for a proactive response
title_sort strengthening smallholder agriculture is essential to defend food and nutrition security and rural livelihoods in myanmar against the covid 19 threat elements for a proactive response
topic nutrition security
covid-19
farm income
agriculture
smallholders
livelihoods
food security
subsidies
disease control
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143809
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