Restoring income generation and food self-sufficiency of small-scale rice and corn farmers severely affected by Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan has severely damaged and disrupted agriculture, especially crop production. Agriculture provides 40.5 percent of national employment for men and 21.8 percent for women. In the affected areas, according to the Multi Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA), 45 percent of the sampled communities reported farming as their primary income. Agriculture, especially crop production, was severely damaged and disrupted. Estimates from the Government indicate that about 600 000 ha of agriculture land have been affected with 1.1 million MT of crops lost , of which 80 percent has been reported in Region VIII, requiring urgent attention in terms of clearing, cleaning and replanting. This includes 80 km of communal irrigation canals that need desilting. Based on results of the MIRA 1.77 percent of farming communities indicated that their main income source was severely affected by the typhoon and an average 74 percent of their standing crops lost. The total losses for the agriculture sector, as mentioned in the RAY are for about PhP 31.13 million (USD712,520). From the extent of the losses damages reported to date, a concerted and coordinated effort is necessary to fill the immediate relief and recovery needs gap of affected rice and corn farming communities that remains uncovered by the DA. This joint FAO, ILO and SC integrated programme will span across the FSAC and the combined Livelihoods and Early Recovery cluster, to directly support the Philippine Humanitarian Country Team’s Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Strategic Response Plan, specifically Strategic Objective 1 “Typhoon-affected people meet their immediate food needs, avoid nutritional deterioration and build food security in ways that are sustained through stimulation of markets and production and access to life-saving community-based nutrition services” and Strategic Objective 3 “Women and men whose livelihoods or employment have been lost or severely impaired regain self-sufficiency, primarily with the restoration of local economies, agriculture and fisheries” by providing a full spectrum of complimentary immediate and longer-term livelihood support to the targeted small scale rice and corn farming communities.

Project symbol

PHI/14/01/UKM

Admin unit

CO-Manila

Start date

01/02/2014

End date

28/02/2015

Total allocation

1638977

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

1638977

Development Partners

United Kingdom, Department for International Development

Country/Countries

Philippines

Outcomes

Employment Promotion