Resource information
The National Agricultural Policy of Myanmar is a sectoral policy with the following objectives:Promote a common understanding among stakeholders (e.g., government, development partners, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and the private sector) on the desired outcome of strengthening disaster resilience of the communities in Myanmar; Propose coherent approaches and lessons for pursuing disaster resilience at the community level; Identify potential opportunities for implementing measures across different sectors and themes of development that will strengthen disaster resilience at the community level in an integrated and inclusive manner.Although agriculture is the most important economic sector in Myanmar and the major source of livelihoods for over 70% of the population, the agriculture sector is extremely vulnerable to natural hazards. Floods, drought, and tropical cyclones can result in a loss of crops,farm assets, income, and livelihoods and cause extensive damage to households and community infrastructure. The impact of disasters can have long-lasting effects on rural communities, especially among women and other vulnerable groups. The rural communities not only suffer immediate direct losses, but also struggle to secure access to seeds, tools, and financing as they attempt to recover, thereby affecting the yield of future harvest seasons. Drought can have significant impacts, especially in central Myanmar. Moreover, the potential impacts of climate change will continue to have high impacts on agriculture and food security in Myanmar.Community-level measures to strengthen disaster resilience are critical for achieving the inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development of Myanmar.They support Myanmar’s development objectives and commitments to the global community through the Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.Disaster risk is a critical development concern for Myanmar. Every year, people across the country, mostly the poor and most vulnerable, suffer from disasters that are triggered by natural hazards such as floods, tropical cyclones, droughts, landslides and earthquakes. The Myanmar National Framework for Community Disaster Resilience has been developed to guide stakeholders in building resilience of Myanmar communities.Specifically, with respect to community-level actions to reduce disaster risk, the Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction, a road map for the implementation of disaster risk reduction priorities, has attached high priority to community-based disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Among others, the action plan identifies the need for strengthening the policy environment, scaling up implementation through local development, promoting volunteerism, and establishing financing mechanisms for community-level disaster risk reduction measures. Strengthening disaster resilience of Myanmar communities requires a suite of actions, many of which the communities need to undertake in partnership with civil society organizations and village tract or ward administration, others by higher levels of the government, and some with support from development partners.With the implementation of community disaster resilience measures embedded in the sectors and themes of development, the monitoring process will be led by the concerned union line ministry, and state or regional government.
