Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis Toolkit

Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar in May 2008, leaving more than 84,000 people dead and more than 50,000 missing, including many skilled fishers and fish processors. Save the Children in Myanmar and Practical Action Consulting conducted this pilot of the EMMA toolkit in the Ayeyarwady Delta in July 2008 in order to explore how the tools and guidance could be applied in a real humanitarian emergency. The study focused on two market systems for analysis: small-scale fishing nets, which are critical for livelihoods and food security, and dhani-thatch panels, which are critical for shelter. This report recommends that, where possible, donors should buy small fishing nets from affected villages and not attempt to bypass market chain actors by purchasing in bulk from wholesalers in Yangon. However, donors may need to provide either credit to village retailers or act as guarantors to wholesalers on behalf of village retailers. For the thatch market system, this report suggests providing tarpaulins to affected households as a temporary measure. Permanent thatch shelter interventions may be more appropriate during the next thatch harvest.

On October 22, 2010, Cyclone Giri made landfall on the western coast of Rakhine State, Myanmar, causing severe damage to houses, infrastructure, standing crops and fisheries. The EMMA in Rakhine aimed to establish an understanding of how the fishing sector had recovered since the cyclone and to look at opportunities to improve efficiency within the market system. It found that the fishing sector has recovered since Cyclone Giri; however, small and medium fishers continue to face difficulties in earning enough income from their production due to structural barriers or insecurity of their fishing grounds. The report recommends restoration and improvement of physical infrastructure, such as boats and storage facilities; strengthening human capital by improving the nutritional situation for households; providing cash grants, conditional cash transfers and other means of improving financial capital; strengthening networks with business, government, and NGOs; and advocating for more sustainable rehabilitation and management of natural capital.