Assessing food security and coping mechanism of farm households in dought prone areas of Central Myanmar
- Pathum Thani : Asian Institute of Technology, 2013
- 101 p. : ill., charts
- Thesis ; no. RD-13-07 .
- Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. RD-13-07 .
A thesissubmitted in partial fulfillment ofthe requirementsfor the degree of Master of Science inRegional and Rural Development Planning
Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2013
This study has aimedto access the household food security in drought prone area of Central Myanmar. In order to collect the required primarydata, a comprehensive household survey was developed. Thedata were collected from 134 farmhouseholds, 52 households from irrigated area and 82 households from non-irrigated area in Pyaw Bwe Township thougha standardizedquestionnaire of household surveys. Key informant interview and group discussion were alsoconducted to collect the primary data. The secondary data are also collected from various sources like maps, journal articles, reports, working papers, research and thesis papers and internet resources.The resultsrevealed that the householdsfrom non-irrigated areawere facing food insecurity in terms of food availability and accessibility due to unfavorable condition for staple food crop production, low productivity and low income. The study examined the factors influenced households food security according to the farmers perception and ranked the factors by using factor analysis.It was found that the most influencing bio physical factors for food security of the study area are prolong drought and irregular rain fall pattern. High household expenditure, fluctuation of food prices and dependencyon outside food is the dominant factor of non-irrigated area. However, lack of knowledge and technology in agricultural production overwhelmed the food security of irrigated area. The study further showed that farm households in the study area employeda range of coping strategies ranging from sales of live stocks and possession, finding alternativeincome sources, seasonal migration, changing consumption pattern and borrowing food and cashtorespond to the foodinsecurity and hungercomparing among small, medium and largefarmers.Finally, few recommendations were given based on the key findings of thestudy, which includes promotingincome-generating activities, enhancing themicro-financing efficiency, supplying efficient water use and accessibility and employment opportunities at local areas.