Local Food Systems in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines: Perspective from the Local Communities

Food systems must provide adequate, healthy, and sustainable diets to the growing and changing population whilst responding to shocks and stressors related to climate variability, urbanization, globalization, conflicts, and economic change. This study examined the national food systems of Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines and the local food systems of complementary Climate-Smart Villages: Chhouk, Htee Pu, and Himbubulo Weste. Among several food system drivers, climate change is the external stressor perceived strongly in agricultural communities and as shown by the data on national climate variability. Income and gender inequality, political instability, and socioeconomic circumstances undermine multi-level interventions to deliver necessary food system outcomes. While national policies to achieve an equitable and resilient food system are critical, local-level initiatives such as implementing climate-smart agriculture strategies, recognizing landlessness issues, and addressing fragmented market infrastructure are vital for the local food systems to thrive and deliver on health, economic and environmental goals. This could also guide in establishing standards, collective goals, and policy formulation directions for robust national food systems

COVID-19 impact on local agri-food system in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines: Findings from a rapid assessment

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent enforcement of mobility restrictions have created bottlenecks in the agri-food system. When the food supply chain is disrupted, economic loss occurs, putting rural households, already in poverty, into severe food insecurity. A survey was conducted to assess the impacts of restrictions brought by COVID-19 on local food systems operations of Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The rural and traditional food systems of agriculture-based villages continued to operate with minimal adjustments during the course of COVID-19 restrictions. Our findings showed high mean household dietary diversity scores in Chhouk CSV (6.4), Htee Pu CSV (8.2), and Himbubulo Weste CSV (7.2) despite significant perceived changes in the availability and prices of certain food groups. Complementary and diverse food production and access to informal food outlets were essential parts of the local food systems and played critical roles in supplying food commodities to the population during the pandemic

Myanmar local food systems in a changing climate: Insights from multiple stakeholders

Understanding the impacts of climate on food systems is vital to identifying the most effective food system interventions to support climate-smart agriculture. The study examines how climate change is affecting food systems and what can be done to mitigate its effects. Two methodological approaches were combined in the study. The first was an Asia-wide regional consultation and forum to explore a range of initiatives that transform food systems among stakeholders working in Myanmar. The second method was an in-depth food systems study employing qualitative methods in Htee Pu Village in the Myanmar Central Dry Zone, a research site of IIRR since 2017. Key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted to capture insights and data. Food systems consist of components, drivers, actors, and elements that interact with one another and other systems such as social, health, and transportation. The Myanmar food system is complex. Making it sustainable and transformative requires a mix of different approaches implemented at various scales from local to national. It also requires actions that engage various actors in the system from producers to consumers. The study of the local food system of Htee Pu Village indicates that the village has a rural and traditional food system and that climate change is one of its key food system drivers. Climate change negatively impacted farming and agricultural practices and disrupted the input supply of the local food systems. The role of intermediaries such as traders and consolidators is critical in the supply and distribution of food in the Central Dry Zone. Improved and more connected roads are essential for the supply and distribution of food for the village. The informal market outlets serve as the primary food source or sale points for households. Household diets are inadequate in quantity as the population remains highly dependent on their crops for their diets due to relatively low income. Climate adaptation must be embedded in the local level management to mitigate the effect of climate change in food production in the longer term