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Residents of the riverine areas in Bangladesh's Gaibandha District suffer from annual and periodic severe flooding, which can be lead to prolonged displacement from their homes. Oxfam facilitated a Pre-Crisis Market Analysis in May 2016 to identify if alternatives to in-kind distributions of hygiene and sanitation materials were possible or appropriate, to build recommendations into contingency planning to improve preparedness and to mitigate the impact of regular crises.The report recommends that essential WASH NFIs should be distributed via restricted digital value vouchers redeemable at Fulchhari Market, with the exception of chlorine tablets, which should be distributed in kind. Relief actors should consider providing cash grants to traders for restocking if the anticipated need exceeds what they are able to restock themselves. The value of the voucher should be established at the WASH Cluster level through the development of a WASH NFI "basket." Meanwhile, any post-emergency sanitation interventions should aim to link beneficiaries to existing sanitation marketing programs rather than providing in-kind provision of hardware. They should further work with SanMarts to develop low-cost, flood-appropriate options for latrines. In areas where no sanitation marketing or micro-finance options exist, relief actors should aim to provide sanitation materials through the local market.

Report authors: 
Tom Wildman
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AN ANALYSIS OF THE IRON SHEETING MARKET IN SOUTH AND GRAND’ANSE DEPARTMENTS
November, 2016

Hurricane Matthew struck the southern peninsula of Haiti in October 2016, killing 900 and leaving 750,000 others in need of urgent assistance. Catholic Relief Services conducted an Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis in eight communes in the South and Grand’Anse departments to assess the feasibility of a market-based shelter response. The study finds that the local market can technically meet the demand of the most vulnerable, but quality CGI is not available and the target group would not be able to afford it if it were. The report makes the following recommendations for the shelter response in Haiti: “Build Back Better” training for the targeted community;combined local and regional procurement (LRP) and conditional commodity e-vouchers (CGI and other construction inputs) with a network of midlevel wholesalers to reach the target population in a cost effective manner; in very limited cases, LRP with direct distribution of quality CGI and other construction inputs; Cash-for-Work to rehabilitate markets and access roads, and to enable entire communities to have better market access more quickly; advocating for a better business environment and coordinating with traditional and non-traditional Shelter and NFI working group participants in order to “build back better;" and price monitoring and protection mainstreaming to make sure we do no harm to people and markets.

Report authors: 
William Martin and Edward Walters
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Abyei is a relatively small and disputed area of land on the border of North and South Sudan that in recent years has experienced much turmoil. In May 2011, following violent skirmishes, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) sent troops into Abyei seeking to push out the Southern forces.Compounding the pressure and instability caused by the numbers of both the returnees and the IDPs, the North blocked important trade routes to the South in the midst of the traditional lean season. The combination of these factors had a significant impact on food security in both the short and medium terms. This EMMA was conducted jointly by Mercy Corps and the Norwegian Refugee Council in June 2011 and focused on analyzing the impact of the conflict and the road closure on the maloda (traditional hoe) and okra seed market systems in northern parts of South Sudan. This EMMA report suggests that in-kind seed distributions often undermine markets in the region and inhibit the development of market linkages. It recommends that NGOs stop working as "market actors" and promotes market responses that encourage the market to function better on its own. It also suggests that longer term programs should focus on promoting new and more effective agricultural practices.

Report authors: 
Carol Brady, Emily Henderson, Phillippa Young
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WaSH and Shelter Market Systems in the case of IDP evictions, Mogadishu
January, 2016

In March 2015, an estimated 3,500 households (21,000 individuals) were forcibly evicted from Dharkenley District, affecting their access to employment opportunities, shelter and WaSH services and creating challenges in terms of security. This PCMMA was intended to build capacity of national staff in market assessments and to assess the potential to deliver key WaSH and Shelter assistance through local markets following mid-size IDP evictions. Along with several recommendations for indirect support through markets, this report recommends the local procurement and in-kind distribution of aqua tabs; unconditional, restricted value vouchers to IDPs to purchase any of a variety of specified WaSH and shelter items; and the continued local procurement and delivery of CGI doors, ideally in partnership with a range of small businesses and vocational training programs in order to spread the economic benefit of this assistance more widely.

Report authors: 
Mohamed Yussuf, Emily Sloane
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Northern Province
April, 2011

Currently, northern Sri Lanka is recovering from two different crises: the decades-long civil war between the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that ended in May 2009, and recent flooding due to heavy rainfall in January and February 2011 in the north and east of the country. This report presents the results of a rapid analysis of the rice market system in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka that took place shortly after the floods. The rice market system is functional, although with significant inefficiencies and imbalance of market power that could be ameliorated with interventions. The long-term conflict caused underdevelopment of infrastructure and insufficient services in the region. While direct flood damage in the region was relatively minor, the indirect and ongoing losses caused by unexpected rainy weather are high. Short to medium-term recommendations include supporting storage and irrigation, diversifying production, improving market information and developing small enterprises with mills and equipment. Long-term development suggestions include supporting the growth of farmer organizations, constructing more sophisticated storage and financing options and the facilitation of higher-value rice production.

Report authors: 
Laura Meissner
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On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 222,653 people and wounding an additional 310,000. The Sud-Est (Southeast) department was one of the worst hit areas. This assessment analyzes the market system for beans in the Sud-Est department of Haiti in March-April 2010. Recommended short-term interventions include seed distributions, scaling down food distributions and cash-based programs to improve the buying power of affected households. Longer-term recommended interventions for improving the overall function of the beans market to mitigate future disruptions include laying the foundation for a functioning private-sector seed system, working with existing or new institutions to provide financial services appropriate for agriculture, working with authorities to approve security at key market places and undertaking disaster risk reduction measures such as improving storage and preservation of surplus harvests.

Report authors: 
Laura Meissner, Gerry Delphin, Georges Pierre-Louis, Tim Schwartz, Karri Goeldner Byrne, Gary Bonhomme, and Molière Peronneau
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On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 222,653 people and wounding an additional 310,000. The Sud-Est (Southeast) department was one of the worst hit areas. This assessment analyzes the market system for beans in the Sud-Est department of Haiti in March-April 2010. Recommended short-term interventions include seed distributions, scaling down food distributions and cash-based programs to improve the buying power of affected households. Longer-term recommended interventions for improving the overall function of the beans market to mitigate future disruptions include laying the foundation for a functioning private-sector seed system, working with existing or new institutions to provide financial services appropriate for agriculture, working with authorities to approve security at key market places and undertaking disaster risk reduction measures such as improving storage and preservation of surplus harvests.

Report authors: 
Laura Meissner, Gerry Delphin, Georges Pierre-Louis, Tim Schwartz, Karri Goeldner Byrne, Gary Bonhomme, and Molière Peronneau
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On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 222,653 people and wounding an additional 310,000. The Sud-Est (Southeast) department was one of the worst hit areas. This assessment analyzes the market system for agricultural labor in the Sud-Est department of Haiti in March-April 2010. Recommended interventions include immediate cash-for-work projects to replace lost income for rural households; immediate interventions to ensure farmers have sufficient seeds and inputs to plant successfully; and longer-term interventions to stimulate rural employment opportunities and strengthen the agricultural sector.

Report authors: 
Laura Meissner, Karri Goeldner Byrne, Georges Pierre-Louis, Tim Schwartz, Molière Peronneau and Gardy Letang
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On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 222,653 people and wounding an additional 310,000. The Sud-Est (Southeast) department was one of the worst hit areas. This assessment analyzes the market system for agricultural labor in the Sud-Est department of Haiti in March-April 2010. Recommended interventions include immediate cash-for-work projects to replace lost income for rural households; immediate interventions to ensure farmers have sufficient seeds and inputs to plant successfully; and longer-term interventions to stimulate rural employment opportunities and strengthen the agricultural sector.

Report authors: 
Laura Meissner, Karri Goeldner Byrne, Georges Pierre-Louis, Tim Schwartz, Molière Peronneau and Gardy Letang
Download Report (326.4 KB pdf)