Since early March 2011, at least 57,000 refugees fleeing fighting and instability in Côte d’Ivoire have been crossing the border into Liberia and have become concentrated along the border and the main road in Grand Gedeh County. In the affected villages, already-limited food and seed stocks are being depleted, meaning that without assistance many farmers will not be able to plant in time for the next harvest. Oxfam undertook a market assessment of the rice and agricultural labor markets to define the most appropriate response and modalities to address emergency needs. The report offers the following recommendations: for vulnerable small farmers,a combination of rice vouchers, a once-off cash grant and seeds and tools package for targeted households; for refugees, a combined approach of in-kind distribution and cash transfers to allow them to meet their basic needs and support their livelihoods through investing in small income generating activities; and for refugees who want or have already started to farm, an additional distribution of seeds and tools. In addition, assessments of the imported rice and agricultural labor markets should be replicated in other areas affected by the refugee influx; the imported rice and agricultural labor markets should be monitored in order to evaluate the impact of the humanitarian assistance and adapt the response accordingly; and market value chain assessments should be extended to other key commodities such as seeds, hygiene items and other food items.
Report authors:
Nanthilde Kamara, Emily Henderson