Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis Toolkit

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.

In June 2010, the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan experienced ethnic violence and rapid displacement in the southern districts bordering Uzbekistan following the ousting of the country's president in April. This EMMA assessment focused on early recovery needs for four selected critical markets, including wheat flour, and the impact of humanitarian aid to date on the local market. Following the June crisis, the wheat flour market has suffered several broken linkages, price spikes, and shortages of stock that are concerning for the near future. This report recommends the following humanitarian responses: (1) cash distributions to the most affected farmers; (2) development of a public information system for crops and markets; (3) vouchers for bakers, retailers and/or vulnerable households; (4) cash for work for farmers to clear irrigation and other farm systems, and crews to clean up markets and businesses; and (5) advocacy for the Kyrgyz government to purchase a certain volume of wheat from farmers.