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| FAO Actions |
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One of the main challenges facing FAO is rebuilding the livelihoods
of millions of coastal inhabitants, mostly depending on agriculture
and fisheries.
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Together with other UN agencies, national
governments and other partners FAO is moving forward in assisting
the communities to re-engage in agriculture.
The initial phase of rescue and emergency relief is over now,
detailed assessments have been made and needs for rehabilitation
have been recognised. |
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FAO’s mandate covers different operational areas:
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Assistance and advice to national
and regional governments in developing policies and strategies
for recovery and rehabilitation, including integrated coastal
area management.
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Training of local field staff: FAO has engaged
in different training programs in affected countries.
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Facilitation of informal regional networks
of experts working in rehabilitation and assisting in the gathering
and dissemination of knowledge on the tsunami in the region.
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Direct procurement and delivery of crucial
assets and seeds; and the development and execution of projects
to rehabilitate agriculture infrastructure in affected areas.
In order to coordinate the various types of activities and ensure
appropriateness and timeliness of deliveries field staff has
been posted in worst affected areas, while regional coordination
is done from the FAO-regional office in Bangkok. Agriculture
Staff of FAO provides technical backstopping and develops specific
interventions in the fields of assessment and recovery. |
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To prioritise and to plan action it is imperative to have an overview
of the real needs, based on the damages done and on the inherent capacity
to recover so that interventions can specifically target the critical
issues for rapid recovery.
Immediately after the disaster FAO made an estimate of possible damages
to guide initial action. In the first weeks after the disaster FAO
conducted preliminary damage assessment missions that were followed
by more detailed assessments in the countries affected by the tsunami.
The outcomes enable FAO and partners to identify the type of impacts
on agriculture and define appropriate emergency and rehabilitation
interventions. Consolidated updated assessments of various parts of
the affected region are presented at this page.
Emergency and rehabilitation efforts are all based on the assessments
of the impact of the damage, and focus on critical elements in the
recovery process at different stages. As farmers slowly return to
business the focus shifts to less visible types of damage hampering
the recovery proces, such as collapse of community strucutres, support
services and market chains.
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