ADRA India supports thousands in ‘Mautam’ Famine

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in India has commenced a food security project called MIZOFAM, in response to the rice famine that is affecting approximately 1 million people throughout the northeastern state of Mizoram which borders Myanmar.

The famine is caused by a plague of rats, and usually occurs every 48 years, as the bamboo that is native in the state and surrounding regions, produces a special flower that triggers a mass movement of rats. After the rats ate all the bamboo’s flowers, they moved onto the rice crops devastating more than 90% of Mizoram’s rice paddies and other crops.

The crisis is increased by the fact that most families are ‘slash and burn’ farmers, meaning that they only have small and temporary plots to cultivate their crops. The severe food shortage has forced many families to have only one meal per day, and search for food in surrounding forests, eating wild berries, yams and roots in an attempt to survive.

The 11 month project, MIZOFAM, is worth €833,000EUR and is funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) through ADRA Germany.

MIZOFAM benefits 25,000 of the most vulnerable people in the famine affected state of Mizoram. The project distributes food to 45 villages through the mobilisation of villagers in the form of Village Disaster Committees (VDC). MIZOFAM encourages alternative methods of livelihood through the procurement and distribution of seeds, and training for the villagers on effective plantation methods. MIZOFAM provides ‘cash for work’ for the beneficiary villagers as they assist in the implementation of the project. The project is advocating with the local government and conducting capacity building training in coordination with MIZOFAM’s disaster preparedness training for the villagers. This training includes conducting community disaster mitigation, preparedness and response communication campaigns, which will take form in 6 community festival days held in 6 locations. The festivals use various media, competitions, children’s games, posters and plays covering various disaster risk reduction topics. MIZOFAM also provides educational materials in each village; this is facilitated by community members and the VDC’s.

ADRA India’s MIZOFAM project assures that affected families and their children have increased access to food, that the ability to grow crops in the following seasons is increased for the most vulnerable, that immediate livelihood opportunities have been increased for these families, and that they understand and are able to access the government schemes made available. MIZOFAM makes sure that the target community has an increased resiliency to the impact of food shortages in the future.

To donate or find out more about ADRA India’s Emergency Management Program please visit our website www.adraindia.org.

ADRA India provides community development and emergency management without to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

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ADRA India works with people in poverty and distress to create positive change and justness through empowering partnerships and responsible action.