Donor: World Food Programme (WFP) CIPD distributed relief to 7000 rodent affected families funded by WFP in 2008-2010. In 2007 bamboo flowering began across areas of CHT. This cyclical bamboo flowering (every 40-50 years) caused rats to reproduce at an accelerated rate, as rats eat the nutritious bamboo fruits and become highly fertile. The resultant rat plague destroyed much of the 2007 and 2008 harvests causing severe food insecurity across the region. Jum cultivation is the principal means of livelihood in remote areas and it is the jhum cultivators who are most affected by the crisis. Crops of rice, sesame, maize, chilli and vegetables were severely damaged.
Besides the devastating effects on hum cultivation, the bamboo flowering and rodent crisis has had detrimental effects on the other main sources of livelihoods in the area such as the harvesting of bamboo from the forest and casual labour in the agricultural sector, particularly on other’s jum land. Bamboo, an important economic resource which jum cultivators use to supplement their income, dies off after flowering. The effects of the rodent crisis exacerbated this situation as access to food was reduced and affected populations applied negative coping mechanisms such as consumption of nutritionally inadequate wild foods and reduction in food intake and diversity. The implementation of WFP’s first two programme phases in response to the rodent crisis has largely prevented this situation from worsening and emergency rates of mortality and acute malnutrition are currently not present. However, the impact of the crisis continues in 2010 as crop harvests in 2009 were reduced to around 30-50% of what was expected. It is notable that whereas the previous effects were caused by the rodent plague, interviews with beneficiaries confirm that most losses are now caused predominantly by wild pigs, chickens and monkeys that have also increased significantly in number. In 2009 there was also a reduced area sown due to a lack of seeds (either destroyed, consumed or due to an inability to purchase due to a lack of income), and it appears that authorities are limiting the access to forestry land for jhum cultivation which is also putting pressure on the limited land available. The other major factor which has impacted household income and food security is the lack of bamboo available for harvest and sale. Therefore, the two main sources of livelihoods for affected communities in remote areas of CHT – jum cultivation and bamboo collection – continue to be severely impacted by the crisis. Services CIPD facilitated a massive relief program (Rice, Oil, Biscuit etc.) of the affected people in Jurachari, Barkal and Belaichari Upazila of Rangamati Hill District. More than 7000 families were received relief under the program for four months. In the 2nd & 3rd phase (2009 – 2010) Rodent Crisis Response in CHT was continued for recovery periods and CIPD provided to 960 HHs rice, oil, and imparted IGA training on homestead garden, cow & goat rearing. The recovery period was designed as food for work. The beneficiaries were provided 40 kg rice and 4.5 kg pulse per months for road construction in their area and attending training. Under the project a total of 81.10 km length roads (44 Village to village) were constructed in 3 union ( Belaichari-14.3 km, Farua-45.1 km and Dumdumya-21.7 km)