FEBRUARY 2014

FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS ASSESMENT REPORT AND EASTERN ;

Conducted by ACTED’s Appraisal, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit Table of Contents

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 4 2. BACKGROUND ...... 6 2.1 Introduction to the Assessment ...... 6 2.2 Key Assessment Objectives ...... 6 2.3 Assessment Methodology ...... 6 2.4 Population and Sample ...... 7 3. KEY FINDINGS ...... 8 3.1 Demographics ...... 8 3.1.1 Household Composition ...... 8 3.2 Key Household Economic Indicators ...... 9 3.2.1 Persons Involved in Income Generation at Household Level ...... 9 3.2.2 Main Sources of Household Income ...... 9 3.2.3 Average Monthly Household Income ...... 11 3.2.4 Regularity of Income ...... 13 3.2.5 Average Monthly Household Expenses ...... 13 3.3 Food Security and Food Consumption Status ...... 14 3.3.1 General Food Availability and Market Accessibility ...... 14 3.3.2 Household Food Consumption ...... 15 3.4 Livelihood Recovery and Support ...... 18 3.4.1 Household Economic Vulnerabilities and Risks ...... 18 3.4.2 Personal Assets ...... 19 3.4.3 Community Assets and Infrastructure ...... 19 3.4.4 Assistances Received by Other Actors ...... 20 4. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CHALLENGES ...... 21 4.1 Conclusions ...... 21 4.2 Recommendations ...... 22 4.3 Limitations and Challenges ...... 22

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Population Disagregated by Age & Gender ...... 8 Figure 2: Households with Vulnerable Persons ...... 8 Figure 3: Level of Education ...... 9 Figure 4: Persons involved in income generation BEFORE ...... 9 Figure 5: Persons involved in income generation AFTER ...... 9 Figure 6: Main Sources of Income ...... 11 Figure 7: Monthly Average HH Income BEFORE ...... 12 Figure 8: Monthly Average HH Income AFTER ...... 12 Figure 9: Monthly Average HH Income - ...... 13 Figure 10: Monthly Average HH Income – Leyte ...... 13 Figure 11: Monthly Household Expenses ...... 14 Figure 12: Types of Markets ...... 15 Figure 13: Household Food Consumption ...... 16 Figure 14: Food Security Status ...... 17 Figure 15: Main Coping Strategies for Food ...... 17 Figure 16: Community Perceptions on Risks and Challenges ...... 18

List of Tables

Table 1: Population and Sample ...... 7 Table 2: Main Sources of Income ...... 10 Table 3: Monthly Household Expenses ...... 13 Table 4: Household Food Consumption ...... 15 Table 5: Poverty and Food Thresholds ...... 18

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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Typhoon Haiyan, was one of the strongest storms to ever make landfall, hitting a number of provinces of the Philippines on 8th November 2013, including Leyte and Eastern Samar which were amongst the worst affected. The impact on agriculture livelihoods and fisheries sectors was extremely high. In order to inform the organization’s future programmatic strategy in terms of food security and livelihood reconstruction programming, ACTED’s Appraisal Monitoring & Evaluation Unit (AMEU) conducted an assessment targeting 16 municipalities in Leyte and Eastern Samar provinces that were heavily affected, and where still considerably higher gaps exist. The assessment aims to provide an overview of food security situation as well as to assess the needs for livelihood reconstruction.

Demographics related to both Eastern Samar and Leyte families show similarities between the two groups. Around 44% of overall population consisted of children below 18 years, 65% households had at least one child below age 5, 38% of households were found to have some type of vulnerable persons in their families; pointing to a huge dependency ratio vis-à-vis economically active household members.

33% of households had nobody earning some income during post disaster situation. Sources of household income have been significantly changed after the typhoon, leaving them with only a limited ways to earn some income. Before the typhoon, Eastern Samar was largely dependent on fishing whereas Leyte was mostly dependant on paddy farming. During the time of data collection, around 10% households in Eastern Samar earned some income through fishing while rice paddy cultivation served as the main source of income for 28% of families in Leyte. Given that paddy farming was not amongst the worst affected, the situation in Leyte found to be comparatively healthier than of in Eastern Samar. Coconut cultivation was equally significant in both areas which clearly had a major effect on the livelihoods. The communities were highly dependent on irregular and temporary income sources as well as through support received through various parties and credit and loan. Some earned income through unskilled labour and self/non-self-employed skilled work. Providing cash assistance to pay for basic living costs including food, clothes, and basic utilities is essential to prevent resort to negative coping mechanisms.

Average monthly income of respondents after the typhoon was only 53.6% that of what they had. Moreover, monthly average household income is that incomes of two targeted geographical areas were significantly different. The income situation in Eastern Samar was found to be highly vulnerable as the average was recorded as PHP 1849, while Leyte was recorded as PHP 3526. 97% and 90% households in Eastern Samar and Leyte respectively were receiving incomes below the poverty line. Average monthly expenditures were recorded as PHP 4393 and PHP 7283 where Leyte shows higher expenditure than Eastern Samar. As a whole, there has been deficiency of money to cover household expenses due to insufficient earnings.

Almost all the respondents indicated that food is too expensive or not available for purchase very often. They usually rely on open air markets (88%) and local food stores (10%) to buy almost all household food items. Some food items such as fish, vegetables, meat and poultry, tubers, fruits and other cereals were not sufficiently available in the markets. Prices have been augmented for all types of food items except rice; general perception was that eggs, fish and meats the most. However, the priority was given to purchasing rice, meat and fish. Post Yolanda, vegetable and fruit prices had

4 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED gone up, yet were fairly affordable. In contrast the consumption was poor or considerably variable; this can be attributed to poor nutritional practices, attitude or knowledge among some families. 3% Eastern Samar households were food insecure while another 34% Eastern Samar and 29% Leyte households were at risk. Thus, it can be noted that the prevailing food insecurity is somewhat attributable to geographical location – as Eastern Samar was found to have higher food insecurity compared to Leyte. In order to cope with the widespread arduous situation, people were using different coping strategies. About a half of them borrowed food or borrowed money for purchasing food. They also relied on less preferred foods, had smaller meal portions, or had reduced number of meals. According to these findings, household level intervention for promoting food security targeting food insecure and at-risk populations is crucial. Such interventions must be planned along with awareness raising programs on nutrition and good practices, also including importance and affordable ways of adding legumes, vegetables and fruits to their diets.

Various levels of destruction took place on private agricultural lands, and tools were widely reported. On top of it, the recent rains have caused to increased severity of the situation. Paddy farming lands and backyard gardens have been flooded and the crops been washed away. The families have lost their seed stocks and small farming equipment. Seeds and seedlings for planting were not sufficiently available to purchase in the local markets. Fishing communities have lost their livelihoods mainly due to damage happened to the boats. It was revealed that the materials and skills required for repair or reconstruction of these boats are locally available. Mostly, the business owners and small scale traders who engaged in agriculture and fisheries related training were in a difficult situation in terms of resuming their businesses. The stocks rescued after the typhoon were being consumed or had already consumed. People increasingly resort to negative coping measures such as buying food and essential items on credit. This seems to indicate that the debts of these families are growing, while opportunities to re-pay the loans (from job earnings) are not necessarily forthcoming. Conditional cash assistance to restore their lost livelihoods and establish small income generating activities that can generate a quick economic return would be worthwhile for future consideration.

All of the assessed communities had community assets and infrastructure damaged including schools, primary healthcare units, markets, and transportation infrastructure. Some of them had completely damaged while others suffered partial damages. The majority of the schools had limited furniture, books, and facilities as most of them had been washed away. It was reported that most of healthcare units did not have sufficient supplies of drugs and were not in a position to repair the damaged equipment and facilities. In order for receiving treatments, some communities visited municipal hospitals/healthcare units that are significantly far from their location thus cost a considerable amount for travelling. Every interviewed family had received some kind of food aid throughout the past two months. Only a limited number of communities have participated in Food for Assets/Work programs or Cash for Work activities. In conclusion, the need for support towards accessing more sustainable livelihoods was evident throughout the study.

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2 BACKGROUND 2.1 Introduction to the Assessment

Typhoon Haiyan, was one of the strongest storms to ever make landfall, hitting a number of provinces of the Philippines on 8th November 2013, including Leyte and Eastern Samar were amongst the worst affected. The typhoon left an unprecedented trail of destruction in its path with 14 million people affected, over 6,000 people dead, and over 4 million people displaced according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The impact on agriculture livelihoods was extremely high; the typhoon has damaged or destroyed 153,500 hectares of crops, including rice, corn, cassava, coconut, vegetables, banana, etc. Of particular concern is the damage to coconut trees since livelihoods in all coastal and the adjoining hilly regions rely mainly on production, processing and sale of copra and other coconut products as their most common primary income source. Furthermore, according to the MIRA 2, fisher folk in affected areas of the Philippines lost around 70% of their income in the typhoon with 28% of them losing their boat and 35% losing almost all fishing equipment, including nets.

In order to inform the organization’s future programmatic strategy in terms of food security and livelihood reconstruction programming, ACTED’s Appraisal Monitoring & Evaluation Unit (AMEU) conducted an assessment targeting 16 municipalities in Leyte and Eastern Samar provinces that were heavily affected, and where still considerably higher gaps exists in terms of early recovery support. The assessment aims to provide an overview of food security situation as well as to assess the needs for livelihood reconstruction.

2.2 Key Assessment Objectives

Key assessment objectives were to provide an overview of the food security situation as well as to assess the needs for livelihood reconstruction. More specific objectives were to:

 Assess the food security situation pertaining to different geographical locations (such as Leyte and Eastern Samar).  Assess market system in terms of functioning, physical accessibility, food availability and affordability  Assess prevailing household economic situation to identifying fast remedies for recovery.  Identify specific needs in terms of livelihood recovery and reconstruction of affected vulnerable communities in the target area.  Identify the most effective cash transfer mechanisms in the prevailing situation.

2.3 Assessment Methodology

The methodology used involved three stages of data gathering and analysis:

(a) Secondary data at provincial and municipality levels focusing more on general problems, social and economic analysis including risks; (b) Primary data at level through key informants discussions with Barangay captains, other Barangay officials, general villagers focusing on needs, responses, gaps to inform priorities

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(c) Primary data at household levels focusing on income and expenses, food consumption, coping strategies for food, market access, and risks and challenges.

2.4 Population and Sample

The assessment targeted 16 municipalities from provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar in the . The municipalities with similar characteristics (such as type of damage, level of damage, main types of livelihoods, presence of other actors, etc.) were clustered and then 8 municipalities out of them were selected for data collection. Three barangays were picked from each municipality as they capture highest diversity in terms of prevailing conditions. It is vital to note that the results of this study must be interpreted at 95% confidence level with error margin of 6.3%. The population and the sample include:

Table 1: Population and Sample

Target Assessed # of sample Province Municipality # HHs Municipality Assessed Barangays HHs Kananga 60167 Capoocan 36251 Cambahanun, Salvaion Alang-alang 55812 Kananga Farm, Tabangohay, Ibag, 31103 Capoocan Pungso, Hiagsam, 120 Leyte San Miguel 19166 Alang-alang Pinamopoan, (30 x 4) 50009 Barugo Zone II, Cabul-an, Cacao, Leyte 45292 Natubgan, San Isidro Javier 26272 Salcedo 21727 Hernani 9420 Cagaut, Talangdawan, Lorente 19209 Salcedo Matarinao, San Miguel, Quinapundan 16205 Hernani Nagaja, Batang, 120 Eastern Samar Villareal 19923 Lorente Antipolo, Barobo, San (30 x 4) Sta. Rita 39193 Quinapundan Roque, Naga, Anislag, Calbiga 21435 Sta. Margarita Pinabacdao 16208 Total 111177 240

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3 KEY FINDINGS 3.1 Demographics

Demographics related to both Leyte and Eastern Samar target populations show many similarities between the two groups, thus will be presented as a whole rather than desegregated by two geographical areas.

3.1.1 Household Composition Amongst the respondents only 54% were female and the rest (46%) were male. 20% of the interviewed households from Leyte were headed by women which was higher than Eastern Samar households that was 7% women headed. About 81% of the household heads were in between 20 to 60 years of age while the rest (19%) were elderly persons. Household size is a significant benchmarking factor in determining individual household level socio-economic characteristics. More generally, average household size was 5.4 persons whereas the minimum and the maximum recorded among them were 1 and 14 persons respectively.

Further it is crucial to understand demographics related to the child population in order for planning food security interventions, given the dependency characteristics of households with large numbers of non-economically active members. According to assessment results, around 44% of overall population consisted of children below 18 years; pointing to a huge dependency ratio vis-à-vis economically active household members (see figures 1 and 2). 65% households had at least one child below age 5. 38% of households were found to have some type of vulnerable persons, 6% of households were reported to have at least one person with a physical disability or psychological disorder, out of which 80% households were having persons with physical disabilities. 15% of the households found to be having pregnant / lactating women. Adult male population excluding youth (i.e. 25 – 59 years) was found to be slightly lower than adult female population.

Population Disagregated by Age & Gender Households with Vulnerable Persons 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 5% 1% <5 15%

5-14 17% 15-24 62%

25-59 Persons with Physical Disabilities Mentally Challenged >60 Pregnant/ Lactating Elderly (> 60 Yrs.) Male Female None

Figure 1: Population Disagregated by Age & Gender Figure 2: Households with Vulnerable Persons

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Level of Education

University 12% 6% Dimploma 6% 16% Primary 5% 2% 34% 3%

14% 18% Female 13% Secondary Male 27%

Figure 3: Level of Education 3.2 Key Household Economic Indicators

3.2.1 Persons Involved in Income Generation at Household Level Men were found to be mainly responsible for providing income to the household, whilst women contributed considerably. Before typhoon Haiyan, approximately a half of the interviewed households had at least one female member contributing to household income. This has been reduced to 37% of households with female involvement, given that 33% of households had nobody earning some income during post disaster situation (see figure 5).

Persons Involved in Income Generation at Persons Involved in Income Generation at Household Level BEFORE Household Level AFTER

1% 22% 33% 39% 50% 15% None None 10% Only Male 30% Only Male Only Female Only Female Both Male & Female Both Male & Female

Figure 4: Persons involved in income generation BEFORE Figure 5: Persons involved in income generation AFTER

3.2.2 Main Sources of Household Income Sources of household income have been significantly changed after the typhoon, leaving them with only a limited ways to earn some income. Prior to the disaster, they relied on more sustainable sources for income. Eastern Samar was largely dependent on fishing whereas Leyte was mostly on paddy farming. Coconut cultivation was equally significant in both areas which clearly had a major effect on the livelihoods. It was revealed through both key informants’ discussions and household level discussions that that the communities were highly dependent on irregular and temporary income 9 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED sources as well as through support received through various parties, such as WFP general food distribution, credit and loan, assistance by other NGOs or charity, etc. Some of respondent households were earning income through unskilled labour and self/non-self-employed skilled work, however this was generally a lesser proportion than of the previous situation. Around 10% households in Eastern Samar earned some income through fishing while rice paddy cultivation served as the main source of income for 28% of families in Leyte in the most recent. Given that the paddy farming was not among the worst affected, the situation in Leyte found to be comparatively healthier than of in Eastern Samar.

Table 2: Main Sources of Income

CATEGORIES Eastern Samar Leyte % HHs receive Average Monthly % HHs receive Average Monthly main income Income (PHP) main income Income (PHP) Before After Before After Before After Before After

Rice Paddy Cultivation 10.83% 2.50% 5956 1172 35.00% 27.50% 4222 3662 Fishing 32.50% 10.00% 1970 2135 6.66% 1.66% 4725 11500 Coconut Cultivation 29.16% 0.00% 1844 0 29.16% 0.83% 3041 842 Banana Cultivation 2.49% 0.00% 600 0 0.83% 0.00% 3000 0 Sugarcane Cultivation 0.00% 0.00% 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0 0 Backyard gardening 3.33% 4.16% 510 190 1.66% 0.00% 210 0 Agriculture Related Trading/Business 2.49% 0.00% 1133 0 4.99% 1.66% 583 150 Fisheries Related Trading/Business 0.83% 0.83% 9000 7000 4.16% 1.66% 11470 22675 Unskilled Work 12.49% 10.00% 1900 1741 15.82% 10.82% 1876 2234 Self Employed Skilled Work 10.83% 5.00% 2796 2083 20.00% 19.16% 2292 2360 Micro Enterprises 12.50% 9.16% 2055 1581 16.66% 12.50% 1919 3803 Non Self Employed Skilled Work 17.49% 19.16% 5677 4757 15.00% 15.82% 5487 5050 Other 15.82% 14.16% 1053 1171 3.32% 1.66% 3484 2868

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Main Sources of Income Desagregated by Province 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Rice Paddy Cultivation

Fishing

Coconut Cultivation

Banana Cultivation

Sugarcane Cultivation

Backyard gardening

Agriculture Related Trading/Business

Fisheries Related Trading/Business

Unskilled Work

Self Employed Skilled Work

Micro Enterprises

Non Self Employed Skilled Work

Other

Eastern Samar Before Eastern Samar After Leyte Before Leyte After

Figure 6: Main Sources of Income

3.2.3 Average Monthly Household Income Average monthly income of respondents after the typhoon was only 53.6% that of what they had before, where averages recorded as PHP 4981 and PHP 2688 per month respectively. The difference between two income distributions were statistically significant1, as such it can be concluded that the difference between average monthly incomes of

1

Paired Differences 95% Confidence Interval of the Std. Std. Error Difference Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper t df Sig. (2-tailed) Monthly Avg Income BEFORE - 2293.496 4854.392 313.350 1676.216 2910.776 7.319 239 .000 Monthly Avg Income AFTER

11 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED before and after situations is not due to chance variation, but can be attributed to the aftermath of the disaster and to the prevailing economic situation, or which explains their comparatively lower spending power.

Figure 7: Monthly Average HH Income BEFORE Figure 8: Monthly Average HH Income AFTER

Another important finding related to monthly average household income is that incomes of two targeted geographical areas were significantly different. The income situation in Eastern Samar was found to be highly vulnerable as the average was recorded as PHP 1849, while Leyte was recorded as PHP 3526 (see figure 7 & 8). This finding was statistically significant2, thus the difference in incomes of Eastern Samar and Leyte is not due to chance variation but characterized by prevailing situation in two geographical areas. Income variability was significantly higher in Leyte; thus this needs to be taken into consideration when the results are interpreted. In other words, the income gap amongst Leyte families was considerably high. Further, 97% and 90% households in Eastern Samar and Leyte respectively were receiving incomes below the poverty line.

2

Province N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Eastern Samar 120 1849.175000 3406.3503811 310.9558237 Leyte 120 3526.108333 6311.9586764 576.2003582

Levene's Test for Equality of

Variances t-test for Equality of Means

95% Confidence Interval Sig. (2- Mean Std. Error of the Difference F Sig. t df tailed) Difference Difference Lower Upper Monthly Equal variances 11.933 .001 -2.561 238 .011 -1676.9333333 654.7521494 -2966.7829 -387.0837 Avg Income assumed AFTER Equal variances not -2.561 182.895 .011 -1676.9333333 654.7521494 -2968.7720 -385.0946 assumed

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Figure 9: Monthly Average HH Income - Eastern Samar Figure 10: Monthly Average HH Income - Leyte

3.2.4 Regularity of Income As also indicated in section 3.2.2, few families had access to jobs with regular income, and those who did mainly received income through non-self-employed and self-employed skilled labour jobs. Nevertheless, most of the families who received most of their income through fishing, coconut cultivation, other upland cultivations (such as banana and sugarcane), fishing and agriculture related trading had no regular income and were seeking for more sustainable ways for survival until their livelihoods are rebuilt.

3.2.5 Average Monthly Household Expenses Respectively, Eastern Samar and Leyte respondents’ average monthly expenditures were recorded as PHP 4393 and PHP 7283 where Leyte show higher expenditure than Eastern Samar. Table 3 and figure 11 show that the proportions (only the proportions but not amounts) of expenses on different needs out of the total household expenses were somewhat equivalent for both Eastern Samar and Leyte families – food (53%), education (15%), repay of money borrowed (10%), Transportation (7.5%) and healthcare (6%) were reported. As a whole, there has been deficiency of money to cover household expenses due to insufficient earnings (i.e. expenses greater than income). The average monthly deficiency had been recorded as PHP 2544 for Eastern Samar and PHP 3326 for Leyte. Particularly this monthly deficiency was due to having high expenditures on food, social services such as education and transportation, and repayments. The proportion of respondents having a deficiency in earning was found to be 78% and 73% respectively for Eastern Samar and Leyte.

Table 3: Monthly Household Expenses

Eastern Samar Leyte Avg. HH Avg. HH Expense % Avg. HH Expense % Avg. HH Type of Expense % HHs (PHP) Expense % HHs (PHP) Expense Food expenditure 100% 2406.35 54% 100% 3739.89 52% Education 71% 709.62 16% 74% 996.62 14% Medical care 39% 289.34 6% 67% 435.10 6% Transportation 81% 406.39 9% 89% 411.80 6% Clothing 9% 30.84 1% 37% 166.125 2% Non-food Items 40% 72.83 2% 47% 174.55 2%

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Saved money 17% 117.95 3% 31% 352.13 5% Repay of money being borrowed 37% 378.24 9% 57% 757.05 10% Barter any Items 0% 0.00 0% 1% 250.00 3% Total 4393 100% 7283 100%

Montly Household Expenditure (PHP) 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

Food expenditure Education Medical care Transportation Clothing Non-food Items Saved Money Repay of money borrowed Barter any Items

Eastern Samar Leyte

Figure 11: Monthly Household Expenses 3.3 Food Security and Food Consumption Status

Food security is met when all people at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life3. Achieving food security requires that the aggregate availability of physical supplies of food is sufficient, that households have adequate access to those food supplies through their own production, through the market or through other sources, and that the utilization of those food supplies is appropriate to meet the specific dietary needs of individuals.

3.3.1 General Food Availability and Market Accessibility

3 FAO/WHO, 1992a

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Food availability, market access, and utilization are all part of the multi-dimensional nature of food security. Almost all the respondents indicated that food is too expensive or not Types of Markets available for purchase very often (85%) of often (12%). 1% They usually rely on open air markets (88%) and local food 1% 10% stores (10%) to buy almost all household food items. Almost all of them walked or used a motorbike mostly paying between PHP 20 - 50; and usually it took less than 15 - 30 minutes to reach these markets. Finally, both communities revealed through the focus group discussions Open air markets 88% that there is food price inflation during aftermath of Local Shops typhoon. Amongst the food items that were reported to be City Markets not sufficiently available in the markets, fish (reported by Others 24% HHs), vegetables (24%), meat and poultry (20%), tubers (8%), fruits (8%) and other cereals (8%) were mostly common. Figure 12: Types of Markets

3.3.2 Household Food Consumption In order to meet food security and nutritional requirements, food must be of sufficient variety. Thus, diversity in the meals consumed during the 7 days prior to data collection was investigated. Both communities showed similar patterns overall, although some differences were observed in terms of proportion of households consuming meat/fish and vegetables. Generally, the target families consumed rice daily, meat or sea foods or eggs for 4 days, milk for 2 - 3 days, vegetables or fruits for 3 - 5 days. Overall, legumes, fruits, eggs, milk and dairy consumptions were poor, though protein- rich food intake was managed by mostly adding meats and fish/sea foods to the diet (see table 4 and figure 13).

Prices have been augmented for all types of food items except rice; general perception was that eggs, fish and meats the most. However, the priority was given to purchasing rice, meat and fish. Vegetable and fruit prices had gone up, yet were fairly affordable. In contrast the consumption was poor or considerably variable; the higher consumption variance of vegetables (i.e. some families eat many times a week and some families only a few times a week) can be attributed to poor nutritional practices, attitude or knowledge among some families. Table 4: Household Food Consumption

% families consumed each item during the Average number of days per week each item most recent 7 days of data collection was consumed ES Leyte ES Leyte Cereals and tubers 100.00% 100.00% 7.00 6.96 Legumes 9.17% 1% 0.18 0.06 Vegetables 80.00% 98% 2.48 5.13 Fruits 20.83% 34% 0.30 0.733 Vegetables/Fruits 83.33% 100.00% 2.56 5.22 Meat 29.17% 97% 0.37 0.92 Fish/ Sea food 92.50% 77% 3.65 2.26 Eggs 61.67% 72% 1.97 2.66 Meat/Fish/Eggs 98.33% 96.67% 4.12 3.58 Milk and Dairy Products 39.17% 54% 2.06 3.08 Oils and Fats 99.17% 92% 5.62 4.25 Sugars 97.50% 90% 6.46 5.75

Food Consumption Patterns of Households

% Households consumed each item weekly 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Cereals and tubers Legumes Vegetables Fruits Meat Fish/ Sea food Milk and Dairy Products Eggs Oils and Fats Sugars

Eastern Samar Leyte

Figure 13: Household Food Consumption

Food Consumption Score4 (FCS) plays a vital role in measuring food security in terms of nutritional diversity. It is a composite score based on dietary diversity, food frequency, and relative nutritional importance of different food groups. It predicts the quantitative dimension of household food security, defined as having adequate food quantity or calorie consumption per capita.

Figure 14 illustrates the food security situation of respondents. 3% Eastern Samar households were food insecure while another 34% Eastern Samar and 29% Leyte households were at risk. While not a food security crisis, nonetheless, there is a need to follow up with targeted support aiming at integrating food security with nutritional awareness among at risk and food insecure households. It was also noted through the study that the prevailing food insecurity is somewhat attributable to geographical location – as Eastern Samar was found to have higher food insecurity compared to Leyte.

4 Households are grouped according to their overall consumption score — poor food consumption, borderline food consumption and adequate food consumption. Thresholds for separating these three groups are generated by using a weighted food consumption score. Each food group is given a weight based on its nutrient content and then multiplied by the number of days a household consumed one or more items from that group within a seven‐day period.

For each household a total FCS is calculated. The minimum score is “0” and the maximum score is “112”. The following thresholds are applied: . Households with poor food consumption have a food score of ≤ 21 . Households with borderline food consumption have a food score of 21.5 – 35 . Households with adequate food consumption have a food score of ≥ 35.5 16 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED

Food Consumption Status - Provincial 0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00%

Eastern Samar

Leyte

Leyte Eastern Samar Poor Food Consumption 0.00% 3.33% Borderline Food Consumption 29.17% 34.17% Acceptable Food Consumption 70.83% 62.50%

Food Consumption Status - Geographical

FCS ≤ 21 FCS 21.5 – 35 FCS ≥ 35.5

6.67% Salcedo 13.33% 80.00% Hernani 46.67% 53.33%

Llorente 3.33% 43.33% 53.33%

EasternSamar Quinapondan 3.33% 33.33% 63.33%

Capoocan 26.67% 73.33% Kananga 30.00% 70.00%

Leyte Alang-Alang 23.33% 76.67% Barugo 36.67% 63.33%

Figure 14: Food Security Status

In order to cope with the widespread arduous situation, people were using different coping strategies. About a half of them borrowed food or borrowed money for purchasing food. They also relied on less preferred foods, had smaller meal portions, or had reduced number of meals.

Main Coping Strategies for Food 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Borrowed Food/ Money Rely on Less Preferred Food Limit Portion Size Reduce number of Meal Restrict Consumption by Adults Collect Any Unusual Amounts of Types of Wild… Skip the Entire Day without Eating

Figure 15: Main Coping Strategies for Food

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3.4 Livelihood Recovery and Support

3.4.1 Household Economic Vulnerabilities and Risks Philippines poverty line marks a per capita income of PHP 16 841 a year. Monthly food threshold (monthly income to buy their minimum basic food needs) and poverty threshold (monthly income to buy their minimum basic food and non- food needs) for a family of five as calculated in 2012 were PHP 5458 and PHP 7821 respectively. It was found that 97% and 90% of interviewed households from Eastern Samar and Leyte respectively received income below the poverty threshold in the prevailing situation. As previously mentioned in 3.2.5 section, there has been deficiency of money to cover household expenses due to insufficient earnings. The average monthly deficiency had been recorded as PHP 2544 for Eastern Samar and PHP 3326 for Leyte. Particularly this monthly deficiency was due to having high expenditures on food, social services such as education and transportation, and repayments. The proportion of respondents having a deficiency in earning was found to be 78% and 73% respectively for Eastern Samar and Leyte.

Table 5: Poverty and Food Thresholds

% HHs earned income below particular threshold Leyte Eastern Samar Overall Poverty Threshold (PHP 7821) 90% 96.66% 93.33% Food Threshold (PHP 5458) 81.66% 95% 88.33%

Families in the assessed areas had depleting rapidly the resources salvaged after, in a situation which the food and other essential non-food items are higher than the previous. Interviews revealed that people increasingly resort to negative coping measures such as buying food and essential items on credit. This seems to indicate that the debts of these families are growing, while opportunities to re-pay the loans (from job earnings) are not necessarily forthcoming. For those families with no external sources of income, an inability to re-pay the loans might cause severe constraints to the families in the near future.

Community Perceptions on Risks and Challenges 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Food too Expensive Lack of access to cooking facilities Lack of clean/safe water Human Sickness Lack of Access to medical care Lack of income Lack of transport/High transport costs Poor road conditions Livestock disease Weeds/Pests Floods

Eastern Samar Leyte

Figure 16: Community Perceptions on Risks and Challenges

As indicated previously, Eastern Samar was mostly dependent on fishing which was seriously affected whilst Leyte on rice paddy farming which was moderately affected. Coconut cultivation which was one of the most widespread means

18 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED for income before the typhoon was entirely destroyed. As of the time of assessment, both communities mainly had been involved in unskilled labour work, non-self employed skilled work, self-employed skilled labour work and trading. Both communities faced similar obstacles in accessing employment such as lack of income, lack or high cost of transportation, and lack of tools and equipment for resume livelihood activities. In addition, poor road conditions or road closure, lack of access to clean and safe water were amongst other prevalent problems. The need for support towards accessing more sustainable livelihoods was evident throughout the study.

3.4.2 Personal Assets Shelter: amongst their personal assets, shelter was the most damaged. The damage was in a wide range, most of the houses were fully damaged or inhabitable. During the time of assessment data collection, most families had started constructing makeshift shelters or repairing the damages. However, some were living in temporary shelters provided by different actors while a few were still living in places with no proper living condition. As the area was heavily dependent on coconut cultivation, large amount of fallen coconut trees were available for coco lumber. The required skills for housing and carpentry, etc. are generally available locally. Thus, all of the communities are in a position to provide non- skilled man power required for any local construction.

Latrines: Most of the latrines were totally damaged by the typhoon, while some are available with broken/partially damaged facilities. It was found that open defecation was quite common in the area, especially among children. Materials locally available or provided by different supporters such as CGI sheets, coco lumber and mats were being used to cover the walls as temporary solution till these are built properly.

Agricultural inputs and tools: various levels of destruction took place on private agricultural lands, and tools were widely reported. On top of it, the recent rains have caused to increased severity of the situation. Paddy farming lands and backyard gardens have been flooded and the crops been washed away. The families have lost their seed stocks and small farming equipment; however, the heavy farming machinery remained undamaged. Seeds and seedlings for planting were not sufficiently available to purchase in the local markets. The speed of recovery seems to be slow due to continuous raining.

Fishing inputs and equipment: fishing communities have lost their livelihoods mainly due to damage happened to the boats. It was revealed that the materials and skills required for repair or reconstruction of these boats are locally available. The households who lost their fishing tools or equipment have not yet been recovered.

Assets/ equipment related to micro-enterprises and trading: Mostly, the business owners and small scale traders who engaged in agriculture and fisheries related training were in a difficult situation in terms of resuming their businesses. The main damage with regards to micro-enterprises was the destruction happened to the business buildings and structures. In addition, the stocks rescued after the typhoon were being consumed or had already consumed, as such, their livelihood means were deteriorating.

Assets/ equipment related to self-employment/ skilled work: no considerable damage have happened to the assets and equipment related to self-employment and skilled work. Nevertheless, some skilled workers such as carpenters had limited employment opportunities due to unavailability of electricity.

3.4.3 Community Assets and Infrastructure Primary and secondary schools: Most (90%) of the assessed communities had primary schools available within the barangay. Some of them had completely damaged while others suffered partial damages. The majority of the schools had limited furniture, books, and facilities as most of them had been washed away. Due to lack of facilities and class

19 | Food Security and Livelihood Reconstruction Needs Assessment - ACTED rooms, some schools found mixing different age groups together and some were conducting shorter sessions for each age group. Some reported that poor, unpaved or flooded road condition is the main difficulty in accessing schools.

Primary health care unit/ centre: The majority of the assessed communities had primary healthcare unit situated within the barangay out of which about 30% reported to have totally damaged infrastructure. 60% were partially or slightly damaged while the rest did not suffer any damages. It was reported that about 75% of healthcare units did not have sufficient supplies of drugs and were not in a position to repair the damaged equipment and facilities. It was revealed that in order for receiving treatments, some communities visited municipal hospitals/healthcare units that are significantly far from their location thus cost a considerable amount for travelling.

Small, village based, open air market: large town based open markets were accessible for approximately half of the assessed communities, however, high transportation cost, not having enough means of transportation, and poor road conditions were some of the prevalent problems.

Local shops: all the barangays reported having local shops damaged. Only a few of them were functional but only with limited supplies of basic items while others had no access to adequate capital in order to open their businesses. High price inflation was reported from most of the places.

3.4.4 Assistances Received by Other Actors All the respondents (100%) claimed that they receive some kind of food aid throughout the past two months. They had received food items by different actors including ACTED, Sagip Kapamilya, DSWD, Barugueños, GMA in Leyte and Red Cross, Plan International, DOLE and DSWD in Eastern Samar. However, the widest coverage was done by implementing partners of WFP general food distribution program. Only a limited number of the assessed barangays have participated in Food for Assets/Work programs carried out by Local Government Unit (LGU). Through Baby Supplementary Feeding Programs (BSFP) 67% in Leyte and 83% in Eastern Samar barangays had received some support by a few actors including ACTED, DCRH (Radio Station), Sagip Kapamilya and DSWD. Moreover, 50% and 75% of barangays from Leyte and Eastern Samar respectively had people participated in some Cash for Work activities carried out by DSWD, Garangay calamity fund, LGU and DOLE.

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4 CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CHALLENGES 4.1 Conclusions

 Demographics related to both Eastern Samar and Leyte families show similarities between the two groups. Around 44% of overall population consisted of children below 18 years, 65% households had at least one child below age 5, 38% of households were found to have some type of vulnerable persons in their families; pointing to a huge dependency ratio vis-à-vis economically active household members.  33% of households had nobody earning some income during post disaster situation. Sources of household income have been significantly changed after the typhoon, leaving them with only a limited ways to earn some income.  Given that paddy farming was not amongst the worst affected, the situation in Eastern Samar found to be comparatively worse than of in Leyte. Coconut cultivation was equally significant in both areas which clearly had a major effect on livelihoods. The communities were highly dependent on irregular and temporary income sources as well as through support received through various parties and credit and loan. Some earned income through unskilled labour and self/non-self-employed skilled work.  97% and 90% households in Eastern Samar and Leyte respectively were receiving incomes below the poverty line. Average monthly income of respondents after the typhoon was only 53.6% that of what they had before. Moreover, monthly average household income is that incomes of two targeted geographical areas were significantly different.  As a whole, there has been deficiency of money to cover household expenses due to insufficient earnings (i.e. expenses greater than income).  Almost all the respondents indicated that food is too expensive or not available for purchase very often of often. They usually rely on open air markets and local food stores to buy almost all household food items. Some food items such as fish, vegetables, meat and poultry, tubers, fruits and other cereals were not sufficiently available in the markets.  Prices have been augmented for all types of food items except rice; general perception was that eggs, fish and meats the most. However, the priority was given to purchasing rice, meat and fish. Vegetable and fruit prices had gone up, yet were fairly affordable. In contrast the consumption was poor or considerably variable; this can be attributed to poor nutritional practices, attitude or knowledge among some families.  3% Eastern Samar households were food insecure while another 34% Eastern Samar and 29% Leyte households were at risk. Thus, it can be noted through that the prevailing food insecurity is somewhat attributable to geographical location – as Eastern Samar was found to have higher food insecurity compared to Leyte.  In order to cope with the widespread arduous situation, people were using different coping strategies. About a half of them borrowed food or borrowed money for purchasing food. They also relied on less preferred foods, had smaller meal portions, or had reduced number of meals.  Various levels of destruction took place on private agricultural lands, and tools were widely reported. On top of it, the recent rains have caused to increased severity of the situation. Paddy farming lands and backyard gardens have been flooded and the crops been washed away. The families have lost their seed stocks and small farming equipment. Seeds and seedlings for planting were not sufficiently available to purchase in the local markets.

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 Fishing communities have lost their livelihoods mainly due to damage happened to the boats. It was revealed that the materials and skills required for repair or reconstruction of these boats are locally available.  Mostly, the business owners and small scale traders who engaged in agriculture and fisheries related training were in a difficult situation in terms of resuming their businesses. Stocks rescued after the typhoon were being consumed or had already consumed.  People increasingly resort to negative coping measures such as buying food and essential items on credit. This seems to indicate that the debts of these families are growing, while opportunities to re-pay the loans (from job earnings) are not necessarily forthcoming.  All of the assessed communities had community assets and infrastructure damaged including schools, primary healthcare units, markets, and transportation infrastructure. The majority of the schools had limited furniture, books, and facilities as most of them had been washed away. It was reported that most of healthcare units did not have sufficient supplies of drugs and were not in a position to repair the damaged equipment and facilities.  Every interviewed family had received some kind of food aid throughout the past two months. Only a limited number of communities have participated in Food for Assets/Work programs carried out by Local Government Unit (LGU). Through baby supplementary feeding programs about 75% communities had received some support while about 60% communities had people participated in some Cash for Work activities carried out by different parties  In conclusion, the need for support towards accessing more sustainable livelihoods was evident throughout the study.

4.2 Recommendations

 Quite significant level of prevailing food insecurity that can be attributed to geographical location and to nutritional knowledge and practices was observed. According to these findings, household level intervention for promoting food security targeting food insecure and at-risk populations is crucial. Such interventions must be planned along with awareness raising programs on nutrition and good practices, also including importance and affordable ways of adding legumes, vegetables and fruits to their diets.  Both communities - especially Eastern Samar - are highly dependent on assistance from various people and aid- actors. People increasingly resort to negative copying mechanisms that can lead to increased debts. Providing cash assistance to pay for basic living costs including food, clothes, and basic utilities is essential to prevent resort to negative coping mechanisms.  Conditional cash assistance to restore their lost livelihoods and establish small income generating activities that can generate a quick economic return would be worthwhile for future consideration.  Although sufficient data about credit and loan patterns and coping with indebtedness is not yet available, growing concern among communities suggests that the issue should be considered prior to conduct of any future research.

4.3 Limitations and Challenges

 Some limitations were observed affecting the reliability of the survey and the results of the evaluation. Mainly, collecting income data was quite difficult, income being a very sensitive topic where some of the respondents were somewhat hesitant to answer questions related to their income/expenditure.  Coping strategies for managing income deficiency were not sufficiently investigated during the survey.

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