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National Relief and Development Corps

Cash and market support

Access to markets and food

For older people and those with disabilities, the village market is an important source of food. Elderly people with limited income and flexibility are more dependent on the village market for essential food supplies than other members of the community. In areas like Manyo and Fashoda County, South Sudan, if the village market fails to supply enough food supplies, which is a likely scenario in the conflict-affected states, food availability becomes a major problem.

It’s a problem for the elderly and those with disabilities. This reduces the market’s functionality, compounds their already limited access to food, and increases their dependence on others for access to the food supply.

There are markets and shops for essential food and non-food items within an acceptable distance from the affected communities, except for older people and people with disabilities.

There are functional and accessible local markets in the affected areas that provide most essential livelihood items, except for older people and people with disabilities.

When developing a cash program, it would be prudent to include an additional transport allowance, especially for older people and PWD (People with disabilities), so that recipients, especially those who are less able to walk long distances, do not spend a large portion of their grant on transport fees.

The markets covered by this assessment were all thin, with few poor consumers and hardly any functional traders or shops.

Demands in the market are too low for traders to operate and make reasonable profits. The current market environment is not ideally suited for cash transfers. A pilot programme with appropriate market support could be implemented.

The cash intervention should be designed to coincide with the hunger season, which is approximately four months long. A cash program without market support would have a negative effect on both the recipients and the markets.

The cash intervention should be linked to livelihood activities that increase farm and household production. The cash intervention should include three interrelated components:

 

  • Transfers of cash to low-income households (demand);
  • assistance to traders in order to strengthen the village market (supply)
  • household assistance in increasing farm and household income (increased supply—farm production and demand—increased income).