Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis (EMMA) - Kenya 2011 Drought Response Wajir County

Mercy Corps conducted an adapted Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis (EMMA)
assessment in Wajir County of Kenya from 2-6 August 2011. The assessment was organized
as a response to the hunger crisis resulting from the worst drought in the region in the last
60 years. The EMMA methodology was adapted for this chronic emergency that has seen a
steady escalation over the preceding two years and focused on markets that could meet
immediate food needs quickly.
Three critical market items were chosen to be analyzed: rice, maize and beans. Food items
were preferred in order to respond to the immediate needs of the hunger crisis. Rice was
chosen because it is the preferred staple food of households in Wajir, especially during
Ramadan. It was anticipated to have the most robust market due to high demand and
multiple trade routes. Maize was selected as the most commonly distributed staple food
item. Beans were selected as the preferred source of protein after meat, which is currently
limited and expensive.
The assessment covered 29 locations in Wajir County, including the major market centers.
The team was comprised of 22 data collectors who participated in a one-day training and
preliminary analysis workshop, three days of data collection, and a final day for data
compilation and an analysis workshop. In line with the EMMA methodology, the team
conducted a gap analysis to identify household food needs in the target villages, a market
analysis to map the critical market items and a response analysis to provide suggestions for
appropriate interventions.
The key findings of the gap analysis are that households are eating fewer and smaller meals
with limited diversity compared with six months ago. Most households, especially in more
rural locations, have low dietary diversity, dominated by staple foods, due to low milk
production and limited availability of fruits and vegetables. In addition, food aid targeting
has not been updated to include households who have recently settled after losing their
livestock. Distribution quantities are also low with monthly distributions lasting households
only a week after sharing with neighbors and livestock.
The key findings of the market analysis were that major trade networks have been minimally
affected by the drought to date. Traders in Wajir continue to source food items from
Ethiopia and Somalia as well as within Kenya, selecting items based on price and availability.
However, the combination of reduced income, strained credit systems and decreasing
purchasing power has reduced demand. Strong local credit systems that usually allow
households to borrow food from retailers and traders until their income allows them to
make payments have been stretched by lack of repayments, forcing some smaller retailers to
close and traders to start limiting sales on credit. Strained credit systems are also
threatening food accessibility in the future if traders further tighten credit availability.