Smallholder farming and farmers in Burma/Myanmar

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Description: To access some files, users may have to take out a (free) subscription to MYLAFF at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/mylaff..... (In)Equality and Action: The Role of Women?s Training Initiatives in Promoting Women?s Leadership Opportunities in Myanmar... Cooperation and Community Empowerment in Myanmar in the Context of Myanmar Agenda 21... Crackdown at Letpadan: Excessive Force and Violations to the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Expression (en)... Crackdown at Letpadan: Excessive Force and Violations to the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Expression (bu)... Lessons Learned From Civil Society Efforts to Promote Community (Forest) Resource Rights and Other Rights in Voluntary Partnership Agreements... Myanmar: Cross-Cutting Governance Challenges... New Actors on the Global Stage - Environmental Adult Education and Activism Emerging from Within Myanmar (Burma)... Stakeholder Engagement and Grievance Mechanisms... လူထုအခွပွေု ဥပဒရေေးရာအထောကျအကူပွုသူဆိုသညျမှာ
Source/publisher: MYLAFF
Date of entry/update: 2016-07-02
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Individual Documents

Topic: Farming, Sand Mining
Topic: Farming, Sand Mining
Description: "“This land was mine, it eroded slowly from the riverbank and after a while, the whole chunk of land totally collapsed,” Than Zaw Oo, a farmer on the Salween River in southeastern Myanmar’s Mon State, told Reuters recently. He said he’s lost three-quarters of his land to erosion and is now a few thousand dollars in debt from paying for embankments to try to preserve his farm. As COVID-19 shakes economies and lockdowns leave many without income, the pandemic raises questions about the security of our food supply. Agriculture in Southeast Asia is so far stable, though the region’s farmers were already struggling with significant challenges from drought and climate change before the pandemic hit. But farmers are now also seeing impacts from sand mining, a sprawling industry fueled by demand for concrete and glass for cities and infrastructure projects. Along rivers and off coasts throughout Southeast Asia, miners use dredging machines to extract the sand, piling it on barges to be sent to megacities like Bangkok and Jakarta or further afield. The world’s largest sand importer is Singapore, which uses it for land reclamation projects. The biggest sources for sand mining in the region are Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam. According to a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report, the global demand for sand has tripled over the past 20 years to around 50 billion tonnes per year, more than any other natural resource. The same report shows that sand extraction drives pollution, flooding, lowering of aquifers and drought..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "ASEAN Today" (Singapore)
2020-05-19
Date of entry/update: 2020-05-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: cattle, trade, Ministry of Commerce, exports, livestock, farming, Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Irrigation, China, taxation, corruption
Sub-title: Exports of animal products have risen dramatically since the government lifted a ban on the export of live cattle and buffalo in October 2017, but new regulations have taken some of the shine off the trade.
Topic: cattle, trade, Ministry of Commerce, exports, livestock, farming, Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Irrigation, China, taxation, corruption
Description: "CATTLE AND buffalo exporters enjoyed a profitable year in 2018, after the Ministry of Commerce lifted a ban on live exports the previous October, but regulations introduced in 2019 have taken the shine off the trade. The lifting of the ban saw more than 260 companies apply for export permits by mid-2019, of which more than 90 were approved, and exports of animal products rose from just $10.627 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year to $366.359 million in 2018-19, Ministry of Commerce data shows. China is the largest importer of cattle and buffaloes from Myanmar, followed by Thailand. But traders grumble about delays in issuing the licences they need to send livestock across borders and say the government could do more to support live exports by simplifying regulations. Other challenges facing the cattle export industry, say livestock specialists, include the need to upgrade the quality of livestock. Most of the nation’s cattle farms are in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway regions. Many of the farms are small plots owned by traders, who do not breed livestock but buy on the domestic market and keep the animals until they can be exported at times of high demand. Support more independent journalism like this. Sign up to be a Frontier member. Frontier met cattle traders at Latpan village, in Mandalay Region’s Kyaukse Township, who said they were unhappy at not being able to get export licences in 2019..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
2020-02-14
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "In 2018-19 fiscal year, around 17.9 million acres of monsoon paddy were grown and paddy production was around 30 million tons of paddy, said Dr. Aung Thu, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. Paddy production still tops the list of local agro products. Pawsanhmway paddy accounted for around 1.3 million acres of total paddy growing acres. There is a high demand for Pawsanhmway paddy in the local market. Farmers get a good price for Pawsanhmway paddy. Pawsanhmway paddy got the Word’s Best Rice Award at Rice Traders World Rice Conference held in Hochimin City of Vietnam in 2011. The agricultural sector contributes to 30 per cent of the GDP and 25 per cent of the export earnings. The rural people which account for 70 per cent of have to rely on agriculture and breeding. Till June of 2018-19 FY, Myanmar planted 15,083,156 acres of monsoon paddy and 2,777,899 acres of summer paddy and produced over 1,294.5 million baskets of paddy—1,082,587,039 baskets of monsoon paddy and 211,969253 baskets of summer paddy, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation..."
Source/publisher: "Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
2019-10-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Rice paddy farmers in Ayeyarwady Region have complained that merchants are paying them less than the minimum price recently set by the government. The government’s Leading Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Interests of Farmers, led by Vice President Henry Van Thio, fixed the floor price for rice this year at 500,000 kyats for 100 baskets of paddy (US$327.30 for about 2.09 tons) in a move to protect the interests of paddy farmers. But farmers in Ayeyarwady Region said merchants only pay for around 450,000 kyats for 100 baskets of paddy. “In Maubin, paddy prices are between 450,000 and 480,000 kyats. This is the price given by merchants and rice millers. Though the government said the minimum price is 500,000 kyats, nobody is paying that price, and the government is not buying directly from farmers, so we can only sell at market rates,” said rice farmer U Hla Htay of Yenangyoung village in Maubin Township. The government said in the second week of October that it will pay the floor price for paddy that meets quality standards: the grains, once processed, must have a moisture content of 14 percent and the baskets can’t contain any dust, sand or gravel..."
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Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-11-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Opening the lid of her rice cooker, a luxury bought when power finally came to their village in central Myanmar three years ago, Tin Aye scooped out two fat ladles for breakfast. "I cannot go without eating rice. Since the start of the day, all my stomach asks for is rice," said the 52-year-old mother of three, laughing. Myanmar is a nation obsessed with rice. Its people eat an average of 155 kilograms a year, according to a 2016 survey by the country's rice federation and Yezin Agricultural University, ensuring Myanmar has one of the world's highest rates of rice consumption. For half a century, successive leaders anchored agriculture policies on rice. The government used loans, infrastructure, and services to push farmers to grow it and people to eat it, so rice is now woven into the fabric of daily life. In place of "Hello," people greet each other by asking, "Have you had rice?" It wasn't always this way in Myanmar, where diets were once seasonal, diverse - and much more healthy. But a rice-centric policy that began in the 1960s during the socialist era led people to grow and consume more, said Tin Htut Oo, who has worked in the agricultural ministry and chaired an advisory body to the government. "Our diets, especially in urban areas, are becoming like Western diets. It has become more monotonous," he said.,."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK) via "Global Times" (China)
2019-05-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential for agricultural-based communities in the Dry Zone of Myanmar to be harmed by shifting environmental conditions, a disabling governance and policy environment, and inefficient agricultural-based markets. Though specific topics such as water resources, indebtedness, and agricultural policy are well studied in the Dry Zone, few systematic efforts have been employed to evaluate and prioritize the cumulative impacts resulting from interacting and multi-sector shocks and stresses facing communities. This report presents an overview of a Strategic Resilience Assessment (STRESS) conducted by Mercy Corps in partnership with Enlightened Myanmar Research (EMR). The use of credit is vital for Dry Zone farming communities, but debt accumulation and restrictive repayment terms reduce the ability of households to positively cope and adapt to easily perturbed social, economic, and environmental conditions. Other types of shocks and stresses such as poor access to quality inputs, unsupportive policies, erratic rainfall, and land degradation are in a dynamic state of interaction with both the debt cycle and each other. They are feeding off one another, and their cumulative impact is greater than from an individual stress. To build resilience and positively manage challenges, development strategies should be tailored to increase the absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities of communities. Together, these represent the short-, medium-, and long-term capabilities that are essential for community resilience. They are also the foundation of support recommendations presented here through a Theory of Change (ToC). Potential resilience-building development strategies have been placed into three groupings that support and reinforce one another: (1) better and more flexible financial options can increase the potential profitability of existing livelihood strategies and the ability to invest in new ones; (2) improved crop production strategies can intensify production more sustainably by getting more from less, better absorbing the impacts of variable conditions, and increasing the market power of farmers and laborers; and (3) diversifying income streams aims to help households better manage risk by spreading investments across more than one type of livelihood strategy..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "MercyCorps" via Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) (Myanmar)
2014-12-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 1.15 MB
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Topic: Myanmar Economy, Rice, Rice Farmers
Topic: Myanmar Economy, Rice, Rice Farmers
Description: "The Myanmar government has fixed the minimum price for rice at 500,000 kyats for 100 baskets of paddy (US$327.30 for about 2.09 tons) in a bid to establish a fair market and fair prices for paddy farmers. The government’s Leading Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Interests of Farmers, led by Vice President Henry Van Thio, met last month to discuss setting the floor price for paddy grains. Paddy rice refers to unprocessed rice harvested from a field, rather than hulled rice. The government has agreed to pay any farmer the floor price, but only for paddy that meets quality standards: the grains, once processed, must have a moisture content of 14 percent and can’t have any dust, sand or gravel, according to an announcement released by the committee on Tuesday. According to the statement, if the market rate is higher than the floor price, rice is to be bought according to the market rate, but if the market rate is lower than the floor price, it is to be bought at floor price..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-10-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "By mid-June, most of the greens at Bamboo Creek Farm had gone to seed. Left untended, heads of dinosaur kale and heirloom lettuce sent up scraggly, flower-crowned stalks toward the sky, rendering their own leaves too bitter to sell or eat. Near the silty creek that snakes around the southern edge of the farm, a handful of fat, dusky Cherokee Purple tomatoes sagged on the vine or dropped from their bamboo stakes to rot on the ground. No respectable farmer would neglect their own healthy, lush crops in the middle of market season. Especially not one who’s been working with the land since he was an adolescent, as Steven Than Ceu has. But after a series of storms in April, when Snapfinger Creek rose up, washed away the farm’s topsoil, and left a loamy layer of sand in its place, the crops were possibly contaminated and definitely unsellable. The flood also took with it the primary source of household income for Ceu and two of the other four families who farm these 15 acres in Stone Mountain. Ceu had farmed rice and corn in the Chin state of Myanmar (formerly Burma) from the time he was 14, when the country’s government shut down his school. As violence escalated, Ceu fled in 2010 at the age of 36, seeking refuge with his wife and four children in the United States. The family was resettled in Atlanta, where Ceu initially found work at a poultry-processing facility—he calls it “the chicken factory.” The following year, he discovered Global Growers..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Atlanta"
2019-10-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, has committed $8 million to Proximity Finance to support expanded micro lending to rural borrowers, primarily smallholder farmers, in Myanmar. OPIC Chief of Staff Eric Jones and Proximity Designs CEO Jim Taylor, and Proximity Finance Head of Finance Sein Nwe Oo signed the commitment. The Skoll Foundation, a long-term supporter of Proximity Finance, has committed an additional $2 million of subordinated debt as part of the co-financing package, according to a press release from the US Embassy on 3 April. In Myanmar, agriculture employs 60% of the labor force and contributes roughly 30% of total GDP, but limited access to credit in rural communities continues to restrict the sector’s growth. Without formal financial services, borrowers in these regions are often forced to accept high interest rates from informal lenders, or pawn their land and other assets for capital. Proximity Finance, which designs its loans to meet the particular needs of smallholder farmers, is the microfinance arm of Proximity Designs, a social enterprise dedicated to serving Myanmar’s rural families. Through its rural branch network and specialized loan products that are disbursed and repaid in line with the planting and harvest seasons, Proximity currently serves the financing needs of over 100,000 households, a number that is expected to double over the next five years, a period that will see them disburse nearly 1,000,000 loans. OPIC’s financing is expected to support an additional 100,000 microloans throughout the life of the investment. OPIC’s partnership with Skoll Foundation is an example of a blended finance transaction, an innovative funding structure where different types of capital work together to achieve economic and social impact. One of the first arrangements of its kind in Myanmar, the structure has helped secure Proximity’s biggest single investment to date, over three times the previous largest sum invested. OPIC’s commitment also advances its 2X Women’s Initiative to support projects that benefit women, who represent over half of the company’s customers..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
2019-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The Myanmar government has tightened a law on so-called 'vacant, fallow and virgin' land, and farmers are at risk.
Description: "Han Win Naung is besieged on his own land. Last September, local administrators in Myanmar's southern Tanintharyi region put up a sign at the edge of his 5.7-hectare farm that read "Under Management Ownership - Do Not Trespass". They felled the trees and started building a drug rehabilitation facility and an agriculture training school on opposite ends of his plot. He was eventually informed that the administrators were challenging his claim to the land and had filed charges against him under a controversial law that could see him jailed for three years. "I didn't know what this law was," the 37-year-old farmer told Al Jazeera. "I didn't understand what was happening to us. They also asked us to move. We don't have anywhere else to go." Han Win Naung is accused of violating the Vacant, Fellow and Virgin (VFV) Lands Management Law which requires anyone living on land categorised as "vacant, fallow, and virgin" to apply for a permit to continue using it for the next 30 years..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
2019-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "U.S.-based agricultural experts are in Myanmar this week working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation (MOALI) and farming communities to mitigate the spread of a new agricultural pest called Fall Armyworm, which has the potential to dramatically reduce maize crop production in Myanmar. ‎Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) brought eight experts from Michigan State University to Nay Pyi Taw to conduct a two-day workshop with MOALI to discuss mitigation strategies with agribusiness representatives, NGO’s, CSOs, and national and local-level government officials. Earlier this week, the Michigan State team and officials from the MOALI Plant Protection Division and Department of Agricultural Research conducted field assessments with farmers whose crops have been hardest hit by Fall Armyworm in the Nyaungdone, Danuphyu, and Hintada townships of the Delta Region. “The Myanmar government asked us for help to assess and advise on how to mitigate crop losses due to this agricultural pest, which is new to Myanmar. We are happy to be able to help,” Ambassador Scot Marciel said at the workshop today. This is part of approximately $120 million each year the United States provides in bilateral assistance to support greater prosperity and peace in Myanmar. Shan State is the largest producer of maize in Myanmar and farmers there are likely to be hardest hit by the pest, which was found in Myanmar for the first time in January 2019 by local MOALI field staff in the Zalon and Hintada Townships. “Key to minimizing the damage done to crops in Myanmar is working with farmers, MOALI, agribusinesses, and local and international development partners to better be able to identify the pest and prevent its spread” USAID Mission Director Teresa McGhie said. “That’s why we are pleased to lend U.S. agricultural expertise to support this workshop intended to help MOALI and farmers,” she added. USAID has also created a short educational video to inform farmers about how to look for and identify the pest among their crops, and is distributing the video to farmers through social media and Department of Agriculture Extension Services..."
Source/publisher: US Department of State via Reliefweb
2019-03-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation has urged farmers to use water more efficiently as there is less water behind the country’s more than 300 reservoirs and dams despite the current rainy season.
Description: "The monsoon, which started in late May, is due to end later this month. As of Sunday, Thaphan Seik Dam, the biggest in Southeast Asia, had only 600,000 acre feet of water, compared to 2.25 million acre feet of water during the same period last year, or only 27 percent of the previous year. “It is hard to distribute enough water for summer rice. Some dams have to prioritise drinking water,” said U Myo Tint Tun, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry. “So farmers need to save water in order to minimise, if not prevent, a water shortage.” U Win Hlaing Oo, head of the Agriculture Department in Sagaing Region, said that to conserve water his office will plant less rice in the summer in favour of crops that use less water. “After we supply water for monsoon rice, we will reduce the cultivating area of summer rice,” he said. “Instead, we will grow crops like mung beans and sesame, which need less water.” The large dams in the dry zone of central Myanmar, which includes Sagaing, Mandalay and Magwe regions, are low on water, agriculture officials said..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-09-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: Barter Deal, Belt And Road Forum, Mandalay Rice Development Company, Myanmar Rice Exports, Rice Farmers
Sub-title: Rice merchants in Myanmar are struggling to adapt to a new barter trade deal with China. The barter deal aims to stabilise border trade but risks depriving Myanmar’s rice industry of much-needed income.
Topic: Barter Deal, Belt And Road Forum, Mandalay Rice Development Company, Myanmar Rice Exports, Rice Farmers
Description: "Myanmar recently signed a trade deal with China to increase rice exports across its northern border fourfold to 400,000 tonnes per year. But under the new trade agreement, Chinese traders will pay for a quarter of the sum with bartered goods. The barter deal offers a boost to farmers and traders in Myanmar by regulating trade and reducing costly border closures and unpredictable tariffs on the Chinese side. But the terms of the deal also impose a burden for everyone along Myanmar’s supply chains. Myanmar and China signed the agreement on agricultural trade at the Belt and Road Forum in April. Mandalay Rice Development Company (MRDC) agreed to export 100,000 tonnes of rice to Kunming Green Color Trade Co in exchange for construction materials, appliances, fertilizers and agricultural machinery. But many merchants in Myanmar find they’re unable to sell the bartered goods. U Htay Lwin, chair of the Rice Millers Association in Mandalay, has advocated for a barter system, saying that it would help reduce the power imbalance between the trading partners. But the current agreement may fall short of this goal..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "ASEAN Today"
2019-08-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: A quick introduction to the past, present and future of Myanmar’s most important industry.
Description: "The most common crops are rice, beans and pulses, and maize, in that order. In general, farmers grow rice and maize during the monsoon season and beans and pulses during the dry season, although farmers in the temperate highlands often try for a second harvest of rice and maize if there is enough water left after the rains. Likewise, in the water-rich Ayeyarwady Delta, farmers often eschew dry season beans for another paddy harvest. Rice (including Myanmar’s most famous variety, paw san) and beans and pulses (especially chickpeas, green gram and black gram) are grown basically everywhere. Indeed, 80 percent of all Myanmar farmers grow rice and most plant beans and pulses after the paddy growing season, according to a survey published in 2016 by the World Bank Group. That said, the rice production peaks around the Ayeyarwady Delta, while more beans and pulses (which can tolerate hotter, dryer conditions) are grown in the central dry zone. Maize comes a distant third in terms of area cultivated. Unlike beans and rice, maize thrives in the temperate highlands, especially in Shan State, Sagaing Region and Chin State..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2018-03-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The food security situation in the Dry Zone has improved compared to a year ago. Overall, 17 percent of households are severely food insecure, 24 percent moderately and 59 percent food secure. In the areas covered in both 2009 and 2010, the share of severely food insecure households decreased by 15 percent. Households were able to enhance both food consumption and food access. In 2010, 10 percent of households had poor food consumption compared to 21 percent in 2009 in the areas assessed in both years. The share of households with an acceptable diet has increased from 36 to 58 percent. Households with poor food access who are depending on unreliable food sources decreased from 40 to 32 percent. The situation has improved across the Dry Zone. However, food insecurity levels remained high among households in Zone B, which is characterized by poor access to land and physical access to markets. Households relying on wood/bamboo cutting or casual labour as well as female headed households and those with children under-5 are more vulnerable to food insecurity compared to other groups. Agriculture is an important factor contributing to improved food security in the Dry Zone. Generally, farming households are amongst the most food secure households. They were able to benefit from relatively improved crop conditions compared to the previous year and increased marketing opportunities. Generally, there has been an increase in the area cultivated. In 2009, 40 percent of farming households cultivated a plot below subsistence level (< 2 acres), in 2010 the share was only 22 percent..."
Source/publisher: WFP (World Food Programme)
2011-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 1.74 MB
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Sub-title: Digital payment service provider Ongo is partnering with microfinance lender Advans MFI Myanmar Co to digitise loan repayments.
Description: "The move will enable Advans borrowers to pay back their loans more quickly and easily with a mobile app or with an QR Card at any Ongo agent, the company said in a press statement. Advans Myanmar started lending operations in April 2017 and serves over 44,000 clients with a loan portfolio of over K18 billion at the end of June. The MFI offers village banking to clients in rural areas as well as small group lending products and individual loans in urban areas. Advans aims to promote inclusive economic growth in Myanmar by building the financial stability of families, small businesses and farmers. Digital payment systems can ease the livelihoods of people who depend on finance services for their commercial growth and operations owing to the rising mobile internet penetrate rate, the company added. “Borrowers in rural areas often face logistical and access challenges, and Ongo provides an easy way for communities, including those in Mandalay and Sagaing where Advans operates, to pay back their loans without having to leave their own homes or business premises,” said Ongo CEO Allen Gilstrap..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-08-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "In Myanmar, the agricultural sector accounts for some 28 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), but yields are low due to farmers being cut-off from modern technology under the previous regime for decades. Farmers in Myanmar are still among the country's poorest. A 2017 World Bank study found that farmers in some areas of the country still earn as little as US$2 per day. Compared to other rice-yielding nations in the region, rice paddy generation is also low in Myanmar at 23 kilograms (kg) a day as opposed to Cambodia (62kg), Vietnam (429kg), and Thailand (547kg) respectively, a 2016 World Bank report stated. Most people in Myanmar, including farmers, have smartphones. The country today has a smartphone penetration rate of 80 percent and app developers have been quick to create apps for everything ranging from healthcare to Myanmar's parliament. One game-changer among agricultural apps in Myanmar is the ‘Green Way’ app which was launched in 2016. The app provides farmers with up-to-date information on everything from weather and climate change to crop prices and advice on pesticides and fertilisers. There is also a chat feature on the app that allows farmers to connect with each other, allowing for exchange of information. There are also tips, as well as the availability of experts on hand to answer additional queries..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The ASEAN Post"
2019-05-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Earnings from Myanmar’s agricultural exports have fallen by around 20 percent since the NLD-government took office in 2015 due to a lack of planning, technological progress and policy direction, insiders said. The fall in export earnings also coincides with a widening trade deficit and dearer exchange dollar exchange rate, which should make the country’s exports cheaper and more attractive to international buyers. Yet, “there has been little change in the agriculture sector and implementation of new policies has not been very effective. Some have even introduced more difficulties for farmers,” said U Soe Win Maung, adviser to Myanmar Pulses, Beans & Sesame Seeds Merchants Association. While the number of loans available by the Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank has increased, for example, farmers face the additional hassle of having to fill up forms and complete other administrative processes. Meanwhile, it is not uncommon for loan disbursements to take longer than expected, so farmers end up receiving the funds after they are needed..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2018-09-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Jim Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Proximity Designs, is on a mission to help Myanmar farmers gain access to finance. The funds will help them pay for seeds to plant crops, labour to till the land, and basic infrastructure, such as irrigation equipment and
Description: "“If you want to help the people of Myanmar, farming is a pretty good place to start. Despite the country’s rapid urbanisation in recent years, the population remains overwhelmingly rural, with 70 percent of people relying on the land for their livelihoods,” said a recent blog post by Proximity Designs. This came after the US government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) committed US$8 million to Proximity Finance on April 3 to support expanded micro lending to rural Myanmar borrowers, primarily smallholder farmers. The Skoll Foundation, a long-term supporter of Proximity Finance, committed an additional US$2 million of subordinated debt as part of the co-financing package. “By expanding their access to affordable credit, OPIC’s partnership with Proximity Designs will equip smallholder farmers to improve their yields, expand their enterprises, and help their communities thrive,” said OPIC’s acting President and CEO David Bohigian. Proximity Finance, which designs its loans to meet the needs of smallholder farmers, is the microfinance arm of Proximity Designs, a social enterprise that serves the needs of over 100,000 households in 2000 villages, primarily in farming..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-05-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-12
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Description: "The Myanmar Agriculture Network (MAN) was established in 2013 under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation along with local and global businesses and other stakeholders. The Network serves as a multi-stakeholder platform to accelerate partnership opportunities and investment in food security. It works to ensure environmentally sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth in Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Grow Asia Communications
2018-10-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-08
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Description: "The husband-and-wife team of Jim and Debbie Aung Din Taylor started small in 2004, but today the founders of the socially responsible company Proximity Designs work together with Harvard and Stanford Universities. 2012 was their most successful year ever, as they were able to better the lot of Burmese farmers with over 500 projects. Those include foot-powered water pumps, simple-to-construct irrigation systems and mobile reservoirs which are both inexpensive and built to last. Products like these are the secret to success for the social entrepreneurs and their Rangoon design studio..."
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Source/publisher: DW News
2013-08-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "This year, we served a total number of 149,042 farm customers through crop loans, irrigation products and agronomy advice - a 34 percent increase from the last fiscal year. • 87,695 of our customers were new, first-time customers. • We had a total of 207,5061 farm households actively using a Proximity product or service – representing approximately 892,000 people.2 • Our total customer base in Myanmar is now over 640,000 farm households (close to 2.75 million people) located across more than ten thousand villages. • Total rural household incomes increased by an estimated over USD 50 million across all of our active customers.3 This translates into USD 5 of rural incomes increased per dollar spent for operations and USD 15 of rural income increased per donor dollar spent for operations. • Our “Yetagon” Irrigation farm tech unit sold 26,051 irrigation products to 11,583 growers who are now using advanced micro irrigation systems. • 51,496 farm households adopted improved agronomic practices or used a service provided by our Farm Advisory Services unit..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2018-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 1.18 MB
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Description: "With the new fiscal year underway, our Yangon team moved into a new head office in September—bringing all business units and teams under one roof. Our Irrigation business launched its newest product—a micro irrigation sprinkler system with 60 units sold in the first month. Our Farm Advisory Services expanded operations from the Delta to the central Dry Zone. Proximity Finance, our farm finance business, now serves 57,695 rural borrowers. Our economic research team produced a short discussion paper, entitled “Internal and External Challenges to Unity in Myanmar,” in response to the country’s critical juncture in democratic transition. Proximity Labs, our design team, is working on a pipeline of products and services including a soil moisture sensor, seed multiplication services, and a redesigned solar irrigation pump..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2016-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 1.78 MB
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Description: "At our mid-year point, Proximity has served over 85,000 customer households with our irrigation technology, rural finance, and advisory services. Year-to-date irrigation sales are up 11 percent, compared to FY2016, and our new sprinkler irrigation product has been well-received by farmers. Adoption rates for our farm advisory services jumped to 68 percent by quarter end, as our extension staff served 8.2 farmers each per working day. Proximity Finance is now serving 60,238 active customers with an outstanding portfolio of USD11.7 million. Proximity Research focused on recent inter-communal violence in Rakhine State with domestic research visits, and made preparations to take Myanmar leaders to visit Indonesia and Maluku in the next quarter. Our in-house product and service design team, Proximity Labs, completed a full-season pilot of our SMS-messaging service to advise farmers on timely fertilizer application, ready for launch next quarter..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2016-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Format : pdf
Size: 2.42 MB
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Description: "We achieved impressive growth in both our farm advisory and irrigation businesses this quarter. Our product pipeline of newly designed irrigation products, agronomy services and financial services is strong. This quarter we’ve focused on improving both the unit economics of providing our services and increasing the levels of earned income from those services. We’re confident we’ll reach our milestone of 118,000 new customers by 30 June 2018. Our irrigation business is still highly seasonal with Q1 traditionally being our slowest quarter. This year the monsoon season lasted longer than normal, which resulted in sales of only 3,432 units this quarter, still representing a 66 percent, YoY increase. 60 percent of sales are now our micro-irrigation sprinklers and drip systems. A new rent-to-own option was introduced to boost sales of the Lotus solar water pump. Farm Advisory Services advised 25,437 unique farmers in Q1, a dramatic year-on-year increase of 99 percent. This is driven by a big increase in our engagement with groups of farmers in thousands of village demonstrations across 21 rice growing townships. Across our target markets we’ve achieved an 18 percent market penetration already. Our digital channels – designed to lower the unit economics of providing agronomy advice to our customers – added 1,900 users to its fertilizer management SMS service. Proximity Finance – our business unit offering loan products specifically designed for small farmers - now serves 79,838 rural clients. New client acquisition has been slowed by funding constraints related to the Myanmar MFI industry’s ability to hedge dollar denominated debt over the past several quarters. In September, we were able to close a US$5.3 million debt instrument with a local bank. The loan portfolio continues to diversify with only 35 percent of loans dispersed to rice farmers. Repayment rates on loans are very strong (PAR30 is 0.32 percent). Market penetration includes 1,702 villages across 56 townships..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2017-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
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Description: "We had one of our strongest quarters ever, adding 39,673 new customers. As of our mid-year mark, we have added 56,543 farm customers – on target to reaching 118,000 new customers by the end of the fiscal year in June 2018. Our Farm Tech business had a strong second quarter with 3,672 new farm customers purchasing one of our irrigation products - a striking 81.5 percent YoY increase. Earned revenues totaled US$303,000 representing a YoY increase of 66 percent. We launched a new mist micro-irrigation product designed to replace inefficient furrow irrigation on small horticulture plots of half an acre. We sold 138 “Lotus” solarpowered irrigation pumps compared to 28 unit sales during the same period last year. This quarter Ryan McCoy assumed leadership of this business unit. He joins with extensive business and finance experience and holds an MBA from Duke and a finance degree from MIT. Our Farm Advisory Services had another strong quarter with over 20,000 farmers attending a technique training, given average uptake rates of 40-50 percent, we anticipate at least 8,000 new farmers will adopt one or more of our techniques, hitting our target for the quarter (actual adopter numbers are finalized after the rice season). Our field agronomists engaged farmers through 1,283 in-village presentations, which remain our primary service delivery channel. These field agronomists are essential to our mission as they deliver technique advice, pest and disease solutions, and tailored responses to farming challenges throughout the farming cycle. Across our 21 different townships, we’ve reached an estimated 40 percent market penetration among farmers growing rice. Our year-end target is to reach 48,400 new farmers and a total of 96,000 active adopting farmers. Farm lending efforts added 14,709 new customers this quarter. Across our lending operations in 2,065 villages we now have 91,208 active customers. Our portfolio is now USD18.2 million with a PAR 30 delinquency rate of 0.36 percent. Savoeung Chann, our General Manager resigned this quarter after two years of service. A three-person leadership team is overseeing management during the transition period until a replacement is settled. The legal separation of Proximity Finance from Proximity Designs continues to face delays from the government but is expected to be completed by April 2018. Economic research efforts this quarter focused on deepening our analysis of the current situation in Rakhine State and researching options for addressing the crisis of 650,000 refugees who fled to Bangladesh. As conditions in the camps become more extreme with increased international pressure and ongoing instability, the threat of a long-running internal, regional and international conflict is growing. It is uncertain if either Bangladesh or Myanmar would agree to accept large numbers of refugees as citizens, even with resettlement aid. Reversing the damage will take a multipronged effort beyond the ability of any single country..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2017-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 723.76 KB
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Description: "Our platform offerings revolve around three core service areas: 1) the provision of improved agronomy practices/skills, 2) access to farm loans, and 3) affordable micro-irrigation systems. This quarter, 15,525 total new farm customers used one or more of these services. +Farm Advisory Services: This quarter, a total of 11,416 farmers used one of our agronomy services, of which 7,534 were new customers, meeting 99 percent of our total customer target for the quarter. We are currently targeting an ambitious goal of a total of 51,000 new adopters by the end of the year. We offer the following advisory services: 1) rice seed cleaning, 2) precision planting (for rice seed) 3) nutrient (e.g. fertilizer) management, 4) soil health management, and 5) crop protection services (to control pests & disease). We currently employ 106 field agronomists who drive outreach and growth. Our field agronomists are launching our new Soil Health Diagnostic Service, offered at a price of USD4 per acre. To date, we’ve sold 477 tests, 76% lower than our target. Our agronomy team has never launched this kind of fee-for-service before, and is learning it takes up more field staff time than originally estimated. +Micro-irrigation: This quarter is typically a slow time for irrigation product sales, as the period marks the end of the monsoon season in Myanmar. 1,655 new farmers purchased one of our micro-irrigation products, representing 16 percent growth year-on-year, and 91 percent of the quarter’s target. We are targeting 10 percent annual growth this year or 12,743 farm customers. This year, our irrigation product offerings include: micro-sprinkler systems, mister systems, drip systems, lay flat hose and a treadle pump. We sold a total of 3,062 units of irrigation products, representing an 8 percent y/y decrease, and earned sales revenue of USD 78,000 for the quarter. After 15 years of selling various models of our original foot-operated pump, we are now selling only one treadle pump model this season. In recent years, the market has shifted with the influx of affordable and portable motorized pumps from China replacing the more labor-intensive treadle pumps. Thus, our products today focus on advancing irrigation efficiency in water use. This quarter, we launched our newest product – a “Starter” Mister that customers can install for USD 10 for 1/10 acre . We are seeing strong demand largely due to the affordable price point. We have a very capable, new General Manager leading the irrigation business, Seng Nu Pan. We are reducing our in-house manufacturing work and shifting to sourcing components from new, higher quality, local suppliers as well as importing more parts from Thailand and China. Assembly is still done in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2018-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 536.19 KB
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Description: "Overall, we added 21,841 new farmers this quarter to our Yetagon farm services platform—slightly below our target of 22,954. Our farm credit services and irrigation products saw strong y/y growth, but our agronomy services missed our targets largely due to the slower than expected roll-out of our new revenue-generating soil testing service. Our growth target this year is 82,000 new customers. Year to date, we’ve added 37,097 new farmers to a growing active user base of 214,215 farm customers. Our operating model is shifting to us organizing more around our customer facing services and less on our separate business units. Current Farm Services Offered: + Quality Seeds and Precision Planting: Rice seed cleaning services have been our most popular agronomy service over the past several years. In many of the villages where we have introduced this technique, we’ve achieved over 50 percent adoption within several seasons—a very high rate for a new innovation. Farmers are typically able to achieve yield increases of 20-30 baskets per acre, which translates to yield improvement of 10 percent. Over the past three years we’ve been able to increase rice yields on over 430,000 acres. + Soil Health (testing) and Nutrient Management Services: During this quarter, we formally launched a new Soil Testing service that provides plot-specific and actionable fertilizer recommendations before the planting season to help rice farmers improve fertilizer efficiency and increase crop yields. We sold 1,516 tests to farmers in Myanmar’s lowland Delta region. This was well below our target of 2,530 tests. Demand appears to be strong, but internally the complexity of providing the new service slowed down the roll-out. We’re confident these problems can be solved quickly and will expand the testing service to the upland Dry Zone region in Q3. For our more general fertilizer application recommendations delivered through village meetings, we achieved 6,524 rice farmer adopters..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2018-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 769.7 KB
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Description: "Overall, we added 15,803 new farmers this quarter to our customer base. Our growth target for this year is 82,000 new customers, and to date we’ve added 53,487 new farmers. Our farm irrigation products saw strong year-on-year growth, while our farm finance and agronomy advice services’ results were lower than targeted. This quarter, our farm finance business was hampered by unexpected delays in receiving regulatory approvals for overseas capital. Thus, we did not have sufficient loan funds to meet demand. Our agronomy work had difficulty finding experienced and trained agronomy field staff, which has led to understaffing at a time of planned expansion in advisory services. Our rural recruitment efforts have ramped up and our People Operations team is improving onboarding processes to ensure new extension officers can be trained well and quickly deployed. Current Farm Services Offered: + Quality Seeds and Precision Planting: This quarter is typically not the rice planting season so we anticipated low adoption of our rice seed cleaning practices. Only 624 farmers adopted during the quarter. + Soil Health Testing and Nutrient Management Services: As farmers prepare for the upcoming monsoon rice growing season, they are investing in soil health testing. After a slower than expected start, sales have picked up this quarter, with 1,886 customers buying our newly launched soil testing service, and a YTD total of 4,059 sales—37 percent of our annual target. As expected, the sales closing rates for the soil tests were high among farmers who had already used one of our other services; with a 40 percent closing rate among our pest/disease on-call diagnostic service users and 34 percent among farmers who had adopted two of our agronomy practices. We continue to improve the service delivery and sales skills of field extension officers, but are one quarter behind on targets. We project soil test sales will reach 6,600 farmers by year end, which is 60 percent of our original first year target. This quarter, 4,486 farmers adopted our free recommended crop fertilizer practices. + Crop Protection Services: Our crop protection service offers an on-call field visit service to rice farmers year round. This quarter, we experienced a spike in requests, with our field agronomists responding to 3,194 farmers’ calls. Farmers request help to diagnose a pest or disease problem in their fields and receive a recommended treatment protocol. There was an outbreak of thrip insect in the Ayeyarwady Delta this quarter. Fortunately, the crop losses in such cases are preventable if caught early. We’ve found these on-call services generate strong trust among farmers and help lay the groundwork for introducing other agronomy practices..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2019-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "People living in Myanmar's Dry Zone are facing the impact of climate change on their lives. The project, Addressing Climate Change Risks on Water Resources and Food Security in the Dry Zone of Myanmar aims to reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity of the dry zone communities through improved water management, crop and livestock adaptation programme in five of the most vulnerable townships of Myanmar’s Dry Zone. The Adaptation Fund project is being implemented by UNDP in collaboration with the Government of the Union of Myanmar. Category..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNDP Myanmar
2017-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "People living in Myanmar's Dry Zone are facing the impact of climate change on their lives. The project, Addressing Climate Change Risks on Water Resources and Food Security in the Dry Zone of Myanmar aims to reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity of the dry zone communities through improved water management, crop and livestock adaptation programme in five of the most vulnerable townships of Myanmar’s Dry Zone. The Adaptation Fund project is being implemented by UNDP in collaboration with the Government of the Union of Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNDP Myanmar
2017-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Between April 2012 and March 2014 ADRA implemented a project with UKaid funding to reduce the poverty of 12,600 people within 15 villages of Pakokku Township. This is the project video report..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: ADRA UK
2015-09-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "For years, Kyin San, like many rice farmers in Myanmar, worried that her land would be confiscated for large-scale development, as had so many other farms over the years. But now, Kyin Sun says, farmers are no longer hesitant to negotiate with the government to settle disputes. Along with 10,000 other farmers in the Hlae Ku Township, Kyin Sun has joined the Agriculture and Farmer Federation of Myanmar (AFFM), part of the Confederation of Trade Unions–Myanmar (CTUM)..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Solidarity Center
2017-05-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Adopting proper and systematic seed production practices is vital to producing high-quality rice seeds. Quality seeds command a higher price in the market, leading to increased income for the farmers. The capacity of resource-poor farmers in producing quality seeds is strengthened through training activities conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (http://irri.org through the Stress-tolerant Rice for Vulnerable Environments project) in selected unfavorable rice-growing areas in Myanmar http://irri.org/our-work/locations/my... To contribute in improving farm productivity and livelihoods in the country, IRRI is working together with the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and agencies such as the AVSI Foundation, Radanar Ayar, Welhungerhilfe, and Relief International..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
2018-06-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "“I won’t do agricultural work. As I will be a graduate, I will do work which is suitable and worth my educational level. We can rent out our lands to uneducated and landless villagers who can only do agricultural work.” – A 20-year old university student in FGD, Sagaing Region This was the decisive reply I received from a university student in Si Pin Gyi village in Kalay Myo, when I asked if he would be a farmer like his father.[1] He is not the only one who doesn’t want to do agricultural work as his career. Nowadays, to be a farmer is like donkey-work for most youth, especially for the educated ones. In my interviews in the rural areas, interviewees said that they found agricultural work to be very tiring as well as low in income and value – particularly when comparing this with their educational qualifications. The agricultural sector plays a vital role in Myanmar’s economy. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the agricultural sector in Myanmar contributes 37.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), accounts for 25 to 30 percent of total export earnings and provides jobs for 70 percent of the labour. It is significant that agricultural work has historically provided labourers in rural areas with numerous job opportunities. Moreover, according to the villagers I interviewed, there are now increasingly higher numbers and different types of other jobs available in their villages. The other option for them nowadays also includes migration, both internal and external. Due to my experiences with research in rural areas, I came to question whether the youth, the next generation of farmers, would choose to do agricultural work if they had other career options. Last year, I went to the Delta region for research on the socio-economic conditions 10 years after Cyclone Nargis. I conducted qualitative research in 10 villages in the Delta region, doing key informant interviews and focus group discussions. There, I found out that many people – especially the youth – had left their villages, migrating for work. About half of the youth population in each village migrate as there are no other local job opportunities except agricultural work. In some villages, there are youth running small businesses, such as loudspeaker rental jobs. “I don’t want to do agricultural work in farmlands with mud. I feel dirty and exhausted to do that. I wish I could have a chance to live and work in Yangon.” – 18-year old boy from a village, Ayeyarwaddy Region He has a small snack shop in the village and is also seeking new opportunities in order to get a good job in Yangon. Parents from the rural areas often do not want their children to do exhausting work in the mud like them; many try to support their children’s education for a future job with better working conditions, such as working in a company, or in foreign countries..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: TEACIRCLEOXFORD
2019-07-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "A free app on farmer San San Hla's smartphone is her new weapon in the war against the dreaded stem borer moth that blighted her rice paddy in southern Myanmar for the last two years..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: AFP news agency
2018-02-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Practically isolated from the global market for 50 years, Myanmar is still largely dependent on agriculture. But the country is one of the most at risk from climate change and no one feels these pressures more than the rural smallholder farmers who make up the backbone of its food system and rural economy. Shorter monsoons and rising temperatures mean severe droughts have become more frequent in recent decades. This has led to higher levels of saltwater intrusion in important rice growing territories and an increase in the risk of complete crop failure. Proximity Designs is a social enterprise which was founded to provide farmers with low-cost, low-tech equipment to help them adapt and thrive in their changing environment. They ensure their products are both affordable and suitable by employing a team of data-gatherers to conduct thorough research within the farming communities. And thanks to a network of some 900 scooter-driving "field agents", their products can even find their way to the most remote parts of the country. Russell Beard travels to Myanmar to meet the innovators behind Proximity Designs and to see how their products and expertise are helping farmers stay one step ahead in a changing world..."
Source/publisher: Al Jazeera English
2015-05-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "To improve farmer productivity and help combat the cycle of debt, IRRI, through the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Vulnerable Environments or STRIVE project, with funding from USAID, has trained 26 farmers from Htantabin township Myanmar on how to produce good-quality seeds in their own farms..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
2017-01-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Agriculture accounts for 26 per cent of Myanmar’s GDP and employs almost half of the country’s workforce.1 It is the primary source of livelihood for most people living in rural areas.2 Migration for work is also common in Myanmar and growing even more so: the country’s rapid growth in recent years has coincided with a marked increase in both internal and international migration. Migration is tightly linked to agricultural work: many migrants move from rural to urban areas and from agriculture to other employment sectors. This trend is coinciding with a general transition in Myanmar’s economy away from agriculture and towards industry and services. This briefing paper draws on findings from the CHIME research project to look at how agricultural work drives migration, and how migration affects the agricultural sector. It identifies opportunities for policymakers to help make agriculture and migration promote sustainable, equitable development..."
Source/publisher: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
2017-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.16 MB
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Description: Rome, 18 December 2018 - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has signed a financing agreement with the Government of Myanmar to reduce poverty, and improve food security and nutrition for over 390,000 rural people in the northern Magway region and southern Chin state. The agreement was signed by Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD, and, Myint Naung, Myanmar Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Rome. The total cost of the Western States Agribusiness Project (WSAP) is US$20.3 million of which IFAD is providing a $9 million loan and a $4 million grant. While Myanmar produces enough rice to meet its consumption needs as a whole, the rural poor are often food insecure and do not have access to adequate food to meet their caloric and nutritional needs, or enough income to buy essential items. The project aims to increase household incomes, food security and nutrition quality by helping rural communities to develop agricultural commodities and agribusinesses that can generate a profit and respond to market demand. Training will be made available so that farmers can improve their skills and knowledge in order to modernize production techniques. The project will also invest in infrastructure, including improved irrigation to ensure a reliable supply of water to farms and household gardens, and rural access roads to facilitate farm to market mobility. “The potential for smallholder agriculture in Chin and Magway is immense. We need to unlock this potential by providing training, financial services and access to markets to facilitate the transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture. Rural transformation in these areas is possible with the right support,” said Alessandro Marini, IFAD Country Programme Manager for Myanmar. Due to its past isolation, Myanmar's agriculture sector has not benefited fully from global advances in agricultural technology. IFAD's strategy in the country is to focus on modernizing agriculture, upgrading value chains, fostering links between smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, diversifying livelihoods, promoting rural enterprises and generating employment off the farm. The project area comprises the southern Chin state and northern Magway region. The project aims to reach about 76,800 rural households, of which 10,200 are in Chin and 66,600 are in Magway, and create about 4,500 jobs both on and off farm. Since 2014, IFAD has financed three projects in Myanmar, for a total investment of $113.2 million, of which IFAD has provided $90.7 million. These projects have directly impacted 176,810 rural households.
Creator/author: Susan Beccio
Source/publisher: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
2018-12-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a project entitled “Sustainable Cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar (SLM-GEF)” in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). AVSI Foundation has been contracted to develop the National Farmer Field School (FFS) curriculum and FFS Handbook. AVSI Foundation has developed a FFS curriculum/module on climate smart agriculture (CSA) techniques/practices for each selected agricultural crop and for each of the three agro-ecological zones incorporating solutions to the major problems identified during the need assessments and also considering the findings of value chain analysis. The Farmer Field School (FFS) is a learning process whereby a group of farmers come together and engage in a process of hands-on field-based learning process over a season/ production cycle. FFS is a time-bound learning by doing activity with a beginning and an end and aims to solve the problems related to cultivating crops. FFS is a platform for holistic learning, and should address issues and aspects that directly or indirectly contribute to the performance of the local farming system, even if these issues are not agriculture-based as such. All FFS programmes need to integrate programming on gender equality and nutrition concerns in FFS development. Gender norms, roles and customs are very relevant for FFS implementation such as assessment and targeting of the specific needs of male and female farmers, selection and gender awareness of facilitators, and composition of an FFS group (with adequate representation of women and girls) and targeting the specific needs and priorities of men and women. This module of FFS has been designed to increase agricultural productivity of the priority crops in Chin State (Mindat and Kanpetlet Townships) by addressing the challenges identified during the needs assessments based on knowledge systems and practices by FAO with support of AVSI as a Service Provider. During the need assessment cultural barriers for FFS implementation, gender norms, traditions, etc. were considered. Generally, it’s been observed that farmers, both men and women, have low knowledge of climate smart agriculture (CSA). The learning objectives of the proposed FFS modules are to: Empower farmers (both men and women) with knowledge and skills to improve the productivity of their main crops. • Sharpen the farmers’ ability to make critical and informed decisions that render their farming profitable and climate-smart for both male and female farmers. • To sensitize farmers in new ways of thinking and solve problems linked to climate changes. • Help farmers learn how to organize themselves and their communities, with a focus on women and girls..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 319.43 KB
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Description: "Livestock raising is an important source of income for smallholders all over the country, but especially in the Central Dry Zone, due to its large available areas for livestock grazing. In this area, households raise cattle, sheep and goats, pigs and poultry. The recent rapid economic development of the country, and improved linkages to regional markets have increased the demand for livestock products – meat, milk, and eggs, and this creates a great opportunity for household investment in livestock. While households can improve incomes through better livestock husbandry, it is only with improved government policies and actions that the full potential of the sector can be reached, for example, those policies which enable Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) to deliver basic animal health services to smallholders throughout the country. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD)..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-12-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 725.61 KB
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Description: "The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a project entitled “Sustainable Cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar (SLM-GEF)” in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project aims to facilitate and strengthen sustainable land management (SLM), sustainable forest management (SFM), and climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The project facilitates the adoption of CSA policies and practices that will help to sustainably increase productivity, enhance resilience, reduce/remove GHGs and enhance achievement of national food security and development goals. At field level, the project is active in five pilot Townships from three different agro-ecological zones implementing various relevant CSA initiatives mainly using Farmer Field Schools (FFS) models.  Upland/hill Pilot Site: Mindat and Kanpetlet Townships, Chin State  Coastal/Delta Zone Pilot Site: Laputta Township, Ayeyarwady Region  Central Dry Zone Pilot Site: Kyaukpadaung and Nyaung U Townships, Mandalay Region AVSI Foundation was contracted as a Service Provider to develop the FFS curriculum and FFS Handbook for each of the above mentioned three agro-ecological zones. Accordingly, the FFS curriculum/module on CSA techniques/practices for the prioritized agricultural crops and cropping systems under each of the three agro-ecological zones have been developed incorporating solutions to the major problems identified during the need assessments and also considering the findings of value chain analysis. After finalizing the FFS curriculum, a FFS handbook has been developed for each agro-ecological zone both in Myanmar and English version. This handbook is intended to help the Extension Workers, FFS Facilitators and FFS Committee/farmers to implement FFS on CSA techniques and practices in costal/delta Region and scaling up the learnings in similar areas of Myanmar..."
Creator/author: Ms. Xiaojie Fan
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 6.02 MB
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Description: "A series of events prompted by the armed attacks against the Myanmar border security forces by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on 25 August 2017 in the northern part of Rakhine State, precipitated a massive movement of Muslims and other ethnic minority groups making the current situation in Northern Rakhine as one of the fast-growing humanitarian crises in the history. As a result, it is estimated that approximately 700 000 refugees had crossed the border into Bangladesh. People who remained in their villages are facing substantial hardships, including significantly reduced access to markets and agricultural land, which have created a compounding negative effect on their livelihoods and increased the need for immediate humanitarian assistance. While the majority of humanitarian actors active in Northern Townships of Rakhine State focused on provision of immediate food assistance, FAO and its implementing partners MHDO and LBVD supported the local agriculture productions to stabilize and increase the availability of foods..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 505.29 KB
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Description: "Nay Pyi Taw, 10 May 2019 – A new initiative will introduce sustainable rice-growing practices to farmers across Myanmar, with the goal of reducing vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, project partners announced today. The Climate Smart Rice Project will introduce sustainable standards and best practices to 4,000 smallholder farmers around Mandalay, southern Shan, Mon and Bago over the coming three years, working closely with the Government of Myanmar and the agri-business sector. The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Swiss Agency for Development (SDC) and implemented by a consortium of partners including UN Environment, the Sustainable Rice Platform, Helvetas Myanmar and PRIME Agri Group. The Government of Myanmar has previously announced its intention to boost sustainable rice production in order to both satisfy domestic demand and turn the country into a sustainable rice exporter. This project is fully aligned to the government’s policies and has been endorsed by the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development. Rice production in Myanmar faces several challenges, including the rice sector’s vulnerability to climate change impacts like higher temperatures, drought, flooding and other stresses. The sector is also challenged by its demand for water, land, fertilizer and pesticides and its own environmental impact, including a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions..."
Source/publisher: reliefweb
2019-05-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf
Size: 230.99 KB
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Description: ''Across the world, the livelihoods and well-being of rural communities have, since time immemorial, been assured through their customary land and resource management systems. Myanmar is no exception, and these systems have been especially valued in ethnic upland areas. Although increasingly under pressure, these systems still widely continue more or less intact, and continue to retain social legitimacy. Customary tenure systems involve rural communities asserting authority over their local land and resources within their village areas, allocating rights and regulating access and use according to traditional cultural norms. At the simplest these institutions are codified social norms around resource access, and as such have existed across just about every inhabited landscape in the world. They often involve the coordination of farming activities like planting, harvesting and grazing. They are based on a strong local identification with place and ecological landscape, and have evolved dynamically over the long term, giving rise to unique cultural landscapes. They tend to be sophisticated, flexible, and practical in terms of combining common and private rights and responsibilities across diverse resources. Beyond individual villages, they can play a key role in agreeing to inter-village boundaries, and regulating across clusters of villages who gets access to what resources, when and how. They can manage disputes both within and between villages in ways which have cultural legitimacy and embody principles of social justice. Their effectiveness is reflected in how highly valued they are by the communities who rely on them, and they evolve as the social composition and economic needs of the communities evolve and change over time...''
Creator/author: Oliver Springate-Baginski
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
2019-03-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-03-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 482.68 KB
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Description: ''mitv - Climate Change: Impact In Myanmar..''
Creator/author: Prof. Khin Maung Cho, Aye Lwin
Source/publisher: mitv - Myanmar International
2014-05-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''Communication for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security in Myanmar...''
Creator/author: Dr. Naoya Fujimoto, U Htary Naing, U Thaung Win, U Soe Khaing, U Aung Than, U Than Choung, Khin Thuzar Nwe
Source/publisher: ABC International Development
2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: ''Communication for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security in Myanmar...''
Creator/author: Khin Thuzar Nwe, U Aye Ko, U Ko Ko Lwin, U Kyaw Myo Thant, U Aung Ko Latt, U Win Aung Kyaw, U Nyunt Wai, U Min Hlaing
Source/publisher: ABC International Development
2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: ''Communication for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security in Myanmar..''
Creator/author: Khin Thuzar Nwe, Daw Tin Nwe, U Zaw Min, U Kyi Moe, U Thein Htay, U Myint Aung, Daw Win Mar Oo, U Tun Aung Kyaw
Source/publisher: ABC International Development
2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: ''Communication for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security in Myanmar''
Creator/author: Khin Thuzar Nwe, U Hlan Chin, U Ke Tu, U Htan Hell, U Tint Nay Aung, U William, Mrs. Murielle Morisson
Source/publisher: ABC International Development
2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ), Chin, English
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Description: ''As part of our development projects in many of Burma's ethnic minority states, we seek to educate more farmers in sustainable agricultural practices. Many have been on the run for so many years that they have forgotten their own traditional farming methods...''
Source/publisher: Partners Relief & Development
2013-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Sub-title: The Rice Ecosystem in Myanmar: Challenges and Opportunities
Description: "Our intent in preparing this study was not to repeat what a number of agriculture sector reports have already covered. We wanted instead to create a unique, foundational body of knowledge around smallholder paddy farming practices across the major ricegrowing regions of Myanmar. The agricultural sector is immensely complex, so we decided to focus on the place where the majority of smallholders make their primary income. Paddy and rice is, arguably, Myanmar’s most important economic sector from an equitable growth perspective and is expected to go through a dramatic transition over the next decade. A smooth transition requires a deep understanding of the issues. We hope this report will support those looking for opportunities to enhance the incomes and well-being of smallholder farmers in Myanmar.\"
Creator/author: Debbie Aung Din
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
2016-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 21.38 MB
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Description: UK-based author made a list of recommended reads by Bill Gates with his influential book ?How Asia Works,” an analysis of success and failure in Asian economies. In his book, Studwell argues that high-performing countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China set the foundations for economic success by strengthening smallholder agriculture, subjecting industry to export discipline and pursuing a tightly controlled financial policy. Studwell spoke to The Irrawaddy ahead of his keynote speech at a conference in Naypyidaw on Tuesday on the role of government in supporting smallholder agriculture, to accelerate economic development..."
Creator/author: Sandy Barron (interviews Joe Studwell)
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy"
2016-08-17
Date of entry/update: 2016-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Abstract: "Given the widespread smallholder impulse to engage in commodity booms in Southeast Asia and the potential for this engagement to offer a more inclusive development pathway than large-scale plantation production, we examine three issues: Wh at are the agro-economic factors favouring or obstructing smallholder modes of commodity production relative to large-scale production entities? What are the incentives for agribusiness firms to contribute to smallholder commodity production through roles other than direct farm management? Can smallholder commodity production be broadly inclusive in the face of tendencies towards agrarian differentiation and the market imperatives of agribusiness firms? We present a preliminary exploration of these questions through localised case studies of smallholder engagement with four commodity sectors ? oil palm, rubber, cassava, and teak."
Creator/author: Rob Cramb, Vongpaphane Manivong, Jonathan Newby, Kem Sothorn, Patrick Sujang
Source/publisher: An international academic conference June 2015, Chiang Mai University
2015-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-01-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 413.97 KB
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Description: Introduction: "The goal of poverty alleviation is now seen as a high priority project for Myanmar?s new government. In public statements the new President, Thein Sein, has raised issues of poverty in Myanmar as a problem facing the country (as opposed to a previous failure to acknowledge any such problems.) Support for this goal was verbally reiterated in a May 2011 Poverty Alleviation Seminar headed by Dr. U Myint, and again, more broadly, at an August 2011 poverty alleviation seminar in Nyapidaw attended by President Thein Sein and democracy icon Daw Aung San Su Kyi. At both events speakers presented papers aimed at monetary reform, assessments of Myanmar?s industrial sectors, infrastructure, and agricultural development. Presenters overwhelmingly acknowledged the agricultural sector as one in which improvements could be made to actually meet goals of addressing poverty. With 70% of Myanmar?s population supported by agricultural related employment and incomes, policies to lower poverty levels in this sector could significantly impact a majority of the country?s residents. Currently, of these residents, an estimated 32.7% remain under the country?s poverty line, though critics have described this number as low (CIA World Fact Book, 2011). Myanmar is frequently referred to as the one time ?rice basket” of Asia, often highlighting how far the agricultural and economic systems of Myanmar have fallen. This renewed interest in the development of Myanmar?s agricultural sector has the potential to reengage that historical presence of agricultural vitality. Addressing the status of low income and small land holders will be a key part of this process as farmers with less then 1 and up to 5 acres of land represent 56% of Myanmar?s farming population (FSWG, 2011). The economic security of small land hold farmers offer one way to sustainably improve the agricultural system and financial lyempower a large population of Myanmar?s farmers. This paper will examine the possible use of contract farming with small land holding farmers as a tool to capitalize on the opportunity to improve the economic growth of Myanmar?s agricultural sector, as well as to sustainably improve the livelihood, capacity, and output of this demographic of farmers. It is important to highlight that contract farming is not a blanket tool and the positive circumstances of successful cases must be considered within Myanmar?s agricultural context. Critics of contract farming highlight the de-facto inequality farmers are often put in by a contract, along with the significant risk it can place on already fragile farming 2 environments in which farmers risk everything. Such risks could be exacerbated by Myanmar?s agricultural policy and political climate. Yet, contract farming has been used with increasing frequency to meet the needs of small land holding farmers, and companies that have specialist or niche farming needs. These contracts have led to a range of benefits for both farmers and contracting companies. The recent agreement on the part of the new government to make agricultural development and poverty reduction policy goals, offers a space in which contract farming opportunities could support the small land hold farming sector of Myanmar?s agricultural community. Based on this consideration, this paper will briefly explore the theoretical views of contract farming currently used. It will then examine the circumstances of previous commercial or large contract farming attempts in Myanmar that have been problematic, before presenting two cases of contract farming with small land holders, in Laos and Cambodia. From the analysis of these two successful cases originally documented by the Asia Development Bank (ADB), this paper will work to identify positive and negative lessons learned in ea ch circumstance. This paper will examine the opportunities for the application of these lessons to the context of Myanmar?s own small land hold farmers. It will then conclude with a brief examination of the larger policies that would have impacted contract farming implementation in Myanmar, compared to the policies from Laos and Cambodia which have given rise to successful contract farming programs with small land hold farmers."
Creator/author: Thomas A. Baker
2011-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-01-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 113.27 KB
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Description: "Practically isolated from the global market for 50 years, Myanmar is still largely dependent on agriculture. But the country is one of the most at risk from climate change and no one feels these pressures more than the rural smallholder farmers who make up the backbone of its food system and rural economy. Shorter monsoons and rising temperatures mean severe droughts have become more frequent in recent decades. This has led to higher levels of saltwater intrusion in important rice growing territories and an increase in the risk of complete crop failure. Proximity Designs is a social enterprise which was founded to provide farmers with low-cost, low-tech equipment to help them adapt and thrive in their changing environment. They ensure their products are both affordable and suitable by employing a team of data-gatherers to conduct thorough research within the farming communities. And thanks to a network of some 900 scooter-driving "field agents", their products can even find their way to the most remote parts of the country. Russell Beard travels to Myanmar to meet the innovators behind Proximity Designs and to see how their products and expertise are helping farmers stay one step ahead in a changing world."
Creator/author: Russell Beard
Source/publisher: Al Jazeera (Earthrise)
2015-05-04
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: Documentary by the Land Core Group Myanmar, where 70% of the Myanmar population are smallholder farmers, about the challenges faced by poor farmers from land grabbing and land dispossession in rural Myanmar...Interviews with land activists and dispossessed farmers in different parts of the country... sections on: resistance to land-grabbing; Myanmar land law and policies (where customary tenure and women?s land rights are not explicitly recognised); efficiency of smallholder practice...
Source/publisher: Land Core Group of the Food Security Working Group
2015-03-17
Date of entry/update: 2015-03-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ (English voice-over and subtitles)
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