Sustainable agriculture - Burma/Myanmar

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Title: "Youtube search for Burma OR Myanmar sustainable agriculture" (video)
Description: 2470 results (August 2017)
Source/publisher: Various sources via Youtube
Date of entry/update: 2017-08-20
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Myanmar Land, Agribusiness, and Forestry Forum (MYLAFF)
Description: "MYLAFF - a forum for sharing information about land, rural livelihoods, forests, fisheries, agribusiness investment and natural resource management in Myanmar... The main URL given here is the public entry to MYLAFF. For access to more documents, users have to sign up to MYLAFF... *Members of the forum include government officials, staff of donor agencies and NGOs, project experts, academics and business people... *We aim to support rural development in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar through providing stakeholders and decision-makers with a space for communication and better access to information and analysis... *Our online document repository is at www.mylaff.org, where you can find a wide variety of documents in both English and Myanmar language, alongside others...Under Farming Systems, MYLAFF has a section on shifting cultivation... *More information is available in the FAQ, which is available here: http://www.mylaff.org/static/MyLAFF_FAQ.pdf..."
Source/publisher: MYLAFF
Date of entry/update: 2015-03-03
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Individual Documents

Title: Conflict and agricultural productivity: Evidence from Myanmar strategy support program | Working paper 30 (February 2023)
Description: "ABSTRACT Evidence is scarce on how conflict affects technology adoption and consequent agricultural productivity in fragile states, an important topic given the high share of the extreme poor living in fragile environments globally. Our study contributes to filling this knowledge gap by using unique large-scale data on rice producers in Myanmar before and after a military coup in 2021, leading to a surge of conflicts in the country. We find that the increase in violent events significantly changed rice productivity. Specifically, increases in fatal violent events between 2020 and 2021 reduced rice Total Factor Productivity (TFP) – a measure of how efficiently agricultural inputs are used to produce rice – by about 4 percent on average in the short-run. Moreover, poorer farmers are more affected by conflict, as seen through an increased output elasticity to agricultural equipment owned, indicating reduced output resilience for less-capital owning, and therefore poorer, farmers. This seems partly due to reduced access to agricultural extension services, which would otherwise help farmers maintain productivity, even with limited capital ownership, through substitution with human capital and skills. Lower mechanization service fees partly mitigate these effects. Our results consistently hold for both short- and long-run production functions, across various specifications, and in Upper and Lower Myanmar. These findings suggest that containing and reducing violent events is critical in restoring rice productivity. Improved access to extension services, as well as to cheap mechanization service provision to mitigate lack of equipment ownership, could compensate for these losses and boost the productivity of farmers, especially for those with less production capital, in such fragile settings..."
Source/publisher: International Food Policy Research Institute (Washington, D.C.) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication: 2023-02-24
Date of entry/update: 2023-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 1.56 MB
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Title: Capacity development instrumental in restoring agricultural production and livelihoods in Myanmar
Topic: Agriculture, Recovery and Reconstruction
Sub-title: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Myanmar's Department of Agriculture (DoA) recently conducted a series of training sessions to support the capacity development of farmers and technical experts. The training aimed to support and restore the agricultural production and livelihoods of communities affected by the heavy monsoon rains in southern Myanmar.
Topic: Agriculture, Recovery and Reconstruction
Description: "A total of 214 farmers from communities in Mon and Kayin States and Tanintharyi Region participated in face-to-face training sessions in the following topics. Good Agricultural Practices: The topics covered in this session included farming practices such as vegetable production, soil fertility management and the proper use of fertilizers to help farmers improve their yields. Participating farmers gained knowledge on practices aimed towards enhancing the production of safe, high quality food, promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices, and ensuring the welfare of farm workers. Climate-Smart Agriculture: The training session was designed to help farmers understand how climate-induced shocks affect the agricultural sector and share climate-smart agricultural practices that enable families to improve production in a sustainable manner. Nutrition: The session covered topics related to basic nutrition including a balanced diet, meal planning, food hygiene, and the special feeding needs of children, women and men. Improving Knowledge: Post-Monsoon Forums In relation to strengthening early warning early action systems, FAO and the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology organized virtual Post-Monsoon Forums in December 2020 for technical officers from relevant line ministries and agencies to share experiences, challenges and lessons learned during the 2020 southwest monsoon season. Some 200 technical officers participated in the discussions which aimed to review the southwest monsoon seasonal forecasts and seasonal climate and water level forecasts in Mon and Kayin States and Tanintharyi Region. Furthermore, the forums also aimed to solicit feedback from end users on the usability of the forecasts and recommendations to enhance the early warning system in order to respond to potential disasters through early action. Participants raised recommendations, gaps and challenges such as the need for meteorological information technology training for DoA staff, dissemination of real-time meteorological information, capacity development on collection and storage of meteorological records, installation of weather sensors in townships (where there are no meteorological centers in the region) and strengthened coordination and sharing of meteorological information and forecast reports with the DoA..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Rome) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication: 2021-01-06
Date of entry/update: 2021-01-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: This tech startup is improving yields for farmers in rural Myanmar
Description: "For many farmers in rural Myanmar, Facebook embodies the internet. With scarce availability of WiFi, they often reserve their mobile data usage for the social network. That habit is difficult to break. Adrian Soe Myint, CEO of Yangon-based agritech startup Village Link, said it was challenging to convince farmers to allot part of their mobile data for the startup’s app, Htwet Toe, which means “higher yield.” The app’s name is exactly what Soe Myint wants for farmers in his country. Founded in 2016, the startup uses mobile technology to connect farmers and other stakeholders in Myanmar’s agriculture sector, which accounts for 38% of the country’s gross domestic product, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But agricultural productivity in Myanmar is extremely low – the national output falls far behind that of neighboring countries. In a blog post, the World Bank explains how the country has not been able to capitalize on its “fertile soils and abundant water source.” A rice farmer in Myanmar generates only 23 kilograms of paddy after one working day during monsoon season, compared to Vietnam’s output of 429 kilograms and Thailand’s 547 kilograms..."
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Source/publisher: "Tech in Asia" (Singapore)
Date of publication: 2020-02-12
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Mitigating climate change through organic agriculture
Sub-title: THIMPHU (Kuensel/ANN) - Even if global temperature change remains under 1.5°C to avert the worst impact of climate change, the Himalayan region would be two degrees hotter by 2100.
Description: "Even if global temperature change remains under 1.5°C to avert the worst impact of climate change, the Himalayan region would be two degrees hotter by 2100. With rising temperatures, about 36 percent of the glaciers in the region will be lost by the end of the century. This is according to a study conducted by Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Climate change and other environmental and socioeconomic drivers of change are testing the resilience of ecosystems and communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), said Nand Kishor Agarwal, an official with ICIMOD. “And if further changes happen in the earth’s climate, the region will suffer the most.” Even a slight climatic change could affect more than a billion people downstream who depend on the Himalayan Mountains for freshwater, energy and other ecosystem services..."
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Source/publisher: "Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-21
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Ooredoo Myanmar and UNDP collaborate to promote climate resilient farming practices while enhancing and diversifying income by leveraging innovation technology
Description: "Ooredoo Myanmar and UNDP Myanmar today signed a Partnership Agreement to support the implementation of the Sustainable Enterprises and Agricultural Development (SEAD) Project. The project aims to establish an inclusive and sustainable rural development model in Myanmar’s Dry Zone leveraging Ooredoo’s advanced mobile technology and UNDP’s experience in promoting climate resilient farming practices in the Dry Zone region of Myanmar. 130 target villages in Myingyan and Nyaung U townships are expected to directly benefit from the 15 months project. This partnership marks an important milestone for the Ooredoo Myanmar-UNDP partnership in Myanmar. The SEAD project will provide an agricultural support package to vulnerable farming communities in the dry zone to promote income diversification and resilient livelihoods. It will also provide virtual climate advisory services and promote sustainable agricultural and livestock breeding practices in partnership with key government counterparts. Finally, the project will help match supply with the demand for sustainable farming and related inputs and services; support value addition in the agriculture and livestock sectors; and connect farmers to markets and credit (through use of mobile money)..."
Source/publisher: UN Development Programme (UNDP) (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication: 2019-12-17
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 232.19 KB
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Title: Paths out of Poverty in Myanmar: Haircuts, Textiles, Rice and More
Description: "You may have heard about CWS and the ACT Alliance before. ACT is a coalition of churches and faith-based organizations that work in countries all over the world. It’s a platform for its members, including CWS, to coordinate our programs to be as efficient and effective as possible. To that end, many countries, including Myanmar, have ACT national forums. There are 10 ACT Alliance members who work in Myanmar, and we meet regularly. We’ve taken this partnership one step further and have a joint program in Kayin State, near the border with Thailand. We’re working with a key local organization, the Karen Baptist Convention, to help families improve their livelihoods. All 10 organizations are involved with financial support, technical advice or implementing. CWS is helping to fund this program. Recently, I traveled with a group of ACT leaders to two of the participating communities to see the program in action.One of our first stops was a Farmer Field School (which, by the way, is not unique to our work in Myanmar. CWS also supports Farmer Field Schools in Nicaragua). The FFS is a place for local farmers to come together and improve their collective experience. They share challenges they are facing and ideas for how to address them, and they can receive information and support from experts. In this case, the FFS was focusing on how to adapt planting techniques in the face of climate change. One technique is called the System of Rice Intensification, which uses less water than customary rice planting in Myanmar usually does. This is critically important in areas with water challenges, which is most of southeastern Myanmar..."
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Source/publisher: "Church World Service" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-06
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Bright prospects in Shan state's agro sector
Description: "The Shan state government will focus on agriculture to drive its economy and bring prosperity to Myanmar, as well as the region. Shan Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Nyunt Lwin said agriculture was one of the main resources in the state as the vast land and climate conditions were suitable for crops. “Agricultural produce from Shan is much sought after in domestic and overseas markets. There is a lot of potential for investors to explore the agricultural sector.” The state government recently held an investment forum on the agricultural sector for potential local and foreign investors, indicating its commitment to the economic focus on agriculture. Many people in Shan rely on agriculture for their livelihood. Among the major crops in the state are rice, maize, soyabean, potato, sugarcane, tea, coffee and mangoes. Chief Minister U Lin Htut said the state had sizeable land suited for agricultural cultivation, which also bordered China, Thailand and Laos. “The state is also home to the Muse and Tachileik border trade areas and has moderate levels of water, power and road infrastructure that can be improved. All of these point to a positive landscape for investments in Shan’s agriculture sector.” According to the state Department of Agriculture, there are 2.3 million ha of land suitable for cultivation in the state and only about 800,000ha are in use..."
Source/publisher: "New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
Date of publication: 2019-12-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: How the refinement of coffee and other crops is infusing life into Myanmar’s agricultural sector
Description: "Myanmar is not a country that comes to mind when one thinks of exquisite blends of coffee. But an olfactory and flavorsome revolution is in the making, infusing value into a beverage that has long lagged a poor second to Myanmar’s national beverage, tea. Coffee is growing in popularity. And the export potential is up, with smallholder coffee growers beginning to be able to compete or develop a niche in the world’s coffee market. Coffee is the second most sought-after commodity in the world, with an industry that is worth over $100 billion across the globe. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day. Over 90 percent of coffee production takes place in developing countries, mostly South America, while consumption happens mainly in the industrialized economies. TRANSFORMING THE RURAL IDYL: It is far too early to see a Starbucks crop up in every town and city in Myanmar. But what we are seeing is the development of standard and specialty coffees aimed at local and foreign palates. Everybody knows that Myanmar’s agricultural sector makes up the backbone of the economy with over 60 percent of the working population toiling the land. But up to a few years ago it was a backward production model typified by scenes of bullocks ploughing the fields and poor communications, mud roads and supply chains..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-11-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar produces 30 m tons of paddy in 2018-19 FY
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)
Date of publication: 2019-10-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar, Italy sign MoU to cooperate in water management and mechanized farming
Description: "A ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Myanmar and Italy to cooperate in the water management in the farming sector and development of mechanized farming, was held in Nay Pyi Taw on August 2, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. Under the MoU, Italy will provide technical assistance for the establishment of irrigation technical center at the Shwehlanbo river water pumping and underground water training school in Sintkai Township in Mandalay Region for the development of dam irrigation technology and the mechanized farming technology center at No.61 mechanized farming camp in Wetlet Township in Sagaing Region for development of mechanized farming system, for three years. The MoU was signed by Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Hla Kyaw and Italian Ambassador to Myanmar Mrs. Alessandra Schiavo. In addition, the ministry is discussing a plan to promote technical cooperation for development of farming sector between Myanmar and India. Both sides discussed the utilization of technologies and opening of animal health and management courses according to the MoU between Myanmar and India, for development Rakhine State..."
Source/publisher: "Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-08-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: U.S. Celebrates Private Sector Growth in Myanmar’s Agriculture Sector
Description: "The United States and Myanmar partners celebrated achievements in Myanmar’s melon, sesame, coffee, ginger, and soybean sectors at the #MarketNext event yesterday, according to a press release. Agriculture is vital to the livelihoods of the majority of people in Myanmar. U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel answered questions from trade association leaders, farmers and other Myanmar partners during today’s event. He said, “Myanmar has tremendous potential to produce and export a wide range of agricultural products. Our programs are designed to help farmers and others expand quality production and find good markets that allow them to increase their incomes.” The #MarketNext event marks the end of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Value Chains for Rural Development project. USAID invested $27 million from 2014-2019. This project has helped 40,000 farmers, at least a third of whom are women, and 400 private sector partners. Strong producer and exporter associations such as Myanmar Coffee Association, Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association, and the Sesame Farmer Development Association will carry on the work of helping farmers improve their production while also establishing new markets for Myanmar products..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-10-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: US development fund providing micro lending to small farmers
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)
Date of publication: 2019-04-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar SMEs learn about new food labeling regulations
Description: "Owners and representatives of more than 30 small and medium agri-food enterprises from Myanmar joined the Food Safety Learning Event on New Product Labeling Guidelines for Processed Agri-food held on September 26. Organized under Mekong Institute’s Food Safety Project with the support of the New Zealand Aid Programme, the one-day event sought to serve as a platform to present the updated food labeling guidelines in Myanmar as well as discuss opportunities and challenges in enforcing these new requirements. In her welcome remarks, Ms. Maria Theresa Medialdia, Director of MI’s Agricultural Development and Commercialization Department, highlighted that Myanmar, just like its neighboring ASEAN countries, still heavily relies on its agriculture sector. Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the region need further support to build their knowledge and skills to produce more high value products. Ms. Medialdia noted that proper food labeling is important as it ensures that crucial product information are provided, ultimately benefitting consumers and other key actors in the food supply chain. Aside from improving food quality and safety, instituting accurate and attractive product labels can strengthen the competitiveness of food businesses, especially among agri-food SMEs. U Ye Htut Naing, Director of the Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Consumer Affairs, was also present to discuss the updated product labeling regulations outlined in the Chapter 18 of the Consumer Protection Law 2019. One of the key focus areas of the new law is promoting stronger compliance on appropriate product labeling, especially among agri-food enterprises. After the presentation, local food safety experts and business sector representatives shared their perspectives on the new regulations as well as on Myanmar SMEs’ potentials, problems, and needs in improving product quality and safety. Among those in the panel were U Thin Maung Myint of the Myanmar Food Processors and Exporters Association; Dr. Hla Aung of Myanmar Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association; as well as Daw Tin Swe Aye and Daw Win Win Kyi of the Myanmar Food Science and Technology Association..."
Source/publisher: "Mekong Institute" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: U.S. and Myanmar Teams Work to Control New Agricultural Pest
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
Date of publication: 2019-03-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 366.03 KB
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Title: U.S. Supports Rural Farming Communities in Myanmar
Description: "How will Myanmar farmers and their families benefit from the dramatic changes taking place in Myanmar’s rural economy? This was the central question at a day-long workshop that brought together American and Myanmar researchers and Government of Myanmar policy makers and agricultural program implementers, according to a press release. U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel opened the day-long workshop in Yangon on September 26. He said, “The United States is committed to supporting Myanmar’s economic transformation and democratic transition. For Myanmar, that means working to help transform the agricultural sector, a source of livelihood for more than seventy percent of rural households.” Faculty of Michigan State University facilitated four panel discussions about the findings from the Food Security Policy Project, a five-year investment co-financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT). Participants reviewed findings from surveys of close to 8000 rural households, 800 communities, and more than 1150 enterprises in agricultural value chains in eight states and regions, including Mon, the Delta, the Dry Zone, and Shan. Panelists encouraged government policy makers to understand how farmers can benefit from changes such as the maize boom in Shan State, the rise of aquaculture in the Delta, changes affecting communities working with oilseed and pulses in the Dry Zone, and the recent surge in mechanization in agriculture. They discussed farmers’ needs to access and utilize land, seed and credit, the changing rural economy, migration, and the need to consider gender issues in policies and programs..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar calls for sustainable development in natural rubber plantation
Description: "A high-ranking Myanmar official has called for sustainable development in natural rubber plantation to avoid degradation of forest, biodiversity and ecosystem. Dr. Aung Thu, minister of agriculture, livestock and irrigation, made the remarks at the International Rubber Conference 2019, which began in Nay Pyi Taw Monday, according to the ministry Tuesday. Aung Thu called for supporting rubber growers and increasing the export substitution for rubber products to expand market for the planters and create more job opportunities. He advised to adopt policies for sustainable development of the industry, cooperate with local and international organizations, support the production of high-quality rubber and provide assistance to small-scale rubber planters. Myanmar joined the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries and became a member of International Rubber Research and Development Board in December 2018..."
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Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication: 2019-10-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Real rural wages rise 40pc in just five years: study
Sub-title: Real rural wages increased by around 40 percent in just five years due to labour shortages brought about by migration, a study shows.
Description: "The finding was revealed during workshop organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Yangon on Thursday. Machinery such as combine harvester were hardly used in 2013, but by 2016, half of all rice farms used them so farming is mechanising quickly according to the study research. US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel attended the workshop titled Agriculture,Value Chains and Rural Transformation in Myanmar . “The United States is committed to supporting Myanmar’s economic transformation and democratic transition. For Myanmar, that means working to help transform the agricultural sector, a source of livelihood for more than seventy percent of rural households,” Marciel said in a speech for the workshop. Participants reviewed finding from surveys of close to 8000 rural households, 800 communities and more than 1150 enterprises in agricultural value chains in eight states and regions, including Mon,the delta and dry zones and Shan..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: How this company is building sustainable bamboo practice in Myanmar
Description: "As a bamboo design and construction company, Pounamu’s business relies on the supply of bamboo. So in 2017, the company thought: How can we make the business more sustainable? The answer lies in training communities on sustainable bamboo forestry, treatment, and construction. “Actually the bamboo is a sustainable material in itself, but … we [should care] and ... [be] good [in] managing and taking the bamboo from the forest,” Pounamu Operations Director Soe Win Zaw told Devex at the 7th Asia-Pacific Housing Forum in Bangkok. Bamboo technology in the housing sector isn’t new, but Pounamu’s work with the community on sustainable and productive practices in the sourcing and utilization of bamboo has earned the company the first Asia-Pacific Housing Forum Innovation Awards in the category of community initiatives and spatial planning. The innovation awards are initiated by Habitat for Humanity with support from the Hilti Foundation and the Cities Alliance..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "devex" (USA)
Date of publication: 2019-09-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar aims to become seed exporter in next five or ten years
Description: "Myanmar is working to become a seed-exporting country in the next five or ten years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. Dr. Ye Tin Tun, Director-General of the Agricultural Department said: “In implementing the goal of becoming a seed-exporting country, cooperation between the departments such as seed division and plant protection division under the Agricultural Department and Agricultural Research Department, Customs Department and the Commerce Ministry, seed production companies and farmers, are needed.” Farmers can increase their income only when they can use high-yield seeds and new seed species which can make rapid response to climate changes. It would help support the country’s GDP growth, he continued. Currently, the country has to import seeds from other countries. The government will make coordination with those involved in the seed sector, through the national-level discussions on the review of the existing laws and procedures. In addition, the government is trying to establish a seed production system in order to enable farmers to have easy access to high-quality seeds and to manufacture necessary seeds in harmony with the growing season..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Eleven Media Group"
Date of publication: 2019-09-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Govt to borrow US$185 million for rural development
Sub-title: The government will borrow US$185 million (K283.4 billion) from the Asian Development Bank to finance rural development projects across the country, a senior agriculture official said.
Description: "U Hla Kyaw, deputy minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, told the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Assembly of the Union) on Monday that more than 1.8 million people would benefit from the projects funded by the loan. Most of the projects would be labour intensive and would directly benefit people in villages. “The villagers will participate in rural development, the incomes of rural families will increase, and their living standard will be higher,” he said, adding that the projects will help rural people better withstand natural disasters. The ADB loan will form part of the $244.95 million in rural development projects that the government is currently implementing. A portion of the project is funded by the European Union and the Japanese government. U Hla Kyaw said 70 percent of the projects will involve the direct participation of villagers. “The public approach development method will be used,” said U Hla Kyaw, adding that some 1395 local youths will be appointed public organisers..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
Date of publication: 2019-09-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Ministry urges farmers to save water
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"
Date of publication: 2019-09-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Food Security Assessment in the Dry Zone Myanmar
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)
Date of publication: 2011-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 1.74 MB
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Title: Ongo digitises microfinance loan repayments
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"
Date of publication: 2019-08-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar’s farmers go hi-tech
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"
Date of publication: 2019-05-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Sustainable Agriculture Development collaboration in Myanmar
Description: "On the 21st of February 2019, in Navartana Hall, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw – Myanmar, the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sustainable Agriculture Development collaboration. Following one year of intense discussions, the MoU covering technical cooperation between SFSA and DAR, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI), Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has been signed in Nay Pyi Taw. The Department of Agricultural Research was represented by U Naing Kyi Win, Director General, and the Syngenta Foundation by Hervé Thieblemont, South-east Asia regional director. The overall objective of this three year Seeds to Business (S2B) program driven by SFSA is to improve access to quality seeds for smallholder farmers in Myanmar. SFSA contribution will be focused on: Facilitating links between DAR/DOA and the private seed companies Promoting and facilitating regular dialogue between DAR and the Myanmar Seed association. These discussions should include market feedback to ensure breeding and trialing programs are targeting market demands. Implementing additional field plots and trials to for new varieties for open viewing for private sector partners and testing with farmers and grower groups to identify commercial varieties in collaboration with local seed companies. Supporting the private sector to confirm and test seed production economics and build capacity for seed production..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Syngenta Foundation"
Date of publication: 2019-03-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar Agriculture Network (MAN) Video
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
Date of publication: 2018-10-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar: ILO makes ginger farming safer and more productive
Description: "In Myanmar’ Shan State, ginger represents an important means of livelihood for hundreds of farmers. Working long hours under the blazing sun, farmers seldom protect themselves from the risks the fields expose them to. To address the various health risks associated with agricultural practices and maximize cropping, the ILO Vision Zero Fund project is working with farmers and their communities to equip them with better information on occupational safety and health (OSH) and the safe use of agrochemicals..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: International Labour Organization (ILO)
Date of publication: 2018-07-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar: Using design to improve agriculture
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..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: DW News
Date of publication: 2013-08-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Proximity Annual Report FY2017 - 1 JULY 2016 – 30 JUNE 2017
Description: "Staying ahead in Myanmar’s changing irrigation market Our irrigation business designs innovative products to meet the rapidly evolving needs of Myanmar’s smallholder farmers. While treadle pump sales declined 16 percent this year, the introduction of our new sprinkler system has contributed significantly in boosting overall sales. Precision irrigation systems (drip and sprinkler products) now account for 52 percent of total sales, up from 28 percent last year, reflecting broader technology trends throughout Myanmar. As urban and out migration have increased so have rural labor shortages, and consequently farmers continue to demand more labor-saving products. By making our precision irrigation systems compatible with mechanized pumps and focusing on technologies that optimize farmers’ limited resources, we are pivoting to meet their demands. As a result, product sales increased to 24,627 units, 17 percent higher than last year. Yetagon Irrigation’s production and delivery methods are evolving alongside its portfolio mix. The manufacturing team is now using foreign parts to assemble products in the South Dagon workshop, speeding up the production process, lowering costs, and improving the quality of our products. We have also refined our four-channel delivery system: agents are now trained to install products, allowing sales representatives and agro dealers to improve their closing rates to 30 percent, while an improved online platform allows us to engage with customers outside the reach of previously existing channels. This year the direct sales force, comprised of 83 sales representatives, held 47,510 product demonstrations and drove the majority of our irrigation product sales (73 percent). Although total product sales have increased, sales of specific products such as the Lotus solar pump were considerably lower than expected. In order to combat this low uptake, we have developed a new sales incentive structure and rent-to-own payment system for the solar pump. These new initiatives will be rolled out in Q1 FY2018..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
Date of publication: 2017-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 817.61 KB
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Title: Proximity Annual Report FY2018 - 1 JULY, 2017 – 30 JUNE, 2018
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
Date of publication: 2018-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 1.18 MB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2017 Q1 - 01 July – 30 September 2016
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
Date of publication: 2016-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 1.78 MB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2017 Q2 - 01 October –31 December 2016
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
Date of publication: 2016-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Format : pdf
Size: 2.42 MB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2017 Q3 - 01 January to 31 March 2017
Description: "In quarter three Proximity expanded to serve more rural households in Myanmar. As of March 31, 113,258 unique customers have purchased a product, adopted our farm advisory or received our financial services this fiscal year. This quarter farm households purchased 8,871 irrigation products—a 20 percent increase on the same quarter last year. 67,695 rural households have loans outstanding from Proximity Finance. 14,657 farmers received farm advisory services—a 182 percent increase on the same quarter last year. The results of our impact survey show that adopters of our farm advisory services are increasing their annual income by an average of USD480 above the control group’s annual income of USD932. Our Economic Research team hosted 21 senior Myanmar leaders on a leadership program and trip to Jakarta and Maluku to learn how Indonesia resolved their violent, inter-communal conflicts..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
Date of publication: 2017-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 712.34 KB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2018 Q1 - July 1st to Sept 30th 2017
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
Date of publication: 2017-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 766.57 KB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2018 Q2 - Oct 1st to Dec 31st 2017
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
Date of publication: 2017-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 723.76 KB
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Title: Proximity Quarterly Report FY2018 Q3 - FY18 Q3 Report - Jan 1st to Mar 31st 2018
Description: "Overall, we added 15,087 new customers during the quarter, which was well below our target. A combination of regulatory disruptions in our lending operations and depressed demand due to price increases in our irrigation business contributed to this disappointing result. Year-to-date, we have added 71,630 new customers. During this quarter, we launched one new agronomy service and have design teams working on two new services. Farm Tech We sold 6,543 irrigation products this quarter, led by our drip and sprinkler products. Year-to-date sales are up 13 percent over last year and we project being able to reach our year-end target of 28,000 sales. However, this quarter’s sales came in below our targets due to the effects of a significant price increase we introduced on 1 January 2018 and some new competition in the market. Sales revenues for the quarter totaled US$218,000. We have 86 sales reps (who achieved a 15 percent closing rate), 96 agro-dealers in our network and 220 active village agents who helped 1,622 customers install their new irrigation products. We’ve always viewed our strategy as a ‘market-maker’ for micro irrigation in Myanmar — and for the first time, we’re seeing several local irrigation manufacturers and sales organizations enter the market. This has led us to focus on introducing new irrigation technologies — such as our ‘mister’ product and low-cost, solar-powered irrigation pump. To meet our affordability goals, we’re making our Yangon manufacturing plant operations more efficient and sourcing more components from low-cost manufacturers. Agronomy Services During Q3 we added 6,217 new farmers, a 54 percent increase over the same period last year. These farmers adopted at least one of the crop production techniques we promote across Myanmar’s Delta and Dry Zone regions. The most popular service this quarter was advice on improving fertilizer application and management. Year-to-date, 44,104 new farmers have been acquired and we anticipate reaching our target of 48,400 by the end of our fiscal year in June. Since 2016, we’ve served 101,950 rice farmers. The primary sales and service delivery channel is through village group meetings organized by our 98 field agronomists. During this quarter, 1,954 village group meetings were held, attended by 19,997 farmers. At the initial meetings, we’re able to achieve 30 percent adoption rates. Over several seasons in a given township, this rate typically increases to over 50 percent. To lower our unit costs to serve, we have introduced an SMS messaging service. This quarter, we have 6,208 digital subscribers. We trialled IVR (Interactive Voice Response) messaging with a leading technology company but came to the conclusion that Myanmar’s telecom infrastructure is not ready for it..."
Source/publisher: Proximity Designs
Date of publication: 2018-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 1.28 MB
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Title: FY2019 Q1 Report – July 1st to September 30th 2018
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
Date of publication: 2018-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 536.19 KB
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Title: FY2019 Q2 Report – October 1st to December 31st 2018
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
Date of publication: 2018-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 769.7 KB
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Title: FY2019 Q3 Report – January 1st to March 31st, 2019
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
Date of publication: 2019-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar Drought Resilience
Description: "At the Thomson Reuters Foundation we act to promote socio-economic progress and the rule of law worldwide. We play a leading role in the fight against human trafficking. We use the skills, values, and expertise of Thomson Reuters to run programmes that trigger real change and empower people around the world. We tackle global issues. We achieve lasting impact..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Thomson Reuters Foundation via Proximity Designs
Date of publication: 2017-03-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Small Scale Irrigation Adviser in Myanmar
Topic: agricultural practices, capacity building, crop management, food security, water resource management
Topic: agricultural practices, capacity building, crop management, food security, water resource management
Description: "The Rakhine Winter Crops Project (RWCP) is an ambitious programme to facilitate crop diversification, increased production and improved agricultural water management for the dry season in order to increase farmer incomes, employment and food security. RWCP operates in Thandwe, Taungup and Gwa Townships of Rakhine State, Myanmar. Key aspects of the 5-year NZ$11.5m programme include, among others: The provision of Good Agriculture Practice training and applied research for farmers to diversify into more productive and profitable winter crops; The implementation of a home garden program, particularly for landless farmers; Strengthening the institutional capacity of government extension workers and Community Development Groups. Sandwiched between the Bay of Bengal and the Rakhine Yoma mountain range, Rakhine State is one of Myanmar’s least developed areas. Communities there confront a number of serious challenges, including malnutrition, poverty, conflict, weak infrastructure and susceptibility to extreme weather events. The majority of Rakhine’s population are reliant on subsistence agriculture. More than half of the rural population are landless and dependent on casual labour for employment and income..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) via Adam Smith International
Date of publication: 2018-09-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Vacancy: Senior Agriculture Specialist in Crop Agronomy and Soils
Topic: agricultural land, agricultural practices, agricultural productivity, agriculture, agroforestry, capacity building, crop management, drought tolerant crops, land-use management practices, sustainability sustainable agriculture, sustainable land management
Topic: agricultural land, agricultural practices, agricultural productivity, agriculture, agroforestry, capacity building, crop management, drought tolerant crops, land-use management practices, sustainability sustainable agriculture, sustainable land management
Description: "The International Fertilizer Development Center IFDC is accepting qualified applications for the five-year USAID-Funded Myanmar Agri-Food Systems Activity, which will facilitate the transformation of agriculture and food systems through increasing the productivity, inclusiveness, and competitiveness of key value chains. The Senior Agricultural Specialist in Crop Agronomy and Soils will provide leadership in identifying appropriate good agricultural practices and farming technologies for various agricultural extension systems. They will manage and support sectors and sub-sectors of agricultural, agribusiness, and value chain development project interventions..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) via International Fertilizer Development Center IFDC
Date of publication: 2019-04-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Rubber Production in Tanintharyi Region
Description: "Sustainable rubber is the future and Myanmar has the chance to be a leading player - a win-win-win for the environment, communities and the economy.” Myanmar is one of the most biodiverse countries in Southeast Asia. Its pristine forests, free flowing rivers, beautiful lakes and other natural assets support the livelihoods of millions of people. However, these natural assets are in grave danger. Threats including infrastructure development, illegal logging and rapid rubber expansion are destroying forest habitat that is essential for wildlife, communities and the Myanmar economy. It need not be this way. The global rubber market is shifting towards sustainability with the two biggest mobility companies, Michelin and General Motors, already committed to sourcing and using sustainable rubber. Others will follow. Myanmar has a great opportunity to transform its rubber sector by producing sustainable rubber following a zero deforestation approach. This will protect forests, improve the livelihoods of communities, and contribute to the targets of the National Export Strategy for rubber. This comprehensive analysis will help stakeholders understand the existing dynamics of rubber production and trade and why it is critically important to transform the industry to benefit both communities and environment. The tremendous effort by CIRAD and Yezin University in undertaking this study is truly commendable. The insights and data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), and the Myanmar Rubber Planters and Producers Association (MRPPA) have been invaluable in driving important conclusions. This is the moment for Myanmar to become a leader in sustainable rubber production, a decision that will be applauded by generations to come..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Date of publication: 2017-08-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 2.33 MB
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Title: Myanmar Country Environmental Analysis – Sustainability, Peace, and Prosperity : Forests, Fisheries, and Environmental Management – Forest Resources Sector Report
Description: "Myanmar’s forest and timber sector has been central to the country’s economy and society, particularly over the last century. Myanmar’s forests contain some of the most valued species in the world—particularly rosewood, ironwood, and teak. Myanmar also has one of the most longstanding forest management systems in the tropics. Today, despite reduced timber extraction revenues, wood industry still generates over 8 percent of formal government revenues. Beyond timber, rural society largely depends on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and agroforestry for food, medicine, and wood fuel, which is by far the most important energy source in rural Myanmar, with between 60 percent and 80 percent of communities relying on this source. Some of Myanmar’s forests also form some of the world’s most critically important biodiversity ‘hotspots’. The importance of Myanmar’s forests is not limited to their wood products alone: • Forest governance and the peace process are directly intertwined: Two-thirds of Myanmar’s remaining forested areas are managed by ethnic groups, in many cases through customary tenure systems, with much of this forest located in conflict areas. It is evident that inclusive forest governance and natural resource management and empowering local agents will contribute to the national peace-building process and reduce conflict. • Community forestry (CF) and smallholder plantations are financially and socially viable and can meaningfully contribute to rural income generation, provided the appropriate institutions, rights, incentives, and technical support are in place. Community-based forestry programs represent international best practice, providing tenure to communities to stimulate investments and creating trust, income, and business opportunities. • Wood processing can enhance exports and rural jobs creation. Myanmar currently loses economic value from limited or wasteful low-quality timber processing of some of the world’s most valuable timber. Looking to other countries in the region, Vietnam invested heavily in high value-added processing and forest small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over the last 10 years, and today is the fifth largest exporter of wood products with revenue exceeding that of Myanmar more than twentyfold in value. The looming global supply gap for wood products will most likely boost this sector even more in the future. • At the same time, forests and mangroves provide significant ecosystem services for water catchment, habitat for flora and fauna, carbon storage, soil nutrient recovery, and increasingly important disaster risk protection. With accelerating climate change, forests’ role in both mitigation and, more crucially, adaptation will be increasingly essential (improving basin-level hydrological functions, especially maintaining moisture recycling and rainfall and reducing droughts and floods), especially for downstream/lowland populations. In the years before the democratic transition, forest areas were largely over-logged to maximize timber revenues with little consideration for sustainability, which resulted in widespread degradation of the Permanent Forest Estate (PFE). Illegal logging and corrupt practices are still ongoing, but in 2014, a log export ban (alongside other policy measures) was imposed to stop the plundering of production forests. Since then, the forest and timber sector is undergoing a series of reforms to better control and manage the resources in a more socially inclusive and transparent way. Although the current direction is positive, and there is high political ownership by the government and society, progress is still slow..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 3.02 MB
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Title: Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Sector in Myanmar (Vol. 6) : Baseline Assessment Report : Economic Development and Land Use
Description: "Hydropower development in Myanmar has potentially wide-ranging impacts. Hydropower development in Myanmar is taking place in the context of sustained and rapid economic growth over approximately the last two decades. This has been driven predominantly by growth in the industrial sector, although growth in the agricultural and service sectors has also been important. Extractive and natural-resourced based industries have been an important component of this growth with natural gas, minerals and timber comprising the lion’s share of exports. The economics baseline develops a broad strategic picture of relevant economic sectors, highlights development and environmental issues, identifies interactions with hydropower development and potential cumulative impacts of hydropower and other economic development. Based upon consultations throughout potentially hydropower affected areas of the country, five economic sectors were identified as having important linkages with hydropower that the SEA should investigate, these were i) the Power sector; ii) Agriculture; iii) Forestry; iv) Mining; and, v)Transportation. Power sector - Hydropower has significant direct economic benefits. It represents an important part of grid-based electricity generation, accounting for around 3.5 GW of installed capacity and 72% of grid-based electricity generation in 2014. The value of the electricity generated per year is best estimated in terms of the value of alternative supply of electricity, which would make the approximately 6,920 GWh generated by hydropower in 2014 worth USD 735 million.1 Agriculture - agriculture has expended relatively rapidly since the 1990s with significant increases in land under cultivation, irrigable area and cropping intensity. The use of agricultural inputs has also grown rapidly with increases in the use of agricultural chemicals and mechanisation in particular. These changes have led to significant increases in agricultural productivity over the last two decades. However, in recent years value-added growth in the sector has been low. Significant interactions between hydropower and agriculture include: • Reduced nutrient transport; • Reduced deltaic stability; • Increased erosion downstream of HP plants; • Unseasonal changes in water flow or availability; • Loss of riverbank gardens associated with changes in flow regime and/or sedimentation; • Loss of agricultural land in area inundated by HP plants with a reservoir; • Loss of access to land in watershed protection area; • Reduced flooding of plants managed for flood reduction; • Increased water availability for irrigation if plants managed for multiple use; • Improved electricity supply; • Deforestation and knock-on consequences for other sectors (such as flooding, erosion and soil degradation) and biodiversity loss; • Increased pollution from agricultural run-off compounding reservoir water-quality issues; and, • Increased soil degradation, erosion and sedimentation caused by agricultural practices. Forestry - forestry represents a relatively small and declining share of GDP. Although value-added has grown considerably since the early 2000s, in recent years production in the sector has declined, in part due to policies banning the export of raw timber. Illegally exported timber, not accounted for in official statistics, is typically smuggled across the border to China, remains important. The key development and environmental issue associated with the forest sector is deforestation and unsustainable use of timber resources. Important interactions with hydropower development were identified as: • Clearance of forest from inundation areas and transmission line corridors; • Deforestation through better access to forests, through road and other infrastructure, including during the plant construction period; and • Increased watershed erosion due to deforestation and sedimentation in reservoir..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-01-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Format : pdf
Size: 2.56 MB
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Title: Myanmar Country Environmental Analysis
Description: "Myanmar is rich in natural resources and is a global biodiversity hotspot. It is also a country in the midst of a huge political and social change. For three decades, Myanmar was ruled by a military junta. In 2015, free elections were held, and since then the government has been grappling with the challenge of tackling poverty and developing the country. However, the government is aware of the importance of managing its natural wealth in a sustainable way as expressed in the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP). This vision is supported by a recent World Bank The Changing Wealth of Nations report that argues that the management of natural resources is critical to long-term sustainable development (Lange, Wodon, and Carey 2018). Myanmar’s forests and fishing industry are two significant contributors to the economy, and yet these sectors are also potentially under threat from overexploitation and mismanagement. The management of solid waste, air pollution, and the use of plastics provides another growing challenge. In addition, the role of government and other stakeholders in the management of these sectors and issues is central to whether the government will succeed in reversing the current trends and be able to find a longterm sustainable solution to the problem. This report explores the issues and challenges faced and the legal and institutional context. Through a lens of poverty reduction, social inclusion and participation, and economic growth, the report tells a story of an urgent need for institutional support and reform, improvements in the enforcement against illegal extraction of resources, behavior change in all relevant stakeholders, institutional capacity building, increased funding, and improvements in data collection and analysis. If these recommendations are acted on, then Myanmar can reverse the negative trends and lead its environment on a path toward a more sustainable future..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-06-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 6.77 MB 5.7 MB 2.38 MB
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Title: Myanmar Country Environmental Analysis – Sustainability, Peace, and Prosperity : Forests, Fisheries, and Environmental Management – Assessing the Opportunities for Scaling Up Community Forestry and Community Forestry Enterprises in Myanmar
Description: ''Rural communities in Myanmar have numerous economic, environmental, and social opportunities but also face challenges as they seek a clear and solid pathway to development. The Government of Myanmar (GoM), as well as several development and donor organizations, have recognized the potential of community forestry (CF) to address many of these challenges. This recognition has taken the form of targets for CF development (for example, 2.27 million acres [919,000 hectares (ha)] of community forests by fiscal year 2030/31), legal frameworks (for example, Community Forestry Instructions [CFIs], 1995 and 2016), and programs by state and non-state actors (NSAs). The first steps in the development of a CF program in the country started in December 1995 with the issuance of the CFI. The early years of CF, which can be defined as an emergent phase, were limited by legislative and institutional challenges. However, recent years have seen the program develop with focus moving from protection, with limited livelihood opportunities for communities with tenure to their forests, to livelihood and enterprise development, recognizing that forests will only be protected if local communities are allowed and able to tangibly benefit from their forests (for example, revised CFI, 2016 and CF Strategy Action Plan, 2018–2020). This work examines the state of CF and community forest enterprises (CFE) in Myanmar, assessing their impacts, exploring the challenges to and opportunities for their upscaling, and from these putting forward a series of recommendations to ensure that the program sustainably delivers for forest communities as well as Myanmar as a whole...''
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 5.86 MB
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Title: Myanmar Country Environmental Analysis – Sustainability, Peace, and Prosperity : Forests, Fisheries, and Environmental Management – Environmental Impact Assessment System Diagnostic
Description: "Myanmar's gross domestic product (GDP) was US$67 billion in 20171 and has been growing at a high rate of 7.2 percent in 2013-2018. The GDP growth rate is expected to be 6.2 percent in the 2018/19 fiscal year (World Bank Group 2018). Most of the contribution to GDP growth in the past five years has stemmed from industry (1.9 percentage points from manufacturing and 0.7 percentage points from other industries) and services (3.9 percentage points). Myanmar has relied heavily on natural resource exploitation to sustain economic growth, and serious environmental issues are emerging, underlining the importance of transparent and robust Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system. There are growing concerns around the impacts of the large-scale development, including deforestation, depletion of inland and coastal fisheries, land degradation, flooding and landslides, biodiversity loss, and the deterioration of water and air quality (IFC 2017; Rai6er, Samson, and Nam 2015). A functioning EIA system is critical in identifying and managing the potential impacts of large-scale development and striking the balance between economic development, environmental conservation, and social inclusion. Balancing economic growth and environmental protection remains a critical policy challenge. Myanmar was ranked 171st in the World Bank Group Doing Business 2019 report; in terms of environmental governance, Myanmar scored 138th out of 180 countries on the Yale Environmental Performance Index in 2018. There is a need to improve business regulations while increasing efficiency and effectiveness of EIA, monitoring, and compliance systems that support environmental and social (E&S) sustainability. This also underlines the need for effective public participation in environment and natural resources (ENR) management, which an effective EIA process can facilitate. At the policy level, the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP) (2018-2030) and National Environment Policy (2019) provide the foundation for mainstreaming ENR into development planning. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) and its Environmental Conservation Department (ECD) have also set ambitious targets to recruit more than 19,000 staff by 2025 and establish 73 offices at the district level and 365 offices at the township level. Internally, they have also recogni6ed the urgent need to strengthen EIA systems. Significant progress has been achieved in recent years by the Government of Myanmar (GoM) in establishing the legal and regulatory framework for environmental management. The GoM has introduced the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) (2012), supported by the Environment Conservation Rules (ECR) (2014) and EIA Procedure (2015). The government has also set up an EIA Division to oversee the review and approval of EIAs, Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs), and Environmental Management Plans (EMPs). Over the last three years, the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB) and other development partners have invested in building the capacity of ECD through support to training and development of sector-specific guidelines..."
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 2.45 MB
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Title: Poverty Report- Myanmar Living Conditions Survey 2017
Description: "The 2017 Myanmar Living Conditions Survey (MLCS) was implemented by the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) in the Ministry of Planning and Finance (MOPF), with financial and technical support from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The MLCS was conducted over a 12-month period from December 2016 to December 2017. It covered 13,730 households sampled countrywide. The MLCS had the following objectives: (i) provide updated estimates of poverty and living conditions at the national, urban/rural and state and region levels; (ii) inform national data needs and selected Sustainable Development Goal targets; (iii) construct consumption weights for the national and regional CPI baskets; and (iv) estimate private consumption expenditure for the System of National Accounts. This Poverty Report is the second in a series of three analytical reports: (i) Key Indicators Report; (ii) Poverty Report; and (iii) Socio-economic Report. It provides a basic diagnostic of poverty. The forthcoming and more detailed Socio-economic Report will feature an in-depth analysis of living conditions in Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: World Bank
Date of publication: 2019-06-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 6.77 MB 1.1 MB
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Title: Myanmar - Connecting rural people to knowledge, resources and markets
Creator/author: Omer Zafar
Source/publisher: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Date of publication: 2017-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.7 MB
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Title: Case Study: Central and Northern Rakhine State Case Study: Revisiting emergency response and recovery projects in disaster and conflict affected communities
Description: "ES1 The Rakhine case study contributes to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Myanmar Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) from 2011 to 2016. This case study seeks to provide a collective picture of FAO emergency response interventions in Rakhine State over the course of the programme period under review and inform future emergency and recovery programming in the region...ES2 Central and northern Rakhine State (NRS) experienced recurrent natural disasters and several intercommunity conflicts. The region’s population is generally divided into two major religious groups further characterized by their ethnic origins. These differences, in addition to other factors, have resulted in violent confrontations beginning in 2012, causing loss of life and destruction of farms and infrastructure. Floods, mudslides and cyclones along with the sporadic violence have displaced many households over the years. Those who remain in their villages face similar risks, with limited attention and support services...ES3 The study covered six emergency and recovery/rehabilitation projects where FAO responded to humanitarian emergencies brought about by disasters or conflict from 2011 to 2015 in six townships in central and northern Rakhine State. This includes: Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Minbya, Mrauk U, and Sittwe. The study involved review of project documents and consultations with various stakeholders in Rakhine, and interviews with beneficiary households and communities...ES4 FAO’s response provided seeds for rice, pulses, ground nut, and vegetable, fertilizers, bio-pesticides and agricultural inputs, livestock (cattle, goats, poultry), fishing gears and equipment, rehabilitation of infrastructure, training in improved agro-technological and livestock production...ES5 There is general positive feedback on the inputs provided by FAO in various projects gathered from post-distribution surveys and group discussions. Among the positive characteristics are the good quality in the rice, legume and vegetable seeds, fertilizers and livestock (cattle and buffalo are more preferred for farming)...ES6 FAO’s strong partnership with the government provided needed support for its activities. However, there is general weakness in FAO’s partnership with other development agencies and civil society organization in Rakhine...ES7 The impact of FAO’s intervention has been in preventing farmers from spiralling into further debt; however, the positive impact of FAO’s support remains short-term due to the recurring shocks faced by communities over the course of a year. A number of the project areas were beset with landslides, floods and saltwater intrusion due to strong wind and rains during or immediately after project implementation...ES8 There is conscious effort in FAO implementation to target women, female headed households and vulnerable groups with limited economic opportunities, especially in the distribution of poultry and small ruminants. Communities appreciate the specific targeting of landless, women and elderly...ES9 The impact of FAO’s intervention has been in preventing farmers from spiralling into further debt. FAO-assisted communities have been more stable and are more able to re-engage in their farming activities following shocks...ES10 FAO should explore developing a Rakhine programme focusing on building resilience of Rakhine and Muslim agriculture communities. Through a programmatic approach, FAO could address immediate and medium-term needs around emergencies and shocks while addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability and contributing to social cohesion and peacebuilding over the long-term..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Date of publication: 2017-07-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.47 MB
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Title: Evaluation of FAO’s contribution to the Myanmar Country Programme - Terms of reference
Description: "The FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) has been conducting country programme evaluations since 2005 to provide accountability to member countries, national governments and development partners, and draw lessons and suggestions for programme improvement. Myanmar was selected as one of the countries in which to carry out a Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) in 2016. The main factors that led the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) and Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) to select Myanmar are: i) the imminent end of Myanmar’s Country Programming Framework (CPF) in 2016, and ii) the coincident termination of the assignment of the FAO Country Representative. Since February 2016 Myanmar has a new democratic Government, with a non-military president. In this changing environment the CPE should contribute to support the new FAO Country Representative and the Government in identifying the future strategic direction of FAO programme in the country. The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the evaluation are the result of a preparatory phase, consisting of: a desk review of existing documentation, a preliminary analysis of FAO’s portfolio of work in Myanmar, a contextual analysis and scoping interviews with FAO staff at the country, regional levels and in headquarters. The ToR also benefited from discussions held during the inception mission carried out in December 2015. The evaluation team consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including government officials, donors, United Nations agencies, and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The emphasis of the CPE will be on evaluating themes and issues important to the FAO Programme in Myanmar. Individual projects will mostly not be evaluated in detail. This ToR will be the guiding document for the Evaluation Team and will be shared with counterparts in Myanmar, FAO staff in FAO Myanmar Country Office, FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and FAO headquarters. Their purpose is to provide a description of the FAO Programme in Myanmar, identify key areas of work undertaken over the past five years, define the scope of the evaluation and outline the evaluation work plan. A set of overarching evaluation questions has been developed to further sharpen the objective and inform the methodology to be employed at different stages of this evaluation. The methodology and the evaluation tools will be further developed by the team over the course of the evaluation..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Date of publication: 2017-11-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 679.89 KB
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Title: Sustainable cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar
Description: "Myanmar is highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather conditions. Changing rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures and rising sea level have negative impact on agricultural production which can lead to food insecurity. Insufficient legal regulatory and institutional frameworks and limited capacity among key stakeholders in developing and implementing improved practices for the management of productive landscapes (agricultural lands and forests) are key barriers for Myanmar to effectively cope with the impacts of land degradation and climate change. In order to address identified barriers and respond to the national needs, FAO coordinates the implementation of a project entitled “Sustainable cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar” in close collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC), and the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI). It is expected that by adapting Climate Smart Agricultural and Sustainable Forest Management systems, that are more resilient to climatic trends and changes, production can be sustainably increased and achievement of national food security and development goals will be enhanced. By signing the Paris Agreement, Myanmar has sent a very clear signal about pursuing a low carbon development path. This is further backed up by national initiatives such as the development of the National Climate Change Policy and sector strategies like the Myanmar Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy. The project is therefore well aligned with the national development agenda..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Date of publication: 2018-10-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 690.28 KB
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Title: New sustainable rice project to guard Myanmar’s rice sector against climate change
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
Date of publication: 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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Title: Episode 2: Coffee Farming in Shan State (video)
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
Date of publication: 2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Episode 6: Terrace Farming in Chin state (video)
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
Date of publication: 2017-04-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ), Chin, English
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Title: Teaching Sustainable Agriculture in Burma (Video)
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
Date of publication: 2013-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Proceedings of the National Workshop on Agroecology Transition 7th and 8th March 2016 , Yangon, Myanmar
Description: Summary: Workshop wrap up... Introduction... A short account of the 2 days? workshop... Setting the stage... Working groups and brainstorming about agriculture challenges and a future governance for ALiSEA... A contribution to the way forward..... Annexe: Case studies (Powerpoints)... Annexe: summary of working groups discussions Annexes: list of participants... Annexes: workshop presentation extended abstracts.
Creator/author: Pierre Ferrand, Dr Htet Kyu, Lucie Reynaud
Source/publisher: ALiSEA, GRET
Date of publication: 2016-03-08
Date of entry/update: 2016-07-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.07 MB
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Title: Green Gram Rotation Effects on Maize Growth Parameters and Soil Quality in Myanmar
Description: Abstract: "At present maize?green gram crop rotations are not widely practiced among farmers in Myanmar. However, this cropping system might become more popular in the future given raising prices for green gram and maize grain and scarcity of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizers in this Asian country. The results of a cropping systems experiment with continuous maize versus a green gram-maize rotation, manure application (0 and 2 tha−1) and phosphorus (P) fertilization (0 and 15 kg P ha−1) in each of five consecutive seasons revealed a strong decline in total dry matter and grains yields for both crops irrespective of the treatment. Treatment effects on yield components, nutrient concentrations, mycorrhizal infection and nematode infestation were small or negligible. The data show that in addition to manure used at 2 t ha−1, application of mineral N fertilizers is essential to maintain particularly maize yields. A comparison of different green gram cultivars did not indicate genotype specific effects on maize growth. The incorporation of legume residues, unless they are used as animal feed, is recommended to increase the recycling of N and to balance N fluxes when green gram is cultivated for seed."
Source/publisher: Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics Volume 109, No. 2, 2008, pages 123?137
Date of publication: 2008-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 190.49 KB
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Title: Rural Livelihood and Agricultural Reform In Chiba Village, Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmar
Description: Introduction: "Rural community is one of the strengths in country building. In a nation-­‐state administrative policy changes are followed by economic policy changes, then by changes in livelihood strategies. To members of rural society mostly existing on agriculture livelihood strategies go different based on accessibility of assets. To become a modern, developed nation mainly means brisk economic development, in which increased rural production plays an important part. A bout (70) percent of Myanmar population are rural and farmers by the livelihood. Agriculture sector is the main prop to Myanmar?s economic structure. Rice is the staple food of Myanmar people and paddy cultivation is the livelihood of majority of cultivators in the country. The Union Government is working for betterment of agriculture sector as well as farmers? life. In implementing with increased momentum rural development program aimed at enhancement of rural people?s socio-­‐economic development, it is necessary to know of their present status, needs and desires.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015.
Creator/author: Shin Thynn Tun
Source/publisher: International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015
Date of publication: 2015-07-26
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.88 MB
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Title: Myanmar Organic Agriculture Group
Description: Organic Training, Organic Certification, Organic Research Publication, Organic Research in the World
Date of entry/update: 2012-09-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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