Myanmar's Long Road to National Reconciliation (30 page)

This section provides a number of examples of instances in which assistance to Myanmar’s agriculture sector has contributed directly to reform and has as a result improved rural welfare.

Two examples of assistance at the national level, and one of assistance at the international level, are given.

The area of land used for production of pulses has increased greatly, from 501,000 hectares in 1985 to 2,700,000 hectares in 2001. In 2002, they were the main export crop. This increase can be attributed to several factors: pulses are subject to a much lower level of state control than other crops, so smallholders are able to respond to market signals, and demand for the product has been strong; the market for pulses and beans has been passed to the private sector, with the right to export without state intervention; and, as legumes, the nitrogen fixing ability of pulses and beans provides “built in” fertilizers input for the mixed farming system, something that is of particular importance given the limited use of fertilizers in Myanmar. In addition, the cultivation of pulses is flexible enough to fit with a range of mixed farming systems, and pulses require less water than other crops. All these factors together mean that pulses and beans provide reasonable returns for farmers, and have noticeably improved the income generation capacity of smallholders.

A similar positive growth and trade situation exists in capture fisheries, which are mainly in the private sector. While export of marine products
has increased, there is a risk that marine fisheries will expand their capacity beyond maximum sustainable yield. There is an important role for the Government of Myanmar in fishery management: it has a legitimate and important responsibility for the public good to manage Myanmar’s natural resources.

The Human Development Initiative Project of UNDP has shown that small farmers can substantially increase their production of paddy, pulses, beans, and small livestock by an overall 30–50 per cent when they have access to credit, appropriate extension assistance, and the necessary inputs such as improved seeds and pest control. What this project has demonstrated is important, because it highlights the considerable potential of the rural community to respond with success to government and development interventions geared to smallholders. The impact of the UNDP project is now being magnified by the formation of new groups in the project areas.

This section provides examples of Australian international assistance in the agricultural sector that are encouraging behavioural change and increasing rural incomes.

Rice production is a major priority of the Government of Myanmar. Two strategies for increasing rice production are used: intensification of cropping, and increasing the area under production. Although the production of rice in rain-fed areas has increased, the level of pre- and post-harvest losses due to damage by rodents caused the Ministry of Agriculture, in mid-2002, to identify reducing rodent impacts in agriculture as an important priority. The rain-fed lowland cropping system suffers the highest losses from rodents, and these pests have the greatest impact amongst the poorer communities, which have neither the economic capital
to absorb chronic losses or sporadic acute losses, nor the knowledge-base or living conditions to minimize these impacts. Rodent losses in pre-harvest rice range from 5 to 10 per cent in normal years, but losses in rainfed rice can surge to 80 per cent and above, causing serious hardship for householders. Experience in other ASEAN countries has indicated that farmers believe that they have less opportunity to control rodents compared to other rice pests such as insects. Myanmar has limited expertize in rodent biology and control management.

Technical training is one of the major themes of the Australian project. The objectives focus mainly on the biological knowledge required to develop ecologically-based methods of management of rodent pests, and one objective has a strong sociological component that will enable us to quantify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Myanmar farmers in relation to rodent management, which in turn will assist with the planning and implementation of the project. At the end of the project, a study will be made to measure its social impact.

The objectives of the project are:

•   The collection of basic biological data on rodents at two scales:

(i)   a detailed study of rodent taxonomy, habitat use, and population dynamics at two rural localities in the lowland rainfed environment in Myanmar;

(ii)   a geographically broad-ranging taxonomic and habitat survey of the rodent pests of the other major cropping environments in Myanmar;

•   The experimental assessment of the applicability of existing technologies of rodent control (developed in irrigated lowland rice systems in southeast Asia). This work will be conducted primarily on-station under controlled experimental conditions;

•   The assessment and analysis of an eighteen-year historical dataset on rodent damage to diverse cropping systems that is available;

•   The assessment of current knowledge, attitudes and practices of Myanmar farmers to rodent damage and managements using a farmer-participatory research (FPR) approach in the dominant lowland rainfed rice-growing environment.

The methodology is based on testing the attitudes of the farmers’ responses to the importance of rodents and to a range of rodent control strategies, such as an integrated trap barrier system, bund management, and judicious
use of pesticide and traditional control methods. Depending on the outcome of the first and second objectives, novel methods of rodent control will be introduced into one of the village communities in the third year as a pilot study, to gauge its suitability for broader adoption. The sociological and economic (benefit-cost) impact of these activities will be monitored against the baseline survey. In the last six months, project staff will work closely with the policy and extension sections of the Myanmar Agricultural Service to develop protocols for best practice for managing rodents in rainfed lowland environments. Farmer groups in at least two regions will review whether these protocols are practical and likely to be adopted.

The Myanmar Agricultural Service (MAS) through its Plant Protection Division, the lead institute, will collaborate with the Central Agricultural Research Institute and the Yezin Agricultural University. The three-year project received about AUD$400,000 from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), with the Division of Sustainable Ecosystems of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) as the implementing agency.

Six months prior to the end of the project, there will be a major workshop for farmers and local extension staff involved in the village-level study in order to present key outputs to extension staff and farmer representatives drawn from other regions. MAS officials involved in developing national policy for rodent management will be invited to attend this workshop. The project will be linked regionally with a network of rodent scientists and extension specialists who have been trained during previous ACIAR and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) projects in southeast Asia, and with the IRRI Rodent Ecology Work Group.

The project highlights the following issues:

•   The essential involvement of the rural community in the primary definition of the rodent problem, selection of possible interventions, and adoption of management strategies within the context of a mixed farming system;

•   The importance of having sufficient biological knowledge to develop integrated pest management strategies; for example, taxonomic information on the several rodent species in Myanmar;

•   Developing the spirit of collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation institutions that could lead to future synergistic opportunities;

•   Improved income generation for smallholders, if an effective control methodology is established;

•   The provision of “on the job” training for MAS staff and postgraduate students at Yezin Agricultural University will consolidate and update the technical knowledge-base of agricultural scientists and extension officers on one of the most serious rice production constraints relevant to poor farmers;

•   The linkage and integration of Myanmar scientists into international rodent networks will be beneficial and enhance sustainability;

•   The project could provide a national strategy on rodent control that will have positive impacts on national food security and export potential.

The priorities of the livestock sector stated by the Government of Myanmar are:

•   Integrated development in the livestock sector;

•   Self-sufficiency in livestock products and production of exports for surplus;

•   Intensification of research and development activities;

•   Socio-economic development of householders in the livestock sector.

Although the strategy to achieve these objectives was not clearly articulated, these sector priorities were of paramount importance to ACIAR when selecting which livestock project to support.

It is estimated that 30 per cent of householders are landless, that about 23 per cent of the rural population lives below the poverty line, and that about 40 per cent lives close to that line. Food alone costs 60–70 per cent of total expenditure, leaving little disposable income for other requirements such as education, health, and shelter. Income-generation and food security are of central importance to these householders.

The overall objective of the project to control Newcastle disease in village poultry is to improve food security and income-generating opportunities for rural communities in Myanmar.

Village poultry are spread throughout Myanmar. Poultry are a source of income and provide high-quality dietary protein for village
householders. However, it is a low output animal husbandry system because there are severe losses due to epidemics of Newcastle disease, often twice a year, during the monsoonal changes. According to the 2001–02 census, the total chicken population in Myanmar is estimated to be 48 million. Of these chickens, approximately 40.8 million (85 per cent) are village chickens and the remainder are commercial layers and broilers. The consumption of poultry meat and eggs is widely accepted in Myanmar.

Village poultry production requires only a small investment of capital, thus providing opportunity for the rural poor. Women and children are often the main keepers of poultry. One bird is sufficient for one family meal and no long-term storage is required. There is a functional market system for the sale of poultry through middlemen and there is a constant strong demand for poultry meat and eggs. Another advantage is the ability to store eggs for several days without refrigeration in village environments. Eggs are a flexible source of high-value protein, small in size, with acceptable prices and reasonable shelf-life. Poultry can be kept by landless householders and peri-urban dwellers. The labour inputs of village poultry are not high, with the feed-base mainly household scraps, rice bran, and what the birds can scavenge from the environment. Poultry production responds quickly to improved animal disease control. There is a choice for village poultry keepers of either improving their food security by consuming the eggs and poultry meat or by increasing their income by sale of the meat and eggs.

The technology for control of Newcastle disease is relatively robust with the ACIAR developed I2 Newcastle disease vaccine which is a thermotolerant live vaccine. The vaccine does not need to be kept all the time in a fridge (cold chain) and has a longer shelf-life than other Newcastle disease vaccines in tropical environments. However, as a biological agent, it does require careful storage and handling. Myanmar, through an earlier FAO project, currently produces large numbers of I2 Newcastle disease vaccine doses, estimated to be around 40 million per year. Vaccine production is expected to increase to 60 million a year as regional vaccine units start production.

The project objectives are:

•   To enhance the production, quality, and distribution of thermostable Newcastle disease vaccine in Myanmar;

•   To develop appropriate extension materials to enhance sustainable
usage of Newcastle disease vaccines and to improve the capacity of government staff in extension methodologies;

•   To improve the capacity of government staff to diagnose the major diseases of village poultry;

•   To determine the major constraints to the production of village poultry in Myanmar, and to specifically evaluate the impact of Newcastle disease and the effect of vaccination;

•   To characterize genetically field isolates of Newcastle disease virus from Myanmar and to confirm the efficacy of I2 vaccine against these isolates.