Reaping a golden harvest in the Ayeyarwady Delta
Monday, 2018/08/20 | 07:38:16
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Reianne Quilloy and Melanie Connor IRRI, Rice Today, Aug 13, 2018
The rice industry stakeholders in Myanmar continue to develop solutions for sustaining agricultural development, and the continuous support of IRRI and its experts will play a vital role in the development of the country’s rice sector.
Figure: Mya Win shows the importance of technology and best management training in improving her the quality of her harvest. (Photo by R. Quilloy, IRRI)
Rice is life in Myanmar, where 70% of its rural population engages in rice farming for their livelihood. Building on this strength, the government is set to regain its past position as a major global rice exporter. To achieve this goal, scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and farmers in the Ayeyarwady Delta have been working together since 2013 to improve the country’s rice production by introducing an array of IRRI-recommended best management practices.
Working closely with the Department of Agriculture, IRRI introduced better crop establishment techniques; improved management of fertilizer, water, and pests; new postharvest technologies; and modern rice varieties. Learning Alliances were also started to foster linkages among the private sector, government, and farmers’ groups to develop viable business models based on upgraded pre- and postharvest production practices.
Understanding how change happens
“We want to identify the key outcomes and understand the changes that happened in the villages where the best management practices were introduced,” said Grant Singleton, a scientist at IRRI and coordinator of the two projects. “It is important for us at IRRI to understand how we can work together with our national partners to enable smallholder rice farmers and their families to observe, test, and embrace science-based solutions that lead to improved livelihoods from increased yields and improved production efficiency.”
To better comprehend the gains from adopting the best management practices, the project team evaluated income-related changes by conducting interviews with farmers who have had a significant change in income (an average of USD100 per hectare). The data were collected using a brief questionnaire using a mobile data collection platform. The survey questionnaire was conducted with 129 farmers, and of the farmers who experienced a significant increase in income.
In a separate activity, 13 women were interviewed in Letpadan Township to investigate how the adoption of best management practices affected their traditional roles and the impact of these changes on smallholder families and their communities.
See more: http://ricetoday.irri.org/reaping-a-golden-harvest-in-the-ayeyarwady-delta/ |
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