In Rakhine state, lack of irrigation water during the dry season limits farmers to one rice paddy crop per year. The practice of “shifting cultivation” has also degraded farmland, leading to reduced crop yields and more frequent crop failure. Many struggle to support their families with farming alone, and so turn to fishing or exploiting local forest products to supplement their incomes. As a result, in some areas large swaths of mangrove forest have been clear-cut for timber, rice paddy, and, eventually, for shrimp farming or salt drying.
It’s a difficult issue – and with its partners the RCA has sought solutions that both protect the natural environment and improve farming families’ livelihoods. In food-scarce areas like Rakhine State, conservation strategies must take into account the fact that many locals depend on natural resources for survival.
Through a pilot “Participatory Action Research” Project, the RCA worked with three farming communities to analyze and classify their agricultural lands, and determine the most suitable crops and farming techniques for both long-term environmental sustainability and improved incomes. Farmers were deeply involved from the beginning: in the initial phases by brainstorming of problem areas, and later training in how to use GPS to assess crop lands (ie. soil characteristics, rainfall, gradient etc.), pairing of traditional and scientific knowledge, and matching of land with new crop requirements.
The results are being implemented I other communities – they know this type of land will not be good for ground nuts or this mountainside won’t be good for cashews etc… The scientific results of the PAR as well as the training provided will be very useful for future Rakhine agricultural projects and can even be used in other areas of Myanmar.
While the Participatory Action Research project is now complete, the RCA’s work to improve farming livelihoods continues through the CLEARR Project. We are currently investigating the possibility of agro-forestry, and are searching for suitable winter crops that farmers can use to supplement their incomes. We also run demonstration plots on farmers’ fields to showcase new methods or types of crops.
Similarly, we have given livestock to others. A “livestock banking” system means that over time offspring are spread throughout the community, spreading economic benefits and greater access to food for all.