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FAO Myanmar Newsletter Highlights
technical assistance on showcase best practices for agriculture and building national capacity for the functioning of the Climate Smart Agriculture Centre that was launched last year with support of FAO.
Moreover, FAO supports the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation in increasing the awareness of policy and legal framework on forest resources among the Government institutions, local communities, and various multi-stakeholder groups by facilitating and supporting through extended public consultations exercises.
FAO remains committed to provide technical expertise in supporting the Government in achieving a specific outcome of developing strategic tools for planning agriculture diversification and dietary improvement. A new project was launched through which FAO will support the establishment of a crop suitability assessment tool and the development of regional food plates.
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Green ecology in Myanmar: Efforts to mitigate the threat of climate change
Supporting the Government’s effort to achieve #ZeroHunger Goal in Myanmar
FAO support to improve timber legality in Myanmar
Green ecology in Myanmar: Efforts to mitigate the threat of climate change
September 2019, Issue #3
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the third issue of FAO Myanmar newsletter in 2019 featuring the most prominent activities of FAO in Myanmar for the past quarter! During this period, FAO Myanmar continued its efforts in supporting the Government’s commitment to halt all forms of malnutrition and to strengthen the implementation of policies and action plans with focus on the Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS), the Multi Sectoral National Plan of Action for Nutrition (MS-NPAN) and the Agriculture Sector Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (AAPDRR). FAO has been major contributor to these three important document that form the national development vision that finds resonance in the global sustainable development agenda.
Realizing the continuous and increased challenge of Climate Change facing food systems, FAO has been working closely with the Government of Myanmar in mitigating the looming threats of climate change and in promoting risk sensitive development within agriculture. Through advocating the concept of agro-ecology as an integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts to the design and management of food and agricultural systems, FAO continues its
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FAO emergency support to Myanmar for African Swine Fever (ASF) in Myanmar
FAO contributes to strengthening Legal and Policy Framework - Forest Governance in Chin State
Myanmar Government endorsed the Agriculture Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (AAPDRR)
The 2018 FAO/WFP agriculture and food security mission to Rakhine State
Xiaojie Fan
FAO Representative in Myanmar
Center acts as a knowledge repository and catalyst as well as the focal point to coordinate the development, monitoring and promotion of CSA knowledge/best practices.
As part of CSA Center activities, a high level workshop on “Green Ecology in Myanmar” was jointly organized by YAU and FAO in Nay Pyi Taw on 29 August 2019, attended by more than 170 participants representing senior officials from the government, parliament members, development partners, international organizations and other national stakeholders. H.E. Dr Aung Thu, Union Minister of MoALI, Ms Xiaojie Fan, FAO Representative in Myanmar and Dr Nang Hseng Hom, Rector of YAU made opening remarks highlighting impact of climate change globally and in Myanmar, efforts made so far in mitigating the impacts of climate change and the commitment in strengthening cooperation and collaboration. A total of 14 papers related to CSA/SLM/SFM concepts, water-saving and irrigation techniques, agroforestry and agroecology were presented and the participants discussed the opportunities, challenges and way forward related to these techniques/approaches in Myanmar context.
Climate change is a global challenge and its impacts are reducing the capacity of natural resources. Myanmar is highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather conditions ranking among the top three countries most affected by weather related events in the world. This has significant negative impact on agricultural production which potentially leads to food insecurity. In this context, under the umbrella of Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan, the Government of Myanmar is prioritizing climate change resilience as well as the land governance and sustainable management of resource-based industries.
Realizing the global and national challenges, FAO sets enhancing climate change resilience and sustainable natural resource Management as top priorities in FAO Myanmar Country Programming Framework (2017 – 2022). FAO has been working closely with the Government of Myanmar in mitigating the looming threats of climate change and in promoting risk sensitive development within agriculture.
Funded by Global Environment Facility, FAO has been implementing the “Sustainable Cropland and Forest Management in Priority Agro-Ecosystems of Myanmar” project since 2016 in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC). Through this project, FAO contributes to building the capacity of farming and forestry stakeholders in mitigating climate change and improving land condition by adopting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), policies and practices relating to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and Sustainable Land Management (SLM).
As one of the key achievements of the project, FAO has supported the establishment and operationalization of a National Climate Smart Agriculture Center at Yezin Agriculture University (YAU). The CSA
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Supporting the Government’s effort to achieve #ZeroHunger Goal in Myanmar
As a policy and knowledge organization with a mandate to support countries to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition as well as one of the leading agencies for the implementation of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, FAO has been providing technical expertise in support of food security and nutrition policies, strategies and programmes developments and implementation in Myanmar. Moreover, “Enhancing food security, nutrition and food safety” is one of the top priorities of FAO work in the country.
To mark this endeavor, FAO launched its “Development of Strategic Tools for Planning Agriculture Diversification and Dietary Improvement” Project on the 13th of August in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI). At this occasion, U Kyaw Swe Lin, Director General of Department of Planning (MoALI) expressed his expectation to the project and hopes “the outcomes of the project will be used for government planning and the project can contribute to promoting small holder farming system."
Through this project, FAO will support the Government of Myanmar in developing two strategic tools, namely the crop suitability assessment tool (for appropriate production and farming systems based on Agro-ecological potentials) and the food graphics tools (food plate adapted to regional contexts), which are complementary to each other and will be used by farmers to improve their incomes and promote diet diversification. It will contribute to the Government’s commitment to halt all forms of malnutrition and to strengthen the implementation of policies and action plans in Myanmar, through supporting the implementation of the Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) and the Multi Sectoral National Plan of Action for Nutrition (MS-NPAN).
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FAO support to improve timber legality in Myanmar
Myanmar has a long history of good forest management and for centuries its timber products, especially natural teak, have been highly valued the world over. In recent decades, however, increased demand for timber combined with reduced enforcement capacity and conflict in border areas has led to an upsurge in illegal logging, resulting in loss and degradation of Myanmar forests. Realizing the situation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) is making significant efforts to restore Myanmar’s reputation as a supplier of high-quality timber products from sustainably managed forests.
FAO, through FAO-EU FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) Programme, has been supporting MoNREC in improving the Myanmar Timber Legality Assurance System (MTLAS) by analyzing the “gaps” in the system in the context of internationally recognized principles, requirements and best practices. The 2017 MTLAS Gap Analysis highlighted the requirement to enhance the system’s transparency and accountability.
MoNREC developed the Chain-of-Custody (CoC) dossier as part of its commitment towards FLEGT process and its crucial principles of transparency and accountability. The dossier aims at assisting operators who trade timber products to demonstrate that the timber used has been legally sourced and the products have been legally produced. FAO-EU FLEGT Programme supports this CoC dossier through the “Promoting understanding of the Chain-of-Custody to support national dialogue on developing a timber legality definition” Project.
As part of the project’s contribution and in collaboration with European Timber Trade Federation, FAO supported MoNREC in facilitating the pilot testing/evaluation mission that includes the
assessment of MTLAS. The CoC dossier testing/evaluation mission was conducted by NEPCon, an independent party, in Gangaw District, Magway Region. To ensure the transparency and stakeholder participation, representatives from civil society organizations, private sector, members of Myanmar Forest Certification Committee, officials from MoNREC and FAO joined the mission. The assessment report resulted from this mission provide MoNREC with recommendations to improve this CoC dossier – in order to meet the requirements of EU Timber Regulation.
Through the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme, FAO will continue its support to the Government of Myanmar in tackling illegal logging, promoting trade in legal timber products and ultimately contributing to sustainable forest management (SFM).
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019 - Safeguarding against economic slowdowns and downturns confirms global hunger has been on the rise returning to levels from a decade ago. More than 820 million people in the world are still hungry today and obesity is still growing. Today’s food security is not only a matter of quantity, it’s also a question of quality. Unhealthy diets have now become a leading risk factor for disease and death worldwide. To provide healthy diets, a diverse variety of foods is crucial.
Myanmar, a country enriched by diverse agro-ecological zones, food culture and dietary norms, has reached self-sufficiency in agriculture. However, the lack of variety in the local diet highly contributes to various forms of malnutrition.
Hammer marks are applied to logs in the forest to provide information on e.g. species, grade, district of origin by forest
department responsible person.
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"It is hoped the outcomes of the project will be used for government planning and the project can contribute to promoting small holder
farming system." - Director General of Department of Planning, MoALI
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FAO contributes to strengthening Legal and Policy Framework - Forest Governance in Chin State
Institutional and legal framework of governing natural resources in Myanmar is complex and challenging at various governance levels. There is an overlapping of roles and responsibilities among different government departments and administration bodies. Moreover, there is significant needs to consider public issues (such as the benefits and impacts of the governance of forest on the local community and indigenous people) in the policy and law making processes, thereby reflecting and promoting sustainable development of the country.
In this regard, FAO has been supporting the Forest Department in organizing the public consultations for draft forest rules in Myanmar. These consultations are conducted to obtain public opinions, to promote people’s awareness in forestry policies and laws, and to include the public concerns in the final amendment of forest rules.
The public consultations were conducted in northern (Hakha Township) and southern parts (Mindat Township) of Chin State in May and July. Vibrant debates and discussions occurred among the multi-stakeholder groups during the consultations on the recognition of customary tenure of forest and land in the forest rules, the communities’ participation, benefit sharing and livelihood benefit, and the role of women and empowerment of disadvantaged groups considered in draft rules. In addition, it was also discussed about the extent to which the draft rules integrate the binding principles of the international conventions and agreement ratified by Myanmar as well as the international best practices of forest governance and management.
The consultations improved the engagement of government departments with the public, and promoted the public hearing in the forest related governance issues and impacts on the lives of forest dwellers, communities and local business.
FAO remains committed and prioritizes to increase awareness of policy and legal framework on forest resources among the government institutions/departments/ministries, the local communities, and various multi-stakeholder groups by facilitating and supporting through extended public consultations exercises that will identify the preoccupations of the local community and allow the decision makers to include them in their discussions and analysis and finally integrate them in an effective way in the laws, rules and regulations. By being inclusive and participatory, the legal and regulatory framework governing forest resource in Myanmar will certainly be strengthened.
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FAO emergency support to Myanmar for African swine fever (ASF) in Myanmar
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Participants discussed about the forest rules, forest governance and forest management as the group work.
To prevent and control transboundary animal diseases (TAD) in Myanmar, for years FAO has been working with the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), through the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Diseases team, ECTAD in Myanmar. This collaboration includes capacity-building support for laboratories to enhance their capacity to diagnose and control TADs such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, as well as African Swine Fever (ASF) that was confirmed with the first outbreak in the country in August 2019.
ASF is a highly fatal viral disease infecting domestic pigs and wild boars. There is no vaccine to prevent from the disease or any treatment for it. ASF continually outbreak in China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar since 2018. Pig industry plays important role in both nutrition and income increasing roles for many countries, hence, the ASF crisis is not only causing economic
hardship, but also threatening the food security in the region.
Realizing this situation, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific launched the Regional Technical Cooperation Programme on African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia (TCP/RAS/3704) in August 2019. Through this project, FAO will support the countries affected by ASF including Myanmar to activate the emergency response measures and put them in place immediately to address the threat of ASF spreading to other parts of East and Southeast Asia.
In addition, in responding to LBVD’s emergency request for the outbreak containment stockpiles, FAO will provide three categories of suppliers, namely laboratory REAGENTS, PPE, disinfection items, and portable PRC units.
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For years FAO
has been working with
the Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock and Irrigation to prevent and
control transboundary animal diseases
in Myanmar.
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Myanmar government endorsed the Agriculture Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (AAPDRR)
Reflection from FAO Myanmar Team
I joined FAO Myanmar in June as National Nutrition Specialist for “Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP): Technical assistance in development of strategic tools for planning agriculture diversification and dietary improvement”. This two-year project (2019-2021) is jointly implemented by FAO and Department of Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. I am glad to be part of the team and coordinate with all stakeholders, contribute to develop region-specific food graphics to promote dietary diversification and tool for the effective implementation of Agriculture Development Strategy and Multi-Sector National Action Plan on Nutrition. - Dr Wai Mon Maung, National Nutrition Specialist
(MoALI) in preparing the Agriculture Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (AAPDRR) - aiming to strengthen DRR service delivery to different agriculture sub-sectors while catalyzing the linkages with Climate Smart Agriculture/Climate Change Adaptation. This consolidated planning document of addressing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation in agriculture sector, has now been approved by the Union Minister of MoALI and will be launched very soon.
The 2018 FAO/WFP agriculture and food security mission to
Rakhine State
FAO and WFP conducted a joint crop and food security mission in Rakhine State in 2018. The mission comprised a multi-disciplinary team of national and international specialists from FAO, WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI).
The mission laid out urgent, medium and long-term activities recommended for coordinated implementation by stakeholders. Immediate activities focus on life-saving actions and continuation of livelihood support and agricultural input interventions to the most vulnerable farmers. Medium to long-term recommendations were focused on the structural and root causes of the issues identified regarding farm productivity, rural infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, information systems and access to market, land and micro finance. The full report is released in July 2019 and can be downloaded here.
Myanmar faces a great challenge to anticipate, prevent and proactively reduce impacts of disasters and cope with the increasing exposure to the high-risk scenario it faces. However the awareness on the need for more proactive risk management has also strongly emerged and is being put into action. In line with the spirit of SFDRR 2015, Myanmar has launched in 2017 the Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR) with the Vision of ‘Protected lives, economy, heritage and environment, through inclusive approach, towards sustainable development in Myanmar’.
As a sector heavily dependent on weather, climate, land and water, agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Since natural disasters directly impact on agriculture through reduced production, farmers suffer from direct economic losses that cut across the entire value chain and negatively impacts agriculture growth and rural livelihoods.
In this context, FAO supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
Contact Us
FAO Representative in Myanmar
FAOR Building
Seed Division Compound (DoA)
Insein Road, Gyogon Yangon, Myanmar
Mailing Address:
PO Box 101, Yangon
Tel: +95 1 641672
Fax: +95 1 641561
www.fao.org/myanmar
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey with Pregnant and Lactating Women Open Foris CALC Training- Data Analysis and Estimation Design for Myanmar National Forest Inventory (NFI) Validation Workshop for “Integrated National Strategic Action Plan on Fire Management” Project Green House Gas Inventory training for Agricultural, Forestry and Other Land use (AFOLU) Sector Training of Trainers on Climate Smart Agriculture Nutritional behavior barrier analysis study
Upcoming Events (October-December)
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