Climate change in southern Shan State, June 2015

The rain arrived late this year in Kalaw Township, Shan State. For U Min Zaw,
this meant an expensive outlay of 24,000 MMK every five days to water his
cabbage fields.

Few farmers can afford to build a water pond like this. The
water is for both home and agricultural use.

In June 2015, some farmers in Kalaw

Township walked up to two miles every day
to fetch water for their crops

Others prepared their land and waited. Here, in Nyaung Shwe Township,
the land awaits the rain before chili and eggplant crops can be sown.

This Grandmas duties

extend past child care.
She made regular trips
to a nearby stream to
fetch water for the
family crops.

The prolonged heat

invited insects. Here a
farmer is spraying his
crops without protective
clothing.
The instructions on the
pesticide packets are
mainly in Chinese or
Thai, and therefore not
widely understood by
local farmers. This is
dangerous for both
farmers and consumers.

What is LIFT doing to help

in southern Shan?

LIFT funds several projects providing

farmers with advice, introducing new
technology, and offering
livelihoods options.

For example,
Mercy Corps, East-West Seeds and Swisscontact
implement the LIFT- funded project,
Making Vegetable Markets Work.

One component of the project is training. Farmers learn about seed options,
land preparation, fertiliser and pesticide. This helps them to manage their
crops and farms better, particularly with the erratic rainfall.

A technique that they have introduced is mulching with

plastic/straw. This helps keep the soil moist, and protects the
roots from pests, which is particularly useful in the circumstances.

In Nyaung Shwe Township,

despite the late rain, Daw
Khins chili crop will be
successful.
The mulching technique has
helped me most, she says.
It has really worked to
prevent pests and increase
yield.
She expects to get 450,000
MMK for her harvest, which
is 150,000 more than
last year.

2015