Technology transfer in Myanmar fisheries

Fisheries are an important source of food and livelihood for the mainly rural population in Myanmar. Fishing usually provides seasonal employment to small-scale fishers and is regulated by the Government for ecosystem sustainability. In the afternoon of the first day of the CAPSA Policy Dialogue, participants learned about recent successful attempts to develop an institutional regulatory framework for fisheries in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwaddy Delta region.

Located between Bangladesh and Thailand on the Bay of Bengal, Mr. Bobby, Chief Executive Officer, Network Activity Group, Myanmar explained that his country is the largest mainland in South Asia. The country’s agriculture consists of crop production, hunting, fishing, and forestry, which are the pillars of the Myanmar economy responsible for most income and employment in the country. 

Because fishing is an important source of income for small-scale farmers, the government is regulating entire inland fishing rights in Myanmar to ensure sustainability of the ecosystem. The overall profile of the fishery sector in Myanmar is fragile since community-based fisheries have been encroached by tender holders and overfishing, which has led to lower yields and market price. In response, the Government of Myanmar introduced centralized fishing right allocation in 2011 to restore the communal farming. 

In 2011, the Government of Myanmar and Oxfam International jointly initiated a fishery development programme in the Ayeyarwaddy delta. The programme organized civil society and fishing communities in clusters of 100 villages to increase fish production by providing support and improving market access and local governance. This has led to the establishment of a Fisheries Development Association in Ayeyarwaddy, the enactment of a fresh water fishery law and the establishment of communal fishery grounds.

The initiative has resulted in improved coherence and consistency of the state and regional fresh water fishery laws that are now in line with national and international instruments for protection of small-scale fish farmer registration, sea safety and disaster risk reduction.

Reporter: Suraj Pandey, APCTT-ESCAP

Technology transfer to facilitate agricultural trade in Nepal

Mr. Pushpa Raj Rajkarnikar, Chairman, Institute for Policy Research and Development of Nepal, made a presentation to the Third SATNET Policy Dialogue on the problems and potential of agricultural trade in Nepal. The country can export a variety of agricultural and processed food products such as large cardamom, ginger, honey, lentils, tea, medicinal herbs, essential oils and instant noodles, but faces a number of trade constraints. These include challenges to production such as a lack of skills, technology and labour as well as inadequate market access and knowledge. Difficulty in meeting sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, problems in obtaining quality certification because of the lack of a recognized accreditation agency, lengthy trade procedures, high transport costs, irregular electricity supply and inadequate use of information technology are also holding back the country from realizing its agricultural export potential. Being a landlocked country is also a hurdle and the Government is working with the Government of India, the main agricultural trade partner of Nepal, to facilitate trade harmonization. 

The Government is using technology transfer for agricultural trade facilitation by developing an integrated strategy for agricultural trade and strengthening trade-related capacities of both the public and private sector. Technology transfer for trade facilitation is focusing on improvement in the transport and communication systems and quality assurance. 

Reporter: Aisyah Wara Khaleda, Bogor Agricultural University (aisyahwarak@gmail.com)

Local farmer organizations strengthen agricultural marketing in Nepal 

In his presentation to the Policy Dialogue, Mr. Komal Pradhan, National Program Director, International Development Enterprises (iDE), Nepal, explained how local farmer organizations are strengthen marketing of agricultural produce by small and marginal farmers in in Nepal. Besides limited marketing opportunities, major constraints to commercial sale of their produce, include the subsistence-oriented nature of local agriculture, farmers’ lack of knowledge, training and skills, difficulty in accessing agricultural inputs from distant district capitals and major towns, and the limited price negotiating ability of farmers.

Marketing and Planning Committees (MPCs) supported by iDE Nepal, work with farmers’ organizations to help farmers in marketing their vegetables and plan production to meet market demand. The MPCs also link farmer groups and local service providers with consumers at the local, district and regional level.

This has assured market access for farmers and fair prices for their produce, enabling them to sell even very small quantities and save time and money on transport. As a result, farmers have been motivated to expand their cropped area. Traders have also benefited as they can buy a variety of crops in large volumes with regularity. The MPCs have also enhanced the social standing of farmers by providing opportunities for participation in programmes they have developed themselves, and guaranteeing sales of produce at a better price.

 Reporter: Aisyah Wara Khaleda, Bogor Agricultural University (aisyahwarak@gmail.com)

Technology transfer to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability in Indonesia

In a presentation to the Third SATNET Policy Dialogue, Dr. Made Jana Mejaya, Director of Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia explained how technology transfer is being used to sustainably increase food crop production, in particular rice, to feed the country’s large population at a time when conversion of agricultural land to non-farm use has reduced the number of farmers in Indonesia. 

To attain self-sufficiency in the staple rice which still needs to be imported, the Government has involved the private sector and civil society organizations in agricultural research and extension and dietary change advocacy. The strategies to reach this target include: decreasing yield losses by 1.5 per cent per year, reducing per capita rice consumption by 1.5 per cent per year, establishing about 130 000 ha of new rice farms, increasing rice productivity from 5.2 to 5.5 tons/ha and increasing the planting index from 1.5 to 1.7.

The quality of agricultural produce is also being increased through initiatives such as the Sustainable Household Food Security Program involving women and implemented through the pilot project “Food Smart Village”. This is improving the local ecology by optimizing use of water resources and promoting food diversification, integrated crop-livestock systems, conservation agriculture, zero-waste and climate change adaptation. 

Reporter: Aisyah Wara Khaleda, Bogor Agricultural University (aisyahwarak@gmail.com)