Rates of food insecurity in Chin State, Myanmar consistently rank among the highest in the country. One root cause of this is the debilitating nutritional gaps in feed for chicken and fish farmers. Conquering these gaps will require practical steps that improve market linkages and farmer education, and use of local feed pathways within the context of integrated farming models.
In January 2018, a team of Cornell University students and faculty conducted a field visit to the Shan State region of Myanmar to investigate the impact that current national agricultural policy has on increased fertilizer use. Based on insights garnered from the visit, research and a comparative analysis with the Shan Highlands of Northern Thailand, recommendations that seek to combat fertilizer misuse and its associated environmental outcomes in Myanmar are proposed.
With its limited arable land and high population density, Myanmar must prioritize a methodical response that addresses the intensification of food and land scarcity as well as redresses lagging foreign and domestic investment in agriculture. An analysis of the country’s current agricultural system illuminates the need for crucial agricultural upgrades and strengthened cooperative structures that empower smallholder farmers to actualize such upgrades effectively.