Myanmar

Agroecological farming methods are crucial in the fight against hunger in the poorest regions of the world. SWISSAID has been working with this sustainable approach for decades now, and received validation for it in 2024.

After the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, many people are in great need. We are on the ground helping affected families with urgently needed relief supplies.

12.9.2024 | Crises, climate change and the concentration of markets are driving up food prices. In Chad, for example, a kilo of rice now costs twice as much as it did a year ago. The situation is similar in India and Myanmar. The way out of hunger is through local, sustainable agriculture.

As an expert in the fields of agroecology and gender equality, SWISSAID works in nine countries. On the ground and in close cooperation with local partners, we promote initiatives by people who are independently seeking a way out of poverty.

Despite the tense situation that Myanmar has been experiencing for the past few years, SWISSAID continues its development projects in agroecology and women’s empowerment. With the same objective of providing assistance to the populations in greatest need, Daniele Polini, the program manager in Myanmar, explains the current state of the country and reports on the progress of the projects.

The lack of agricultural knowledge, access to credit, and the ever-increasing cost of living keep rural families in southern Shan State, Myanmar, trapped in poverty. With the rise of violent conflicts and the effects of climate change, many people are forced to migrate. SWISSAID has initiated a project to enhance the value of crops through agroecology, enabling farmers to envision a dignified future.

In the north of Myanmar, the landscape is adorned with huge tracts of forest. Despite being the main resource for survival, the population has little access to it. Large industries are destroying the available land and replacing it with banana plantations. Thanks to the perseverance of the villagers and the help of SWISSAID, the village community is able to assert its rights.

As a foundation for development cooperation, SWISSAID is also heavily affected by the corona virus. Faced with the crisis, each employee and each project had to reinvent themselves and often work in a hurry. On this page, you will find news from our partner countries for the months of March and April. –Translated with DeepL

25.03.2020 | The global corona crisis does not affect everyone equally. Some people are much more economically and socially affected than others. Women, who are often victims of domestic violence as well as being the sole earners of their families and in precarious employment, are especially under pressure.

In Myanmar today, many women farmers are also taking part confidently in discussions with groups of men. They have been on courses where they expanded their knowledge of agroecological cultivation methods and built up their self-confidence.