GEI Launches Rural Community Development Initiative in Myanmar

ECC learns about Myanmar's Community Development needs ahead of starting own project
14
Sep

GEI Launches Rural Community Development Initiative in Myanmar

YANGON (Sept. 14, 2013) – From September 9-14, Chinese environmental NGO, the Global Environmental Institute (GEI) held the workshop: “Exploring Sustainable Methods of Rice Cultivation and Value Chain Development” to launch its rural community development initiative in Myanmar.

The week-long workshop saw 38 participants take part from Myanmar government agencies, farmers’ associations, rural cooperatives and NGOs, along with Chinese and international experts who were invited by GEI to share their research and expertise.

 

The workshop covered topics of globalization and its impact on smallholder farmers, rice policies, rural financing, organic and fair trade certification, as well as on-the-ground issues along the rice value chain, ranging from rice cultivation and post-harvest processing to sales and marketing.

Through the exchanges and discussions, key challenges and opportunities were identified by the Myanmar delegation which will be used to shape the direction of GEI’s follow-up project work in this area. These include rural microcredit, organic rice cultivation and certification, rice export promotion, post-harvest processing technologies and utilization of rice husks.

GEI Program Officer JI Lin (Center, right) with the experts – GEI 2013

GEI invited experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China National Rice Research Institute, China National Bamboo Research Center, China Organic Food Development Center, Taiwan University, and Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) to share their research and expertise with the Myanmar delegation.

The workshop was sponsored by the blue moon fund and held at the China National Bamboo Research Center in Hangzhou, China. Site visits to two farms in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, were also arranged to allow natural farming practitioners to exchange paddy cultivation experiences with participants.

GEI Executive Director, JIN Jiaman (back row center) with the experts investigating the rice paddy – GEI 2013

The workshop is one of the activities planned in GEI’s Sino-Myanmar pilot project. The full title of this project is ‘Promoting Regional Environmental Governance and Innovative Market Mechanisms: Pilot Program in Myanmar and China’. To meet Myanmar’s needs for balancing economic growth and sustainable development, and to realize our wish to participate in shaping such a path, GEI proposes four sub-projects. These focus on Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China regional environmental provisions, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) training, rural renewable energy, and sustainable agricultural development. The aim of the project is to achieve sustainable development in Myanmar and China through improving environmental governance and promoting innovative market mechanisms.

News on China Today, No. 2 issue, 2013

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