Back to news
5 Aug 2016 | Shifting cultivation

Taungya System Workshop in Chin, Myanmar

2 mins Read

70% Complete

Taungya, or shifting cultivation system, is a major food and income production system for the majority of farmers in Chin State of Myanmar. A peer learning workshop, Good Practices in Taungya system, was organised in Hakha, capital of Chin, 16-17 June, 2016 by Chokhlei Organisation for Rural and Agriculture Development (CORAD),Group of Research and Exchange of Technologies (GRET) and ICIMOD. The workshop was part of ICIMOD’s AdaptHimal programme funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Twenty six representatives from local communities, government and non-government organisations participated. The participants exchanged know-how on managing transformations in Taungya system in Chin through group work and plenary sessions. They shared the challenges and opportunities for increasing food production and income. Issues related to declining soil fertility and crop production, land tenure and constraints in converting to permanent production systems like terraced fields and orchards were also discussed. Officials from the Forest Department and Land Record Department shed light on community forest programmes and orchard registration processes, respectively.

Farmers’ group work presentations on Taungya system Photo: Sanjeev Bhuchar/ICIMOD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A case study on situational analysis of transformation in shifting cultivation from Chuncung village was presented and it highlighted the degree of transformation in shifting cultivation, constraints and opportunities regarding transformations, and capacity building needs and potential interventions points. Participatory tools and methods used for situation analyses were also presented.

Betty Ram Nawn shared good practices promoted by North Eastern Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP) for transforming the lives of the poor and marginalised tribal families in the North Eastern Region of India. Sustainable agriculture practices supported by GRET, CORAD and CARD (Community Association for Rural Development) in Chin state, on issues such as organic fertilisers, slash and mulch, charcoal acid for soil fertilisation and pest control, reforestation, farmer field schools and gender equality, were also shared and discussed.

Participants also learnt about CORAD’s new project on Agricultural Diversification and Economic Integration in Northern Chin State funded by Livelihood and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) covering about 130 villages of 5 townships in Chin. The project will demonstrate agro-ecological techniques on shifting fields as well.

On-farm demonstrations of good soil, water and crop management practices for Taungya system, programme support for good practices in Taungya systems, economic evaluation of different production systems in Northern Chin and continuation of peer learning on good practices in Taungya system were some of the suggestions from the participants.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

17 Mar 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
Conference on alternatives to open agricultural burning

To discuss the extent to which open burning of agricultural residue and waste causes black carbon emissions and to explore ...

17 Nov 2015 News
SAARC Business Arm Partners with ICIMOD on Climate Change

  The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ...

30 Sep 2015 News
Community leaders from Kavre District learn about innovative livelihood techniques at ICIMOD’s Godavari

  Increasingly, many areas of Kavre suffer problems with water;  frequently there is not enough. As a result, many community members ...

22 May 2019 Atmosphere Initiative
Knowledge brokering and policy engagement through the CCAC to address atmospheric pollution

The CCAC is the first global effort to treat pollutants as a collective challenge. Formed in 2012, it is a ...

15 Jun 2015 KSL
Strengthening the allo value chain in Khar VDC, Darchula, Nepal

Allo (Girardinia diversifolia), or Himalayan nettle, is traditionally used in Nepal to make cloth. Its bark contains fibres that are ...

29 Jun 2017 Climate change
REDD+ Experts Meet at the Ministry of Climate Change in Pakistan

Broadly, the meeting paved the way forward for creating synergies and future lines of action in the context of REDD+ ...

Call for papers: Special issue of the Nomadic Peoples journal

The Nomadic Peoples journal invites paper submissions for a special issue on ‘Pastoral resilience and transformation in the Hindu ...

3 Jul 2017 Cryosphere
Building Capacity on Database Management in Bhutan

Namgyal was introduced to data, data types, data format, database structure, MODIS snow data, and database management. He also learned ...