Food Security

Over 20% of Myanmar’s land is used for agriculture, accounts for nearly 40% of the country’s GDP and employs 70% of the workforce.

As Myanmar’s development progresses and her population grows, so will the need to meet the nutritional needs of her citizens. Awareness that it is no longer sufficient to provide simple calories through rice is increasing and the demand for more diverse food sources will only increase over time. Managing food security in a way that is both economically beneficial, equitable for stakeholders and environmentally sustainable is a critical challenge that needs to be addressed.

CESD partnered with Michigan State University (MSU) and the International Food Policy Research Institute to undertake the Food Security Project (FSP) conducted and funded by USAID and launched in 2015. The goal of the project was to provide evidence that would allow all stakeholders, namely the Myanmar government, to promote agricultural reform and rural development through economic growth. The 5 years long project examined a wide range of topics related to food security in Myanmar including the effects of increased mechanization, rising minimum wages, internal and international migration and the transformation of the aquaculture sector. Below is a selection of publications in Myanmar language. All publications from the project can be found here