CESD is working with the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) to implement the Michigan State University’s USAID-funded ‘Food security policy project’. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is also partnering with Michigan State University to deliver the ‘Food security policy project’.

The project will support the goals of inclusive growth in the agriculture sector, and improved nutritional standards for women and children in Myanmar.

The objectives of the project include:

• Evidence-based policy advocacy for agricultural policy reforms that promote agricultural productivity, increasing both farm and non-farm employment opportunities, enhancing the resilience and nutrition status of the rural population, and lifting the rural poor out of poverty.
• Strengthening the knowledge base of the rural sector by conducting primary research in the areas of regional development strategies, rural livelihoods and agricultural value chains.
• Capacity-building of relevant line ministries, regional and local officials, extension service personnel at the forefront of service delivery, non government organisations, community-based organisations, and universities

Project outputs have included the following:

• research into the current situation and future potential for the pulse and bean sector, including opportunities to increase economic growth in the agricultural sector, and raise the incomes of farmers (refer to the presentation, “Findings of the MSU and MDRI pulses and beans diagnostic team“, March 2015 – English language, 21 pages, 1,165 Kb)
• research into potential agribusiness models for enhancing agricultural growth, particularly through partnerships with small and medium-scale farmers (refer to the presentation, “Myanmar at a cross road: small and medium scale farmers of large scale land concessions“, 19 May 2014 – English language, 12 pages, 476 Kb)
• recommendations on agribusiness investment models (refer to the presentation, “Agribusiness investment models for inclusive growth in Myanmar: diagnosis and way forward“, 19 May 2014 – English language, 28 pages, 925 Kb)

Publications and key findings

View publications and key findings produced as part of the food security and rural development program, or produced as background material, here

Events

• Launch of the research paper “Aquaculture in transition: value chain transformation, fish and food security in Myanmar”, held in Yangon, 28 January 2016
• Presentation and policy recommendations to representatives from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, held in Nay Pyi Taw, 20 January 2016
• Presentation of preliminary research findings on Myanmar’s aquaculture sector at the second Global Conference on Food Security, held at Cornell University, USA, 11-14 October 2016
• Myanmar and the sustainable development goals conference, held at  Yangon University, 10 – 12 July 2015
• Annual Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) forum, held in Nay Pyi Taw on 25-26 November 2014
• National workshop to provide input to Myanmar’s Rural Development Strategic Framework, held in November 2013

CESD researchers, Kyan Htoo and Aung Hein, with Ben Belton (MSU), at the Global Food Security Conference at Cornell University, USA, held on 11-14 October 2015.

CESD researchers undertaking the       household survey in Mon State, 2015