10
2017
Following Public Participation and Natural Resources Management Trainings conducted at the end of 2016 in six villages along the Ayeyarwaddy and Thanlwin, MIID provided Agriculture Trainings at the request of communities between February and March 2017. This training aimed to improve the knowledge of the communities in agricultural practices and farming methods, increase their yields and to reduce use of chemicals inputs.
The training lasted two days in each site and included a practical session to demonstrate how to make organic compost and organic pesticides and visits to the communities’ fields. These trainings were trained by MIID staff in the context of the WLE-funded project Myanmar Healthy Rivers Initiative. Teachings also focused on monitoring of the river health, encouraging communities to document any changes in water quality, riverbank erosion or fisheries.
The six villages are Myit Poe Kyun Sein village, Bogale Township, Pulin village, Nyaung U Township and Sein Pan Kone village, Madaya Township that are in the Ayeyarwaddy River basin and Ka Doe village, Mawlamyine Township, Htone Aing village, Hpa-An Township and Phayar Taung village, Nyaung Shwe Township in the Thanlwin River Basin. About 35 participants from each villages attended the 2-days Trainings.
One participant from Kadoe village said “I have gained invaluable knowledge relating to agricultural practices and organic compost making and I am sure this will improve our farming practices”. And “I never ever attended this kind of training before in my life and I will never forget”, she added.
Communities have increased their knowledge about river health throughout the project, learning how everything is interconnected. They will have the opportunity to show the results of nine months of river health monitoring at the occasion of a final project workshop planned for September 2017 in Nay Pyi Taw.