Women Farmers Study, Part 2: Focus on Myanmar

Report on Women Farmers in Myanmar Released

East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation’s inaugural study on women farmers, completed in 2022, involved discussions with women in India, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda. The study examined three main areas: women’s engagement in vegetable production; women as integrated pest management (IPM) leaders; and challenges and opportunities in vegetable production for women farmers. Underlying these avenues of inquiry was an exploration of women farmers’ daily lives and their roles in their families and communities.

To add to this knowledge base on women farmers, we turned in the second half of 2023 to Myanmar. Led by Aung La Pyae, Project Lead and Gender Inclusion Officer, with the support of Mar Lar Soe, Knowledge Transfer Manager for Myanmar, this study gathered data through focus group discussions, surveys, and interviews in Kayin and Naypyidaw.

Read the full report here.

Key Findings:

• Women farmers in Myanmar are actively engaged in a spectrum of vegetable production activities, from seedling production to post-harvest handling. When women are on their own, whether unmarried, widowed, divorced, or with men working abroad, they take charge of organizing all aspects of crop management, from land preparation to the sale of vegetables.
• Women have a pivotal role in marketing and selling vegetables produced on the family farm. Recognized for their negotiation skills, women handle the price discussions with traders and the market transactions. They also manage the household finances. These roles give them decision-making power in agriculture and in the family.
• Women are dedicated learners during training sessions and share their new knowledge with family members and with other women. The collaborative exchange of ideas among women farmers not only enhances individual success but also contributes to the spread of improved farming techniques and the collective progress of women in agriculture. Women farmers are good trainers and resources for other farmers, both men and women.

Main Challenges:

• Like their counterparts in India, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda, women farmers in Myanmar work long hours, actively engaged in both family work and farm work. They have little free time for training activities, although they will find the time when they are interested and when training sessions are planned in advance.
• The current labor shortage in Myanmar can limit women farmers’ ability to be commercial vegetable producers.  Women usually need an extra hand for land preparation and spraying (due to the weight of the sprayer). Agricultural equipment and materials designed for women would help.
• Although they access similar or more training than men, women feel less knowledgeable than men about vegetable farming, especially protection from pests and diseases. This could be a function of cultural/social expectations or generally lower levels of formal education for women, or we could be missing a gender lens in training delivery. This opens an opportunity for EWS-KT to revisit our training sessions with an eye toward women’s learning and to ensure that we consistently confirm comprehension with training participants.

Up Next: Nigeria

To effectively reach women farmers, our approach needs to take into account each country’s unique environment. Part 3 of the women farmers study will take place over the next several months in Nigeria. We have a lot to learn from the northern Nigeria context, where women face considerable barriers to becoming commercial farmers and key players in the vegetable value chain.