HOUSE OF THE WEEK
An abundance of space at FMI City
CERTAINLY, space is not a problem in this house – once you get there. Over the Hlaing River, 45 minutes from downtown, there is a large one-storey house in a big compound waiting for someone ready to trade time for space. ...moreLocal NGO seeks to expand farm schools
LOCAL NGO Mingalar Myanmar is considering expanding its Farmer Field School program but says it is dependent on increased donor support.
The first training programs were introduced in cyclone-affected areas of Ayeyarwady Division and now the organisation wants to expand them across the country to help farmers boost agricultural production.
“We are operating six schools in Bogale, Pyapon and Dedaye [townships] to provide modern technical know-how to local farmers so as to increase the produc-tivity of agriculture such as rice, beans and pulses,” said Dr Phone Win, a director of Mingalar Myanmar.
“For the time being, we can only run the schools in the delta region. We want to operate more schools all over the country,” he said. “The extension of more Farmer Field Schools depends on funding.”
The farmers are being trained by agricultural experts, including former staff of the state-run Myan-mar Agriculture Service.
“Three months ago we ran a one-week course in Yangon to produce trainers who would then be sent to train others in villages in the delta region,” said Daw Yuza Maw Htun, also a director at Mingalar Myanmar.
One of our aims in conducting this project is to change farmers’ deep-rooted traditional methods by providing technical know-how through the school, Daw Yuza Maw Htun said.
Presently 150 farmers are studying for a day a week at the Farmer Field Schools, which are funded by the UK Department for Inter-national Development and Sweden’s SIDA.
