Physiological and chromosomal changes of delayed harvest soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) seeds

Delayed harvests may favour the deterioration process in soybean seeds due to their exposure to adverse environmental conditions. This study was undertaken to investigate physiological and chromosomal changes of aged soybean seeds due to delayed harvest. Seeds of 'AGS-190' and 'Cikurai' were harvested at harvest maturity (HM), one week after HM (H1) and three weeks after HM (H3). Seed viability and vigour (speed of germination, mean germination, seedling vigour index, seedling length and dry weight) decreased in H3 seeds in both cultivars. Prolonged ageing conditions in the field considerably reduced the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) showing the lowest level in H3 seeds regardless of cultivar. Malondialdehyde (MDA) increased with delay in harvest and the highest content was recorded in H3 seeds. There was a negative correlation between seed viability and genetic damage expressed by lower percentage of chromosomal aberrations in HM seeds of 'AGS-190' and H1 seeds of 'Cikurai'. The percentage of chromosomal aberration was significantly higher in H3 seeds. This study indicates that field deterioration process of soybean seeds also involves the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through lipid peroxidation which interfere with cell mitotic activity

Integrating gender dimensions in the Myanmar climate-smart villages

Climate Smart Village (CSV) practices include climate-smart agriculture (CSA), which aims to be ecologically, culturally and gender responsive. This study focuses on the CSA program in Myanmar which responded to needs of women smallholder farmers in relation to climate-hazards and risks. Homesteads and raising small livestock are perceived as women’s domains. There is a need to provide women with capacity building to sustain and transform economically lucrative homestead and livestock production that will supplement field production of crops dominated by men. Promoting a “portfolio” of options approach will give target communities a diverse set of adaptive opportunities tailored to the economic context of households

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Fruit Tree Based Agro-Forestry Systems: The Case of The Htee Pu Climate-Smart Village, Nyaung-U Township, Central Dry Zone, Myanmar

Htee Pu is a farming village located in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar, where drought, high atmospheric temperature, and infertile and degraded soils are constraints to sustaining and increasing agricultural productivity and farm income. Dryland fruit-tree-based agroforestry and the raising of goats were the prominent CSA options introduced to supplement the risk-prone prevalent annual cropping systems. This study was conducted to measure the financial benefits of introducing dryland-appropriate fruit trees (with one group having an additional complementary goat component) to Htee Pu households. The Cost and Return Analysis, Payback Period for Investment Analysis, and Household Liquidity Analysis were the analytical methods that were used in the study. Estimating the Net Value generated from potential fruit harvests showed that planting fruit trees on farms or homesteads can be highly profitable. Adding the financial benefits from fruit trees to the households’ farm and off-farm income resulted in improvements in the liquidity condition of a number of households. While the Cost-Benefit Analysis results were less impressive than the fruit tree project, the longer-term outcomes would improve once all the female goat breeders had reached their reproductive age. Goats would be significant additional sources of income and food for home consumption, thus a relevant CSA option as well

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Establishing a Climate Smart Village in Southern Shan, Myanmar: The Case of Taungkhamauk Village, Nyaung Shwe Township

This study analyzed the financial sustainability of a Climate-Smart Village (CSV) established in Taungkhamauk, Nyaung Shwe Township, in the southern Shan State of Myanmar. The Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) options adopted by participating households and evaluated by this study included yield enhancement for upland rice and corn, planting fruit trees in farms and homesteads, and vegetable gardening as well as livestock and poultry raising in homesteads. The Cost and Return Analysis method was used in determining financial sustainability. Results showed that the majority of the households benefited from implementing the CSA options. Furthermore, the study also noted that the CSV promoted social values about economic empowerment, household food security, and gender inclusiveness. Upscaling of the CSV approach in other villages in the Shan State was recommended

Climate-Smart Village Report: Taung Khamauk Village, Myanmar

Taung Khamauk village is located in Naung Shwe Township, Southern Shan State. The village is situated 3700 feet above sea level. Hills dominate the village topography with moderate to deep-sloping lands. The primary livelihoods of the village are agriculture and others such as selling fire wood, casual labor, and construction labor. Water scarcity is a significant challenge for agricultural productivity. Rainwater is harvested and stored for domestic use for a year long. Taung Khamauk was designated as a climate-smart village where participatory action research was undertaken from 2019 to 2020 to find solutions to the challenges posed by climate change on the lives and livelihoods of local farmers. In this project, IIRR promoted the CSV approach, facilitating community-based adaptation (CBA) processes, and a portfolio of CSA options is derived. With support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, the research project was implemented in Myanmar from July 2020 to July 2022. The purpose of this brief is to describe the updated profile of Taung Khamauk village in Southern Shan State, Myanmar, from 2019 to 2022

Action Research Report: Incremental Community Based Adaptation in the Highlands of Myanmar, Chin State

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) undertook participatory action research in Myanmar to establish climate-smart villages (CSVs) in four unique agro-ecologies. This research was funded by CGIAR-CCAFS and the International Development Research Center in Canada (IDRC). Sakta Village is one of these four CSVs operated by IIRR and its local partner, Karuna Mission Social Solidarity (KMSS). It is located at Hakha Township in the north-east of Chin State situated 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) above sea level. After assessing local priorities and local knowledge, IIRR together with the community members identified and introduced 10 CSA options for Sakta Village. The number of participating households grew from 135 in 2018 to 158 in 2019 and 236 in 2020. Agroforestry-based diversification based on economically valuable trees helped farmers to incrementally adapt to a changing environment. Avocado, orange, and plums were found to be suitable with these high elevation sites. Home gardens emerged as an attractive CSA option, because it built on local knowledge. Mechanisms for local financing or natural- asset building were popular in homesteads

Applying participatory action research methods in community-based adaptation with smallholders in Myanmar

Smallholder farms in four unique agroecological regions in Myanmar were targeted in this participatory study. Key support systems are needed for effective community engagement in implementing Climate Smart Villages (CSV). Farmers in the CSVs identified a menu of adaptation options that they would test, adopt and scale. This “portfolio approach” ensured there were opportunities for men, women, and landless households to participate in the community adaptation process. The research suggests that land tenure regimes influence the nature of the adaptation options and their eventual uptake. The study provides geographic and climate details specific to each region and relates them to perceptions of smallholder households

Measuring Household Resilience in the Climate Smart Villages in the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia

Resilience has traditionally been understood as a function of observable and measurable characteristics. More recently, discussions of household resilience have emphasized the need to pay attention to resilience as a set of capacities. What this paper aims to develop is a framework and a methodology for accounting both tangible and intangible characteristics found in the household, that is, measuring assets, social capital, as well as inherent personal characteristics or traits of the household decision-maker that may or may not predispose a household to be resilient. A framework from Béné (2014) was used as an analytical framework for both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study consists of surveying households (n=623) across six climate-smart villages (CSVs) in Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Three dimensions of household resilience were identified: resilience capacities, subjective resilience, and intra-household gender relations. Each dimension of resilience is envisioned to complement the other in order to better understand household level resilience. The dimensions are consolidated in order to construct a Household Resilience Score (HRS). The study confirms that there are strong links found among relationships between the use of CSA initiatives and resilience capacities. The study also revealed that subjective resilience is equally important in understanding household resilience. There is a strong relationship in how households think they can recover from a shock in relation to specific psychosocial traits such as perseverance, self-efficacy, and conscientiousness

Financial and environmental benefits from fruit trees in Myanmar’s central dry zone: Case Study from Htee Pu Climate Smart Village

The village of Htee Pu in the Township of Nyaung-U, Mandalay Region suffers from drought, water scarcity, infertile soil, and high ambient temperature being part of Myanmar’s central rry zone area. One of the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices introduced by the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) Southeast Asia, International Development Research Center (IDRC) and the Community Development Association in the village was fruit tree-based agroforestry. This study estimated the potential financial and environmental benefits that can be derived from the CSA option. The study revealed that the potential market value of the fruits harvested would amount to USD 1.07 Million from 2021 to 2035 or an average of USD 71,072/year. The production of fruits represents the provisioning ecosystem service of the fruit trees. Per household, the average financial benefit could amount to USD 47,398 over the 15-year period or USD 3,160 per year. In addition, the fruit trees would be able to provide a regulating ecosystem service by being able to potentially sequester 5,682 tCO2 per year with an estimated value of USD 47,725. Fruit production and carbon sequestration have a combined economic value of USD 118,797 per year. There is an upsurge in global interest in ecosystem restoration and the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes. The findings of this study are relevant to environmental agencies working to stabilize the central Dry Zone of Myanmar as including dryland horticulture and small farm agroforestry will benefit not only the local environment but also the people living in the area by making fruits available for their nourishment and livelihood. Development and agricultural agencies, on the other hand, can include CSA as a pathway for addressing degradation on small farms and associated landscapes

Community-level impacts of climate-smart agriculture interventions on food security and dietary diversity in climate-smart villages in Myanmar

Based on survey responses, the study examined how pathways of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices, tailored to different contexts of Myanmar’s four agroecological regions, contributed to observed changes in health and livelihoods. Livelihood resilience may rely on diversification, including climate smart fruit trees; livestock; and off‐farm incomes, as risk aversion strategies for the rural poor. Analysis of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) findings indicate that current nutrition education interventions in Myanmar CSVs are inadequate, and will need further improvement for better health and nutrition outcomes.Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research Centers—Climate Change, Agriculture; Food Security Program (CGIAR‐CCAFS