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LivelihoodsandFoodSecurity
ASSESSMENTREPORT
FUNDEDBY
DISCLAIMER
ThisstudyiscommissionedbytheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO),
as part of the Communication for Sustained Livelihood and Food Security project, implemented in
cooperationwiththeMyanmarMinistryofInformation,andfundedbytheLivelihoodsandFoodSecurityTrust
Fund(LIFT)(www.liftfund.org).
ThereportwaspreparedbyDantDaLunManagementandConsultingServicesCompanyLtd.,withparticipation
from regional and national local partners and stakeholders including, State and local government entities,
NGOs,ruralcommunities,communitybasedassociations,institutionsandprojectbeneficiaries.
Theideasandopinionsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthors;theyarenotnecessarilythoseof
UNESCOanddonotcommittheOrganization.
UNESCOdoesnotguaranteetheaccuracyofthedataincludedinthisreportandacceptsnoresponsibilityfor
anyconsequencesofitsusethereof.
AuthorizationfromUNESCOisrequiredbeforeciting,referencingor/andreproducingthisreport,inpartor
whole.Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontactthebelow:
UNESCOMyanmar
UNBuildingNo.6NatmaukRoad,TamweTownship
YangonTheRepublicoftheUnionofMyanmar
Tel:+95154291019;Ext:130,109
Fax:+951544531
Email:yangon@unesco.org
UNESCO2015
Allrightsreserved
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DantDaLun Management and Consulting Services Company Ltd. would like to thank all those who have
contributed to making this study possible. In particular, we would like to express our appreciation for the
support and guidance of UNESCO and LIFT during the study. Special appreciation is also extended to the
Myanmar Ministry of Information for their active collaboration, and facilitation of field datacollection and
researchstudythroughlettersofintroductionandcoordinationwiththelocalstakeholders.Thesupportofthe
respective State and local governments is also highly appreciated for smooth implementation of the
assessment.
ThestudyteamwouldliketoexpressitsappreciationtotheLIFTpartnerswhogavethetimeandeffortoftheir
staff to provide ground support during the data collection process, despite their own busy schedules and
priorities.Thesurveywouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheirassistance.
DantDaLun appreciates the hard work of the study team Lead Consultant, Steven Lanjouw; Agricultural
Expert,PaulRoelofson;TeamLeaders,KhinHninYu,MaiMangSuiNawnandKyawThura;DataSupervisors,
Ohnmar Htun, Thae Phyu Htun and Khaing Kyaw Nyo; Analysis and Reporting Consultant, Choo Phuah;
Statistician,UZawWin;aswellastheenumeratorsanddataprocessingteam.
October2015
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................................2
Tableofcontents................................................................................................................................................3
ListofAcronyms..................................................................................................................................................6
ExecutiveSummary.............................................................................................................................................7
I.
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................11
II.
Studyobjectivesanddesign......................................................................................................................11
A.
Studyobjectives...................................................................................................................................11
B.
Studyareas...........................................................................................................................................11
C.
Studyquestions....................................................................................................................................15
D.
Studyframework..................................................................................................................................15
E.
Studymethods.....................................................................................................................................17
III. Studyfindings...........................................................................................................................................19
A.
Generalinformation.............................................................................................................................19
B.
Agriculturalandlivelihoodsituation.....................................................................................................22
C.
Overviewofinformationneedsandcommunicationchannels.............................................................25
D.
Agricultureandlivelihoodinformationneeds......................................................................................32
E.
Useofdifferentmeansofcommunication...........................................................................................42
F.
Mappingofcurrentinformationchannels............................................................................................47
G.
Summaryofkeyfindingsbystatesandregions....................................................................................60
IV. Keyinformationgapsandpreferredchannelsofcommunication.............................................................64
A.
Keyinformationgaps...........................................................................................................................64
B.
Analysisofpreferredcommunicationchannels....................................................................................64
V.
Recommendations....................................................................................................................................68
VI. Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................70
VII. Annexes....................................................................................................................................................72
Annex1:Datacollectiontools.......................................................................................................................73
Annex2:Listoforganisationsinterviewed....................................................................................................95
Annex3:Descriptionofagricultureandlivelihoodinformationcategories...................................................98
Annex4:Dataonaccesstocommunicationsfrom2014census....................................................................99
LISTOFTABLES
Table1:Listofstudytownshipsandvillages.....................................................................................................13
Table2:Profileofsurveytownships..................................................................................................................14
Table3:Informationcategoriesandtypesofinformation................................................................................16
Table4:Overallsocioeconomicconditionsinthestudystates/regions...........................................................20
Table5:Percentageofrespondentswhoindicatetheyneedinformationrelatedtodifferentcategories........25
Table6:Mostimportanttypesofinformationneeded.....................................................................................26
Table7:Useofdifferentcommunicationchannelstoaccesslivelihoodinformation........................................32
Table8:Mappingofavailableinformationsourcesonlivelihoodsandfoodsecurity........................................49
Table9:Accesstocommunicationchannelsbystate/region............................................................................57
Table10:Mostimportanttypesofinformationneededandcurrentavailablesourcesofinformation(shaded
rowsareareaswheretheinformationgapishigh)...........................................................................................65
LISTOFFIGURES
Figure1:Mapofstudyareas.............................................................................................................................12
Figure2:Occupationofrespondents................................................................................................................21
Figure3:Agedistributionofrespondents.........................................................................................................21
Figure4:Ethniccompositionofrespondents....................................................................................................22
Figure5:Householdincomesources.................................................................................................................23
Figure6:Landareacultivatedbyhouseholds...................................................................................................24
Figure7:Sourceofinformationoncropprices.................................................................................................24
Figure8:Informationneedsbygender.............................................................................................................27
Figure9:Informationneedsbysizeoflandcultivated......................................................................................27
Figure10:Accesstoinformationchannels........................................................................................................28
Figure11:Useofinformationchannelstogetlivelihoodsinformation.............................................................29
Figure12:Overallusefulnessofinformationfromdifferentinformationchannels,..........................................29
Figure13:UnmetNeedIndexfordifferentmeansofcommunication..............................................................30
Figure14:Accesstocommunicationchannelsbygender.................................................................................31
Figure15:Accesstomeansofcommunicationsbyeducationlevels.................................................................31
Figure16:Accesstomeansofcommunicationsbydistancefrommarket........................................................32
Figure17:Currentuseversuspreferencetoreceiveinformationonproductionassets....................................33
Figure18:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationrelatedtocommoditymarkets..................................34
Figure19:Monthsduringwhichinformationoncommoditypricesisneeded..................................................34
Figure20:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationoncasuallabourmarkets...........................................35
Figure21:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationontechnologyandinnovation...................................35
Figure22:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationontechnologyandinnovation..................................36
Figure23:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationonnutrition...............................................................37
Figure24:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonnutrition..............................................................37
Figure25:Percentageofrespondentswhoarefoodinsecure..........................................................................37
Figure26:Importanceoftypesofinformationoninputmarkets......................................................................38
Figure27:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationoninputmarkets......................................................38
Figure28:Percentageofpeoplewhoneedinformationonseedsandfertilizersthroughouttheyear.............39
Figure29:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationoncreditandfinance.................................................39
Figure30:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationcreditandfinances...................................................40
Figure31:Importanceofinformationonlawsandpolicies...............................................................................40
Figure32:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonlawsandpolicies.................................................41
Figure33:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationonweatherandenvironment....................................41
Figure34:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonweatherandenvironment...................................42
Figure35:Percentageofrespondentswhousedifferentmobileproviders......................................................44
4
Figure36:VillageinformationboardinMinbya................................................................................................46
Figure37:FertilizershopinShanstate..............................................................................................................47
Figure38:CoverageofMyanmarLocalRadioMedia........................................................................................59
Figure39:Anonfunctioningvillagelibrary.......................................................................................................60
LISTOFACRONYMS
apps
applications
CBO
Communitybasedorganisation
DOA
DepartmentofAgriculture
GAD
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
ICT
Informationandcommunicationstechnology
IP
Implementingpartner
IRC
InternationalRefugeeCommittee
LIFT
LivelihoodsandFoodSecurityTrustFund
MADB
MyanmarAgriculturalDevelopmentBank
NGO
Nongovernmentalorganisation
TV
Television
EXECUTIVESUMMARY
As part of UNESCOs Communication for Sustainable Livelihood and Food Security project funded by LIFT, a
rapid information needs assessment was conducted to 1) ascertain the perceived and felt agriculture and
livelihoods information needs in rural areas and 2) map existing information sources, in order to 3) identify
informationgapsandpreferredchannelsfordisseminationofsuchinformation.
Thestudywasconductedinfivestates/regionsinChinState,RakhineState,ShanState,MandalayRegion
and Ayeyawady Region. Forty five villages were purposively selected in fourteen townships in these
states/regions. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection. A non
representative household survey was conducted with 720 respondents (362 men and 358 women) who are
headsofhouseholdsorspousesofheadsofhouseholds.Inaddition,2focusgroupdiscussions(onewithmen
andonewithwomen)andonekeyinformantinterviewwereconductedineachvillage.Atthetownshipand
national(Yangon)level,97keyinformantinterviewswereheldwithrepresentativesfromagriculturalrelated
organisationsandmediaoutletsfromthepublic,privateandnonprofitsectors.
About half ofthe respondents in the household survey are farmers and a quarter work as casual labourers.
About20%oftherespondentsalsorearlivestockinadditiontofarming,withthehighestpresenceoflivestock
breedersinMandalayregion.IntheDeltaandRakhinestate,about15%oftherespondentsarefisherfolk.A
smallpercentageofrespondentsarebusinessowners,craftspersonsandskilledwageearners.
TherespondentsareofdifferentethnicgroupsincludingShan,PaO,Palaung,Chin,RakhineandBamar.About
65%oftherespondentscanreadandwriteMyanmarand27%areunabletoreadorwriteMyanmar.
InShanstate,about90%oftherespondentssaidtheyownlandbutthisfallstoabout50%inChinandRakhine
states.Averagelandsizeownedis6acres;itishighestinAyeyawadyat11acresandlowestinChinatonly2
acres. Most farmers planted cereal crops, roots or tubers as the main crop during the monsoon season, of
whichabouthalfplantedrice.Mostfarmersselltheircropsindividuallyandabout90%areabletoobtaincrop
prices before selling, primarily from traders or friends and family. Most of the land cultivated is rainfed
throughoutthestudyareaandirrigationisavailabletoonlyaverysmallproportionofhouseholds.
Akeyfindingisthattherearehighinformationneedsinallareas.Almostallrespondentsindicatedthatthey
needinformationinalltheinformationcategoriesidentifiedinthestudy.Thedatashowsverylittlesignificant
differences in the answers given by respondents in different information categories even when the data is
disaggregatedbydifferentrespondentcharacteristics.However,whileneedsinallinformationareasarehigh,
theanalysishassoughttounderstandthedifferencesinprioritygiventodifferentareas,i.e.toidentifyareas
whereinformationneedsareveryhighfromthosewhicharelesshigh.
Thecategoriesforwhichinformationneedsarehighestareinnutritionandinweatherandenvironment.This
is similar across all states and regions. The categories which scored the lowestare inproduction assets and
input markets. This is likely because a significant proportion of the respondents are casual labourers or
subsistencefarmerswhodonotusemanyproductionassetsandpurchasemanyinputs.Otherkeycategories
ofinformationneededarecreditandfinanceaswellascommoditymarkets.
Overall, the means of communication that people have most access to is radio (about half of respondents)
followed by mobile phone with 35% coverage. Less than 5% of the respondents have access to internet as
althoughmanyhaveaccesstoamobilephonetheymaynothavesmartphoneswithinternetcapabilities.Only
aboutaquarterofrespondentshaveaccesstoatelevision(TV)andabout10%tojournals.Language,poor
transportationinruralareas,lackofelectricityandlimitedcoverage(e.g.TVormobilephonecoverage)are
thekeybarrierstoimprovedaccesstocommunications.
Thechannelthroughwhichmostpeoplegetinformationonlivelihoodsisfriendsandrelatives.Exchangeof
information often happens during market days, religious ceremonies and ethnic national festivals where
peoplemeetandshareinformation.Radio,TVandnewspapersarealsoimportantsourcesofinformationon
7
livelihoods,althoughas noted above, access toTV and newspapersis very low in therural areas.Very few
peoplearecurrentlygettinginformationbySMS.MostrespondentsdonotknowhowtouseSMSorinternet
ontheirmobilephone,evenwhenitisavailable.Insomeareas,e.g.inPaO,therespondentsmentionedthat
theydonotunderstand Myanmarandthuswould notbeabletouseSMS.However,mostpeoplearevery
interestedingettingmoreinformationthroughSMSandinternetandthinkthatitwillbecomeanimportant
informationsourceinthefuture,particularlyfortheyoungergeneration.
Whilemostpeoplegetlivelihoodsinformationfromfriendsandrelatives,itisconsideredalessreliablesource
of information. Almost all respondents find the information from all sources easy to understand although
languageissometimesabarrier(e.g.useofEnglishwords,lackofwordsinthelocallanguage).Information
fromfarmersassociations/cooperativesandextensionworkersarethemosteasytounderstand,reliableand
practical. The Unmet Need Index, which compares current versus preferred use of a particular means of
communication, is highest for mobile phones/internet. There is also a desire for government extension
workersandNGOstoprovidemoreinformationthantheycurrentlydo.Conversely,thereisadesiretobeless
dependentonfriendsandfamilyaswellastradersandmiddlemen.
In general, men have better access to all means of communications compared to women. There is little
difference, however, in how men and women get information on livelihoods. Women in some areas noted
thattheyarenotabletoattendtrainingsofferedbyNGOsbecausetheydonothavetimeastheyhavetowork
inthefieldsaswellastakecareofchildrenandthehousework.Somewomenlistedhusbandsasasourceof
information.
Accesstoallmeansofcommunicationsalsoincreaseswithlevelofeducation.However,amongthosewhodo
have access, there is no clear difference in whether they use it to get information on livelihoods among
respondentsofdifferenteducationlevels.Thisimpliesthateducationlevelsmaybelessimportantafactorin
use ofcommunication channels than other factors related to education such asincome(where people with
lessschoolingearnlessandthusarelessabletoaffordtobuydifferentcommunicationsequipment).
Information on livelihoods is currently available from a variety of channels including government entities
(Ministry of Information, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural
Development, Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank, village leaders), private sector agrochemical
companiesandtraders/middlemen,privatemediaoutlets(radio,TVandprint),aswellasnongovernmental
organisations providing agricultural extension and microcredit services. Most government entities have
limited coverage due to lack of adequate resources. Private sector agrochemical companies tend to target
highoutputareasandarelesspresentinsubsistencefarmingareas.
While many people listen to radio for weather information and input prices, there is not much interest in
receivingotherlivelihoodsrelatedinformationfromtheradio.Televisionisnotreachingtheruralpopulations
due to the lack of equipment and poor transmission. These formats thus have limited use in reaching the
peopleinthetargetareaswiththeinformationtheyareinterestedin.
As literacy is not high in many of the targeted areas, written materials are of low interest to most farmers.
Newspapers and journals do not reach the rural areas but may serve the purpose of township level groups
such as traders and extension workers who may in turn provide such information to the farmers. These
materialsarethususefulforthemiddlelevelinformationproviders.
AccesstoSMSandinternetisstillverylimitedandthusisnotcurrentlyapracticalmeanstoreachmostpeople
intheruralarea.Inmanyothercountries,theuseofnewinformationandcommunicationstechnology(ICT)
suchasapplicationsonmobiletelephoneshasbeenshowntoimproveagriculturalproductivity.Anumberof
organisationsareintheprocessofdevelopingsuchapplicationsinMyanmar.TheFarmerapp,whichisbeing
developed by the Awba company with technical support from Mercy Corps, has been piloted and will be
launchednationallyinmidNovember.Informationfromthewebsiteabouttheappindicatesthattheappwill
providetechnicalinformationonfarmingpracticesaswellasweatherandcommoditypriceupdates.Inmany
8
areasinMyanmar,however,thecontextisnotyetconduciveforusingthesetypesofinformationchannelson
a large scale. Only very few households have access to smartphones which are needed to use apps and
internetcoverageisstilllimited.Asmanyhouseholdshaveaccesstosimplekeypadmobilephonesandthe
rateofexpansionofthemobilenetworkishighandwillremainhighforthecomingyears,thereisapotential
toexpand the use ofSMS as a vehiclefortransmission of information.The use ofmobileSMS information
platforms where farmers receive SMS alert messages and mobile farmer helplines where farmers can call
agriculturalexpertsforadvicehavebeenshowninothercountriestoincreaseaccesstorealtimeinformation
andsupport.Tomakethemviable,thecostsofsuchservicesmustbeconsidered.
LowlevelsofliteracyhoweverlimittheuseofSMSandsomeformofsupportonhowtouseSMSisneeded.
Youngerfamilymemberscanplayanimportantroleinthis.Furthermore,middlelevelinformationproviders
asdescribedabovecouldbenodesforfurtherdisseminationoftheinformationsentbySMS.Awarenessof
SMSusecouldalsoberaisedthroughradioandTV.
The use of internet will increase in the longer future and the use of applications will increase. Application
developmentandtestingandpilotingshouldbedoneatthismomentbutintroductiononalargerscaleneeds
towaituntiltheenvironmentismoreconducive.
Duetotheheavyrelianceofpeopleontheinformalnetworkoffriendsandfamily,theideaofusingnodesto
infiltrate the informal network and act as information distributors may be explored. The system of
information distributors is already functioning in some villages where village leaders disseminate
information received from the township level through these information distributors. These information
distributors could be from existing trusted sources such as NGOs and government extension workers, local
journalistsorreportersaswellaskeyinfluencersinthecommunitysuchasreligiousleaders.
Mobilephoneaccessishigherandcouldbeanimportantmeansfortwowaycommunicationandinformation
on demand. While this has not yet been developed in Myanmar, helplines and call centers have been
introducedinothercountrieswithrelativesuccess.ThecallcenterscouldbelocatedwithintheMinistryof
Information,MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigationorwithinNGOsandshouldbeoperatedbypeoplewhocan
speakthelocallanguages.
Although farmers associations and cooperatives were not identified as a preferred channel by many
respondents, the data shows that respondents consider information from farmers associations and
cooperativestobehighlyreliable,practicalandeasytounderstand.About60%ofrespondentssaythatthere
isafarmerassociationorcooperativeintheirvillageandtheseorganisationsmaybeusedasameanstoshare
knowledge among rural populations themselves based on their own experiences. Many such organisations
holdregularmeetingsandthesearegoodforumstoshareinformation.
Thefollowingrecommendationsarebasedonananalysisofthekeyinformationgapsandpreferredchannels
of communication and seek to provide suggestions for initiatives that may be developed by UNESCO in its
project.
1.
2.
Informationonrainfallandotherweatherconditionsareofhighpriorityforruralpopulationsduetothe
keyeffectofweatherontheirlivelihoods.Basicdailyweatherforecastsarecurrentlyavailablefromradio
andtelevision,withradiobeingthemainsourceofsuchinformationforruralpopulations.Intheethnic
states,suchasRakhineandChinstates,however,accesstoradioislowbecauseofthelanguagebarrier.
Otheroptionstoprovidesuchinformationsuchasdevelopmentoflocalradiochannelsinlocallanguages
orSMSservice through information distributorscouldbedeveloped.TherecentBroadcastLawthat
hasbeenpassedallowsthedevelopmentoflocalcommunityradiostationsandthesecouldbesupported
topromotebroaderinformationexchangeinlocalareas.
Information on nutrition is also a key gap with very few organisations providing such information as
nutrition is often overlooked in interventions related to livelihoods and food security. This information
maybeprovidedbyNGOextensionservicesaswellasgovernmentservices.Furtherresearchshouldbe
9
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
carried out to understand information needs in this area. UNESCO may seek collaboration with other
actorssuchastheMinistryofHealth,UNICEF,WorldFoodProgramme,FAOandothernutritioninitiatives
(e.g. ScalingUp Nutrition initiative) and with specific LIFT implementing partners to develop
communicationinitiativeslinkedtospecificnutritionalobjectivesofthepartnersprojects.
While information on daily weather conditions is available from radio, TV or newspapers, there is little
information on how the weather conditions affect production and how to mitigate against different
weather conditions, which are also important for farmers. Information on how to respond to weather
conditions could be developed for distribution through extension services provided by NGOs and
governmentdepartmentsaswellastheinformationdistributors.Forexample,informationpackages
forhowtomanagedroughtcouldbedevelopedifsuchconditionsarepredictedfortheseason.
Information on where to get credit and interest rates and costs of credit also ranked highly with few
information sources providing such information widely. Most villagers currently receive information on
loansfromtheirvillageleadersandNGOswhichoffermicrocreditservicesandtheseshouldcontinueto
bekeysourcesofinformation.However,cautionshouldbetakennottopromotehighlevelsofborrowing
and indebtedness as many farmers already have high levels of debt. Information should thus also be
providedonhowtomanagedebt.
Farmers need to have information about the relevant laws particularly the land law and fertilizer and
pesticidelaw.InparticularknowledgeabouthowtosecuretheLandUseCertificateForm7iscrucialfor
them in order to be able to secure their use of the land they cultivate and to obtain a loan from the
MADB.Althoughvillageleadersprovidethisinformation,thisisverylimited.Thereisastronginterestto
receivesuchinformationfromgovernmentextensionworkersbutthisneedstobedoneinauserfriendly
supportivemanner.Inadditiontoprovisionofinformationthroughextensionworkersandradio,itmay
beusefultoprovidesuchsupportthroughahelplineorcallcenterwhereadvicecanbeprovidedtothe
individualonhis/herowncircumstances.
Information on prices of inputs and commodities did not rank among the top 20 types of information
needed. Such information is currently available from a variety of sources including radio, TV and
newspaperandjournals,aswellasfromtradersandmiddlemen.However,informationonthequalityof
inputs and techniques to apply inputs did rank among the top 20 types of information needed. Some
informationonthisiscurrentlyavailablefromtradersbutthereisaninteresttogetsuchinformationfrom
NGOsandgovernmentextensionworkers.
There is a strong interest for information on new farming methods, new seeds and new
fertilizers/pesticides from NGOs and government extension workers. Most farmers however, are risk
averse,andwillnotusenewmethodsandinputsuntiltheyhavebeendemonstratedtohaveanimpact.It
is thus important to create opportunities for farmers to share such information among themselves in
order to promote such methods. This can be done through discussionforums and eventsorganised by
farmersassociationsandcooperatives.
Thereiscurrentlyverylittleinformationbeingprovidedonthecostofcasuallabour.Thisinformationis
usefultobothfarmerswhohirecasuallabouraswellasthecasuallabourersthemselves.Asthereisnot
an established market for casual labour and the cost varies significantly between areas, such
informationisbestprovidedbylocalsourcessuchasfarmersassociationsandcooperatives.
Theanalysisofthetop20typesofinformationrequireddoesnotincludeinformationrelatedtofishing
andlivestockbreedingasfisherfolkandlivestockbreedersformasmallerpercentageoftherespondents.
However,inareaswherefishingandlivestockbreedingareimportantsourcesoflivelihoodAyeyawady
andRakhineforfishingandMandalayforlivestockbreedingitisimportanttoalsoprovideinformation
on techniques related to these activities. Such information is best provided through NGOs and
governmentextensionworkersaswellasfarmersassociationsandcooperatives.
10
I.
INTRODUCTION
UNESCO together with its partners the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the
Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, Ooredoo Myanmar and BBC Media Action are
implementing a Communication for SustainableLivelihood andFoodSecurity project which aims to facilitate
access to agriculture and livelihoods related information by rural populations to enable them to make
informedchoicesanddecisionsneededtoimprovetheirqualityoflifeandreducepoverty.Theproject,which
is supported by the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT), seeks to address imbalances in the
availability and accessibility of adequate, accurate and timely information in rural areas for agricultural and
livelihoodspurposes.
As part of the first phase of this project, UNESCO in collaboration with DantDaLun Management and
Consulting Services, conducted a rapid information needs assessment to ascertain the perceived and felt
information needs of the community and map existing information sources in order to identify information
gapsand preferred channels for dissemination of such information. This document presents the findingsof
thisstudy.
II.
STUDYOBJECTIVESANDDESIGN
A. STUDYOBJECTIVES
Thespecificobjectivesofthestudywereto:
1. Identify the agricultural and livelihood information needs, uses and preferences of groups in the rural
sectorusingqualitativeandquantitativemethods;and
2.
3.
Map existing agricultural and livelihood related information in various forms and channels that are
accessibletothecommunity.
Identifytheinformationgapsforruralcommunitiesandpreferredchannels/formatsfordisseminationof
thisinformationasthebasisforfurtherelaborationoftheUNESCOproject.
B. STUDYAREAS
Thestudywasconductedinfivestates/regionsinChinState,RakhineState,ShanState,MandalayRegion
and Ayeyawady Region corresponding to LIFTs geographic areas of focus. Within each state/region, the
study selected three townships where LIFT already operates through its partnership with implementing
partners(IPs)inordertobuildonexistingactivities.Inadditiontotownshipleveldata,thestudyalsocollected
nationallevelinformationfrommediaoutletsandinformationserviceprovidersinYangon.Figure1showsa
mapofthestudyareas.
Fifteen townships were initially selected by DantDaLun using the criteria specified by UNESCO to include
thosewiththehighestpovertyincidencerecordedandwhereLIFTalreadyoperates.Selectionwasbasedon
povertydatafromtheMyanmarRuralDevelopmentStrategicFramework(MinistryofLivestock,Fisheriesand
Rual Development, 2014) and on LIFT information on their coverage townships. The list was confirmed by
UNESCOandwassubsequentlyrevisedwithinputsfromLIFTtoreflecttheirprioritytownships.Withineach
township, three villages were purposively selected with assistance of LIFT implementing partners, based on
availabletimeandresourcesandabilitytoobtainapprovalforthefieldwork.Effortsweremadetoincludea
rangeofvillagesincludingthosethathavelessaccesstoroadandcommunicationinfrastructure.
11
Figure1:Mapofstudyareas
12
Table1providesthelistoftownshipsandvillageswherethestudywasconducted.Aprofileofthepopulation
ineachofthestudytownshipsisshowninTable2.
Table1:Listofstudytownshipsandvillages
District
Rakhine
Townships
MraukU
Minbya
Kyaukpyu
Kyaukpyu
MraukU
Myebon
Villages
KyeinChaung
AHaungTaung
MinHtauk
KyanChai
KonBaung
PyaingSaeKay
KyaukNgaNwar
KyarInnTaung
Gyant HinGar
Organisationprovidingsupport
InternationalRescueCommittee
BetterLifeOrganisation
InternationalRescueCommittee
Ayeyawady
Labutta
Labutta
Pyapon
Bogale
Labutta
Mawlamyinegyun
PikeTan
Kyaukpyu
PainHnel
ThaBuu
PhaYarThoneSu
KyeeChaung
SinYoke
PadelKaw
LaMuTaPin
PACT
PACT
PACT
Mandalay
Meikthila
Mahlaing
Myingyan
Natogyi
Myingyan
Taungtha
KuGyi
KyinnYwar
YayNyi
MaGyiKone
ThaHtayKone
Yoma
MyayPhyuKone
PaKhat
WestMaGyiPyin
HelpAgeInternational
MinistryofInformation
MinistryofInformation
Shan
Taunggyi
Hopong
Taunggyi
Hsihseng
Kyaukme
Kyaukme
Naung Khone
SanSoke
WarKhaYar
NaungLone
TaungTi
HtiMun
NaungPeng
AungMyayTharYar
Lawl Khaw
MettaFoundation
MettaFoundation
PACT
Chin
Falam
Falam
Falam
Tedim
Falam
Tedim
LHmumPi
Thlanrawn
SumHrang
Kaptel
Lailui
Lamzang
Lumnual
Tualzang
Tuilang
GRET
ArrYoneOo
ArrYoneOo
13
Table2:Profileofsurveytownships
Township
Villagetracts1
Villages1
Total
Population2
Rakhine
Male2
Female2
Urban2
Rural2
Total
Households2
Female
headed
2
households
%Female
headed
2
households
Poverty
Score%3
Minbya
63
272
169,208
78,875
90,333
22,944
146,264
36,628
8,302
22.7
Kyaukpyu
54
262
165,352
78,762
86,590
20,866
144,486
37,264
7,956
21.4
Myebon
Ayeyawady
52
158
137,193
65,359
71,834
11,566
125,627
31,339
5,238
16.7
50
486
229,929
114,746
115,183
31,174
198,755
55,146
8,206
14.9
Bogale
71
570
322,665
159,296
163,369
43,224
279,441
75,987
13,811
18.2
Mawlamyinegyun
101
583
311,340
153,127
158,213
32,915
278,425
74,886
15,614
40
Labutta
Mandalay
40
20.9
Mahlaing
53
247
139,427
63,581
75,846
13,850
125,577
33,327
9,802
29.4
45
Natogyi
65
190
177,078
80,848
96,230
12,818
164,260
40,965
9,944
27.1
41
Taungtha
Shan
78
247
216,642
97,161
119,481
17,528
199,114
49,852
13,485
24.3
41
Hopong
23
346
112,348
55,535
56,813
22,840
89,508
24,728
5,128
20.7
25
Hsihseng
14
338
153,032
74,736
78,296
12,073
140,959
32,771
6,276
19.2
25
Kyaukme
Chin
85
363
127,560
61,644
65,916
39,930
87,630
28,371
8,124
28.6
Falam
87
187
41,457
20,350
21,107
9,092
32,365
8,428
2,381
28.3
79
Tedim
56
131
87,632
41,927
45,696
13,452
74,171
14,683
3,943
26.9
79
Tonzang
32
103
20,722
10,107
10,615
3,777
16,945
3,411
632
18.5
79
(MinistryofHealth,2009)
2
(DepartmentofPopulation,MinistryofImmigrationandPopulation,May2015)
3
(MinistryofLivestock,FisheriesandRualDevelopment,2014)
AninitialworkshopwasconductedwithanumberofLIFTimplementingpartners(IPs)atthestartofthestudy
inordertogatherinputonthestudyframeworkandselectthevillagesforthestudy.SomeIPswerenotable
toattendtheworkshopandthestudyteammetwiththemindividuallyinYangontogettheirinputs.
During the fieldwork, western Myanmar was hit by a major tropical depression causing severe flooding
throughout Rakhine, Chin, Sagaing and Ayeyawady states/regions. The team in Chin state was not able to
undertakefieldworkinTonzangtownship,oneoftheinitiallyselectedstudytownships,duetotheheavyrains
whichcausedseverelandslidesintheareaclosingoffmanyroads.Thestormcausedsomeoftheworstfloods
in decades in the country resulting in huge damage and disruption. As the general livelihood situation in
TonzangtownshipissimilartoTedimtownship,anadditional3villageswereselectedinTediminsubstitution
oftheTonzangvillages.
C. STUDYQUESTIONS
Thestudysoughttoanswerthefollowingkeyquestions:
What types of agriculture and related rural livelihood information do rural households in the study
areasneed,andwhethertheyarereceivingthisinformation?
Howarethesehouseholdscurrentlyreceivingsuchinformation?
Howusefulistheinformationtheyreceive?
Whataretheobstaclestoaccessingcurrentinformationsources?
What kind of information is available within communities and how they share this among
themselves?
Howdotheyapplytheinformationreceived?
Howwouldtheyliketoreceiveinformationinthefuture?
InlightoftheUNESCOprojectinterestinnewinformationcommunicationtechnologies(ICT),suchasmobile
phoneandinternetapplications,thestudyalsosoughttoanswerthefollowingquestion.
Whataretheruralhouseholdsaccessandattitudestowardsuseofnewinformationcommunication
technologies?
D. STUDYFRAMEWORK
The study sought tocollect information with regards to two key main areas theagricultureand livelihood
informationneedsoftheruralrespondentsandthecommunicationmeanstheyuse.
AGRICULTUREANDLIVELIHOODSINFORMATIONNEEDS
Thestudyexploredtherespondentsinformationneedsrelatedtothefollowinginformationcategories1:
1. Productionassets
2. Commoditymarkets
3. Casuallabourmarkets
4. Technologyandinnovations
5. Trainingandextension
6. Nutrition
7. Inputs(fertilizer,pesticide,seeds)
8. Creditandfinances
9. Policiesandlaws
10. Weatherandenvironment
TheseinformationcategoriesaredescribedinAnnex3.
Table3:Informationcategoriesandtypesofinformation
Informationcategory
Productionassets
Commoditymarkets
Casuallabourmarkets
Technologyand
innovation
Trainingandextension
Nutrition
Inputmarkets
Creditandfinances
Lawsandpolicies
Weatherand
environment
Typesofinformation
Thepurchaseorsalespriceofproductionassets,suchaslandorapowertiller
Howtouse,repairormaintain(atractor,orlandetc.)
Bargainsorrentalandleasingopportunitiesandcosts.
Relatedcostssuchasfuelcosts,electricity costs,equipmentandaddons
Farmandmarketsalespriceofcommoditiesorcrops.
Transportationcostsrelatedtotransportingcommoditiesorcropstomarkets.
Priceofacommodityinrelationstoadifferenceinquality.
Saleofcommoditiesviabulkorcollectiveselling.
Costofcasuallabour
Wheretofindcasuallabour
Capacityofcasuallabour
Timeavailabilityofcasuallabour
Workconditions
Newtypesofseedsandplanting(cuttings)material
Newtypesoffertilizerandpesticides
Newtypesofmachinerylikeploughs,tractors,fishingboats,nets
Newplantingtechniquesandnewmethodsoffarmingorfishing
Wheretofindtrainingorextension
Costsoftrainingandextension
Whoprovidestrainingandextensionservices
Whattypesoftrainingarebeingoffered
Whentrainingandextensionservicesarebeingoffered
Healthyfoods
Nutritiousbenefitsofdifferenttypesoffood
Abalancedanddiversifieddiet
Pricesofnutritiousfood
Howtopreparenutritiousfood
Priceofinputscomingfromdifferentsuppliers(shops)
Priceofinputsindifferentplaces(villagesortowns)
Qualityoftheinputs
Whentheseinputsareavailable
Transportationcostforinputs
Techniquesusedtoapplyinputs
Wheretogetcreditandfinancing
Termsandconditionslinkedtoapplyingforcreditandfinancing
Interestratesandothercosts
Debtrepayment
Policiesandlawsthatrelate toseeds
Policiesandlawsthatrelatetofertilizerandpesticides
Policiesandlawsthatrelatetoland
Policiesandlawsthatrelatetoassociationsandotherorganizations
Policiesandlawsthatrelatetofishingrights
Policiesandlawsthatrelatetoforestsandvacantlands
Rainfallprediction(whenisitgoingtorainandhowmuch)
Temperature,sunshineandotherweatherconditions
Effectofweatheroncropproduction
Howtomitigateweatherchanges
Soildegradationandsoilconservation
Within each information category, the study sought to understand how important different types of
informationrelatedtothatcategoryaretothestudyparticipants,wheretheycurrentlygetinformationfrom
andwhattheirpreferredsourcesofinformationare.Forexample,withinthecategoryofproductionassets,
the respondents were asked to discuss information needs related to the purchase/sale price of production
16
MEANSOFCOMMUNICATION
The study explored respondents use of the following means of communication/channels to receive
information:
1. Radio
2. Television
3. Newspapersandjournals
4. Mobilephone/SMS
5. Internet
6. Farmersassociationsandcooperatives
7. Extensionservices
8. Traders,middlemenandshopkeepers
9. Friendsandfamily
Foreachchannelofcommunication,thestudysoughttounderstandtheaccessthatrespondentshave,what
barrierstheyhave,whatinformationtheyreceivefromthechannelandhowusefulthatinformationis.
E. STUDYMETHODS
Thestudyusedbothqualitativeandquantitativemethodsfordatacollection.Theseincluded:
a review of existing documents and resources including studies on media channels and previous
informationneedsassessments;
ahouseholdsurvey;
focusgroupdiscussions(FGD)withcommunitymembersinthevillages;and
key informant interviews (KII) with key stakeholders from public sector service and private sector
serviceprovidersattheYangonandtownshiplevelandvillageleadersatthevillagelevel.
Thelistofdocumentsreviewedisprovidedinthebibliography.
Threedatacollectiontoolsweredeveloped:1)ahouseholdsurveyquestionnaire;2)asemistructuredfocus
group discussion guide; and 3) a key informant interview guide. The household survey questionnaire was
fieldtestedandrevisionsmadepriortothestartoffieldwork.ThefinalversionoftheEnglishlanguagetoolsis
attachedinAnnex1.
HOUSEHOLDSURVEY
As the study is an initial situational assessment intended to provide a picture of the information needs of
communities, the household survey was not designed to be representative nationally or regionally of the
population but is more illustrative in nature. In each village, 16 households were selected randomly for
interviewsbasedonthehouseholdlistprovidedbythevillageleader,givingatotalof720respondents(362
menand358women)inthehouseholdsurvey.Whereavillagehouseholdlistwasnotavailable,systematic
randomsamplingusingtherighthandrulewasused.Withineachhousehold,theheadofthehouseholdor
spouse of the head of household was interviewed. The study sample, although not representative,
neverthelessprovidesarichunderstandingoftheinformationneedsoftherespectivecommunities.
Keysourcesreviewedarelistedinthebibliographyattheendofthedocument.
17
FOCUSGROUPDISCUSSIONS
Twofocusgroupdiscussionswereconductedineachvillage,onewithwomenandonewithmen.Eachfocus
group discussion consisted of 610 participants. Participants for the FGDs included those with and without
accesstocommunicationsequipmentsuchasradioandmobilephones.
KEYINFORMANTINTERVIEWS
Ineachvillage,akeyinformantinterviewwasconductedwiththevillageleader.Atthetownshiplevel,atotal
of82keyinformantinterviewswereconductedwithrepresentativesfromagriculturalrelatedorganisations
government departments (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural
Development,GeneralAdministrationDepartment),privatesectorentities(agrochemicalcompanies,traders,
brokers, shopkeepers and middlemen) and notforprofit organisations (nongovernmental organisations
(NGOs) and community based organisations (CBOs)) as well as with representatives from media outlets
localradioandtelevision(TV)stations,newspapersandjournalsandtheMinistryofInformation.InYangon,a
total of 15 key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from agricultural related
associations and media outlets. The list of organisations interviewed in Yangon and in each township is
providedinAnnex2.
DATACOLLECTIONANDANALYSIS
The data was collected by three field teams consisting of a Team Leader, Data Supervisor and 23
enumerators. UNESCO and the Ministry of Information provided an introduction letter for the teams and
villageswereinformedoftheintendedstudybyLIFTIPspriortothedatacollectionprocess.Enumeratorswho
speakthelanguage/dialectoftheareawererecruitedlocallywithassistanceoftheIPs.Thedatacollection
tools were prepared in Myanmar language and translated into local ethnic languages by the enumerators.
TrainingfortheenumeratorswasprovidedbytheTeamLeadersandDataSupervisors.
ThequantitativedatagatheredwascomputerizedandanalysedusingSPSSsoftware.Datawascheckedand
cleaned using a number of standard checking strategies. The key informant interview and focus group
discussiondatawereanalysedusingqualitativeinterpretiveapproaches.
LIMITATIONSOFTHESTUDY
The study was not designed to be nationally or regionally representative of the population and is more
illustrative in nature. This is based on the requirements of UNESCO for a rapid assessment that provides a
pictureofthesituationofinformationneedsinthestudyareas.Thefindingsoftheassessmentswillthusneed
tobefurtherreviewedandconfirmedduringtherolloutoftheUNESCOproject.
Differentenumeratorteamswereusedindifferentstudysitesandthequestionnairehadtobetranslatedinto
different languages in different areas. While careful training and supervision was provided by the Team
LeadersandDataSupervisors,thismaycontributetopossibledifferencesinthewaydatawascollectedand
recorded.
ThestudytookplaceduringoneoftheworstfloodsinMyanmarindecades.ManyareasparticularlyinChin
andRakhinestateswereseverelyaffected.ThestudyteaminChinwasnotabletoundertakefieldworkin
Tonzang, one of the selected townships and travel conditions were significantly hampered. Many of the
respondents had been affected by the floods and were emotionally under stress. While they agreed to
participateintheassessment,thequalityofinformationprovidedmayhavebeenaffectedbytheconditions
they were facing at the time of the study. The study also coincided with the planting season limiting the
availabilityofmanyfarmers.
18
III.
STUDYFINDINGS
A. GENERALINFORMATION
This section provides a general description of the survey areas using data available from secondary sources
andananalysisofthecharacteristicsofrespondentsfromthehouseholdsurvey.
GENERALDESCRIPTIONOFSURVEYAREAS
Thestudywasconductedin14townshipsinfivestatesandregionsandsupplementedwithnationalleveldata
from Yangon. The study areas fall under the three of the six broad agroecological zones in Myanmar
delta/coastal(Ayeyawadyand Rakhine), dry zone(Mandalay)and hilly areas (Chin and Shan). Indicators on
theoverallsocioeconomicconditionsinthefivestates/regionsareshowninTable4.
AYEYAWADYREGION
ThetownshipsintheAyeyawadyregionarelocatedinthedeltaoftheAyeyawadyRiver,themainriverthat
flows through Myanmar. The selected townships were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. The
populationinthesetownshipsisethnicallydiversewithaBamarmajority.TheAyeyawadydeltaisadensely
populatedregionandamajorriceproducingarea.Fishingisalsoamajorincomesource,includingcultivation
offishinfishponds.Transportationisprimarilybywaterwaysandcanbedifficultintherainyseason.Thirty
twopercentofthepopulationlivesunderthepovertyline3andtheregionhasoneofthehighestratesofrural
landlessness4. The Ayeyawady region also has among the highest infant mortality rates (87 per 1,000 live
births)andlowestlifeexpectancyinthecountry(61years).
RAKHINESTATE
ThetownshipsinRakhinestatearelocatedinthecentralpartofthestatealongthecoast.Kyaukpyutownship
isalargeislandoffthemaincoast.ThevillagesinthestudytownshipsincludedbothRakhineandChinethnic
villages. The area gets very heavy rain (more than 4000mm) and is often hit by cyclones during the rainy
season. Lowlandriceis themain crop, while coconut and nipa palm plantationsare also important.Inthe
townshipsvisited,mostofthevillagesrelyonsubsistencefarmingwithlittleproducesoldinmarkets.Fishing
is also an important income source for many people. Despite its natural resources, Rakhine is one of the
pooreststatesinthecountrywith43.5%livingbelowthepovertyline5.Theliteracyrate(84.5%)islowerthan
the national average. Access to improved drinking water sources (37.7%) and electricity as a source for
lighting(12.8%ofhouseholds)areamongthelowestinthecountry.
MANDALAYREGION
Mandalayislocatedinthecentraldryzoneofthecountry.Thedryzoneliesinthemonsoonsrainfallshadow
andreceivesannualrainfalloflessthan1000mm.Theareaconsistsofflatplainswithveryhightemperatures
inthesummerseason.Thedryzoneisamajorproducerofbeansandpulsesandriceisgrowninthemonsoon
and summer seasons where there is sufficient water. It is also an important area for livestock production.
WhilethesecondlargestcityislocatedinMandalayregion,someofthetownshipsaremoreremoteandthere
isahighlevelofseasonalmigrationduringthedryseason.ThepopulationisprimarilyBamar.Thestatehas
higheraccesstoimproveddrinkingwatersourcesandelectricityasasourceoflightingincomparisontoother
states/regionsinthestudy.
(IntegratedHouseholdLivingConditionAssessmentProjectTechnicalUnit,20092010)
(MichiganStateUniversityandMyanmarDevelopmentResearchInstitute,2013)
5
(IntegratedHouseholdLivingConditionAssessmentProjectTechnicalUnit,20092010)
4
19
Table4:Overallsocioeconomicconditionsinthestudystates/regions
Ayeyawady
Rakhine
Mandalay
Shan
Chin
National
Populationdensity
(peoplepersquarekm)
177
87
200
37
13
76
Literacyrate(%)
93.8
84.7
93.8
64.6
79.4
89.5
87
65
57
60
76
62
Lifeexpectancyatbirth
(years)
61.0
66.1
68.0
67.2
63.6
66.8
Percentageof
householdswithaccess
toimproveddrinking
watersources(%)
50.3
37.7
85.6
54.7
70.2
69.5
Infantmortalityrate
(deathsper1,000live
births)
Percentofhouseholds
whichhaveelectricity
asthemaintypeof
energyforlighting(%)
32.4
12.0
12.8
39.4
33.4
15.4
(14.9in
ruralareas)
SHANSTATE
ShanstateissituatedonaplateauintheeasternpartofthecountryneighbouringThailandandChina.Twoof
thestudytownshipsareinthePaOSelfAdministeredZoneinSouthernShanandonetownshipisinNorthern
Shan with a mix of Shan, Palaung, Danu and other ethnic populations. There are wellestablished market
towns in the area and also links to export markets, particularly in China and Thailand. The main crops are
upland crops, corn, oilseeds, pulses, vegetablesand wheat. According the 2014 Myanmar census, Shan has
thelowestliteracyratesinthecountryat64.6%7andislinguisticallyverydiverse.
CHINSTATE
ChinstateisinahighmountainousregiononthewesternborderwithIndiaandBangladesh,andhasavery
lowpopulationdensity(13peoplepersquarekm).ItisoneofthepooreststatesinMyanmarwithapoverty
incidenceof73%8.Infantmortalityrateishigherthanthenationalaverageat76deathsper1,000livebirths.
MostofthepopulationisethnicallyChinandChristian.AceasefirewiththeChinNationalFrontwassignedin
2012leadingtoimprovedsecurityandpotentialdevelopmentinthearea.Thetownshipsinthestudyarein
the northern part of the state in Falam district. Much of the agriculture is upland farming using shifting
cultivationmethodstogrowavarietyofuplandcropsandfruittrees.Transportationandcommunicationare
madedifficultbytheterrain andmostvillagersarereachedonlybymotorbike.Duetolossofforestcover,
landslidesareacommonoccurrence,particularlyinthemonsoonseason.Therearemanydifferentdialects
spokenbydifferentChinsubgroupsindifferenttownshipsandliteracy,at79.4%,islowerthanthenational
averageof89.5%9.
INFORMATIONFROMHOUSEHOLDSURVEY
Thestudywasconductedinatotalof45villages.Thevillageswereonaverage2.2miles(rangingfrom0miles
to25miles)fromthemainroadand7.6miles(rangeof0.3milesto30miles)fromthenearestmarket.Most
villageshaveaccesstoatleastonehealthcenterwithin5milesandoneschoolforchildren514years.
Source:2014Census(DepartmentofPopulation,MinistryofImmigrationandPopulation,2015)
(DepartmentofPopulation,MinistryofImmigrationandPopulation,May2015)
8
(IntegratedHouseholdLivingConditionAssessmentProjectTechnicalUnit,20092010)
9
(DepartmentofPopulation,MinistryofImmigrationandPopulation,2015)
7
20
Atotalof720respondents(362menand358women)participatedinthehouseholdsurvey.Therespondents
wereeithertheheadofthehouseholdorthespouseoftheheadofhousehold.
Figure2:Occupationofrespondents
Total
Others
Chin
Skilledwageearner
Fisherfolk
Mandalay
Craftsperson
Rakhine
Business
Farmer+livestock
Ayerawaddy
Casualworker
Shan
Farmeralone
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
Themajority,abouthalf,oftherespondentsarefarmersandaquarterarecasuallabourers.ChinStatehad
thelowestpresenceofcasuallabourers.Overall,about20%oftherespondentsalsorearlivestockinaddition
to farming, with the highest presence of livestock breeders in Mandalay region. In the Delta and Rakhine
state,about15%oftherespondentsarefisherfolk.Asmallpercentageofrespondentsarebusinessowners,
craftspersonsandskilledwageearners.Figure2showsthedistributionofoccupationsoftherespondentsin
thedifferentstatesandregions10.
Theaverageageoftherespondentsis46.5yearswiththeyoungestaged19yearsandtheoldestat88years.
Figure3showstheagedistributionoftherespondents.Themajorityoftherespondentsaremarried(84%)
whileabout10%arewidows.Theaveragehouseholdsizeis4.8withanequalmaletofemaleratio.
Figure3:Agedistributionofrespondents
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
<20
2029
3039
4049
5059
60+
Age(years)
Theethnicitiesoftherespondentscorrespondtotheareaswherethestudywasundertaken.Themajorityof
respondentsareBamar(41%).OthermajorethnicitiesrepresentedareChin,Rakhine,PaOandShan.Figure4
shows the ethnic composition of the respondents. About 78% of respondents are Buddhist and 20% are
Christian.
10
Thepercentagesforeachcategoryadduptomorethan100%assomerespondentsselectedmorethanonecategoryof
occupation.
21
Figure4:Ethniccompositionofrespondents
2%
0.3%
Bamar
16%
Shan
41%
11%
Chin
PaO
Rakhine
Other
24%
5%
Noanswer
Less than half of the respondents (41%) have completed primary schooling. About a quarter have had no
schoolingandonly10%havecompletedtertiaryeducation.About65%oftherespondentscanreadandwrite
Myanmarand27%cannotreadorwriteMyanmar.Asmallpercentagecanreadbutcannotwrite.Literacyin
Myanmarlanguageisakeyissueinbeingabletoaccessnationallysourcedinformationfrommediachannels
available,aswellasinuseofmobilemessagingandinternetservices.
B. AGRICULTURALANDLIVELIHOODSITUATION
Thissectiondescribesthelivelihoodsituationofthevillagersinthestudyareasbasedoninformationcollected
fromthehouseholdsurvey.
INCOMESOURCES
Themajorityofthehouseholds(56%)interviewedhaveagriculturalfarmingastheirmainsourceofincome.
About20%ofrespondentsrelyoncasuallabourordailylabour11asamainsourceofincome.Approximately
half of the respondents indicated that there is at least one person in the household who works as a casual
labourer.Furthermore,almosthalfoftherespondentsindicatedthattheyhirelabourtoworkontheirfarm,
fishpondorintheirhousehold.About10%oftherespondentsrelyonsmalltradeandartisanal/craftworkas
themainsourceofincome.
Themainsecondarysourceofincomeis dailylabour(seeFootnote11fordifferencebetweencasuallabour
and daily labour). Farming and casual labour are also other important secondary income sources. Other
important forms of secondary income are livestock breeding and remittances from migrants. Livestock
breeding is particularly important in Mandalay as a secondary income source but is also significant in Shan,
ChinandAyeyawady.ThereisverylittlelivestockbreedinginRakhine.
Aboutaquarterofthehouseholdsindicatedthattheyhaveatleastonehouseholdmemberwhohasmigrated
tolookforworkoftenwithoneortwomigratingforwork.MigrationishigherinRakhine,ChinandMandalay
thaninShanandAyeyawady.InRakhine,remittancesfrommigrantsarethekeysecondaryincomesource.
11
InBurmese,casuallabour(KyarBan)referstoseasonalworkerswhoworkasgenerallabourersindifferentareasofwork
andareavailableforhirewhenneeded,e.g.duringharvesting,forponddiggingorcarryingbricksinaconstructionsite.A
casuallabourerusuallyspendstheirnightsinthehouseandisnotamigrant.Dailylabour(NeySar)referstoworkerswho
work in a specific field/area of work for daily wages, e.g. as a cook or guard on a plantation or a skilled worker on a
constructionsite.
22
Onlyasmallpercentage(3%)relyonpettytradeorartisanal/craftworkasasecondarysourceofincome.Less
than1%ofhouseholdssupplementtheirhouseholdincomethroughsellingnontimberforestproducts.Figure
5showsthemainandsecondaryincomesourcesofthehouseholdsinthestudy.
Figure5:Householdincomesources
60
50
40
30
Main
Secondary
20
10
0
CasualLabour
DailyLabour
Farming
/agriculture
Fishing/fish
pond
Small
trade/petty
trade
Artisanal/Crafts
Migration/
Remittance
Livestock
Breeding
ACCESSTOAGRICULTURALLAND
About67%oftherespondentsindicatethattheyownland12butthepercentagevariedsignificantlybetween
states and regions. Land ownership was highest in Shan state where 93% stated that they own land and
lowestinAyeyawadyandRakhinewhere48%and52%indicatedthattheyownlandrespectively.Theaverage
sizeoflandownedwashighestintheAyeyawadyregionatabout11acresandlowestinChinstateat2acres.
The average size of landholding overall is about 6 acres. In Ayeyawady region, although average land
ownershipis11acres,theaveragelandsizecultivatedis6.5acres;someofthelandownedmaybeflooded
areasorfishponds.
InChinstate,theaveragelandareacultivated,includinglandnotowned,is1.4acres.Theaverageareaofland
cultivated by each farming household in the other states/regions is similar (5to6 acres) butthis masksthe
variationsintheactualsizeoflandcultivated.InAyeyawadyandMandalayregions,asignificantproportion
(about35%)ofhouseholdscultivateonlandofmorethan10acres.InShanandRakhine,thisproportionis
lower (about 10%),butin Shan there are few households which cultivate less than 2 acres of land. In Chin
state,therearenohouseholdswhichcultivatemorethan10acresoflandandmorethanhalf(56%)cultivate
lessthan2acresofland.Overallasmallnumberofrespondents(15%)cultivateonlandtheydonotown.
Mostofthelandcultivatedisrainfedwithirrigationavailabletoonlyaverysmallproportionofhouseholds.
Overall only about 4% of respondents have access to irrigation, with access highest in Ayeyawady and
Mandalay.ThedominanttypesofagricultureinRakhineandShanarerainfedpermanentcultivation.InChin
andMandalay,rainfedrotationalcultivationisdominant.InallareasexceptRakhine,mixedcultivationisalso
present.
12
The study interpreted land ownership broadly to include cases where land is formally titled and registered in one or
morehouseholdmembersname;landthathasbeenpurchased,transferredorinheritedbutnotformallytitled(oriftitled
notregisteredinthehouseholdsname);landleasedfromgovernment;andlandwherethehouseholdbelievesithasan
establishedright(formalorinformal)tousetheland,arightthatisgenerallyrecognizedbythecommunity
23
Figure6:Landareacultivatedbyhouseholds
Averagelandsize
cultivated(acres)
Shan
5.0
Ayeyawady
6.5
Rakhine
5.3
Mandalay
6.1
Chin
1.4
Total
4.5
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Shan
<1acre
Rakhine
1to2acres
Ayeyawady Mandalay
2to10acres
Chin
>10areas
HOUSEHOLDCROPPRODUCTIONANDMARKETING
Only about 70% of the study participants interviewed indicated that they planted a crop during the current
monsoon season. The other respondents are likely casual and daily labourers or fisher folk. Most of them
plantedcerealcrops,rootsortubersasthemaincropduringthemonsoonseason,ofwhichabouthalfplanted
rice.Abouthalfoftherespondents(58%)plantedmorethanonecropwithpulsesandoilseedcropssuchas
peanuts,sesame,mustardandsunflowerseedsbeingthekeysecondarycrops.Aboutathirdofhouseholds
also planted a crop before the current monsoon season, with vegetable and aromatic crops being the main
cropsgrown.
Most of the farmers sell their crops individually with only about 4% who sell their crops as a group. The
majorityareabletoaccessinformationaboutcroppricesbeforeselling(90%),exceptinChinstatewhereonly
60%ofrespondentsindicatedthattheywereabletodoso.ManyfarmersinChinstatedonotselltheircrops.
Themainsourcesofpriceinformationarefromtradersandfriends/family.Afewreceivethemfromradio/TV.
Mobilephone/internet,farmerassociations/cooperatives,NGOs/otherorganisationsandnewspapers/weekly
journalsarenotkeysourcesofinformationonprices.
Figure7:Sourceofinformationoncropprices13
2.6
2.9
1.2
0.6
10.2
65.1
66.6
Friends/family
Trader
Radio/TV
Mobilephone/internet
Farmerassociation/cooperative
NGO/otherorganisation
Newspaper/weeklyjournal
Ofthosewhowereabletogetsomeinformationaboutprices,aboutthreequarterssolditatahigherprice
andafifthatalowerpricethanthepricetheywerequoted.Manyofthefarmers(slightlylessthanhalf)sell
theircropsintheirownvillageorvillagetractindicatingthattheydonotseekexternalmarketsfortheircrops
andsellprimarytotraderstowhocometotheirvillagestobuytheircrops.Theremaindersellatthemarket
town.
13
Eachrespondentcouldselectmorethanonecategorythusthepercentagesadduptomorethan100%.
24
C. OVERVIEWOFINFORMATIONNEEDSANDCOMMUNICATIONCHANNELS
This section provides an overview of the qualitative and quantitative data collected on what types of
agricultureandlivelihoodsrelatedinformationtherespondentsneed,andonwhatcommunicationchannels
theycurrentlyuseandwouldprefertoreceiveinformationfrom.Thedataisdisaggregatedbystate/region,
gender,educationlevel,landsizecultivatedinthelastyear,typeoflivelihoodanddistancefromthemarket.
EachinformationcategoryandmeansofcommunicationisfurtherexploredinSectionsDandErespectively.
AGRICULTUREANDLIVELIHOODINFORMATIONNEEDS
OVERALLFINDINGS
Almostallrespondentsindicatedthattheyneedinformationinalltheinformationcategoriesidentifiedinthe
householdsurveyproductionassets,commoditymarkets,casuallabourmarkets,technologyandinnovation,
trainingandextension,nutrition,inputmarkets,creditandfinancialsupport,lawsandpolicies,andweather
and environment. This was confirmed in focus group discussions and key informant interviews where
respondentsoftenmentionedmanyoftheinformationcategorieslistedinthehouseholdquestionnaire.The
data shows very little significant differences in the answers given by respondents in different information
categoriesevenwhenthedataisdisaggregatedbydifferentrespondentcharacteristics.Akeyfindingisthus
thattherearehighinformationneedsinallareas.However,whileneedsinallinformationareasarehigh,the
analysis has sought to understand the differences in priority given to different areas, i.e. to identify areas
whereinformationneedsareveryhighfromthosewhicharelesshigh.
The percentage of people who indicated that they have a need for information in each of the information
categories(listedfromhighestoverallneedtolowestneed)isshowninTable5below.
Theinformationcategorieswhichscoredthehighestarenutrition,andtheweatherandenvironment.Onlya
handful(lessthan10ofthe720)ofpeopleindicatedtheydonotneedinformationinthesecategories.99.9%
oftherespondentssurveyedindicatedthattheyneedinformationonnutrition,includinginformationonthe
nutritious benefits of different types of foods, on a balanced and diversified diet and on how to prepare
nutritious food. This finding however was not reflected in the key informant interviews and focus group
discussions, with only a few people mentioning nutrition as a category of information need, likely because
people do not associate nutrition with agriculture and livelihoods even though it is a key factor of food
security.
Table5:Percentageofrespondentswhoindicatetheyneedinformationrelatedtodifferentcategories
Total
State/region
Shan
Ayeyawady
Rakhine
Mandalay
Chin
Nutrition
99.9%
100.0%
100.0%
99.3%
100.0%
100.0%
Weatherandenvironment
99.6%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
97.9%
100.0%
Creditandfinancialsupport
95.1%
99.3%
99.3%
98.6%
88.9%
89.6%
Commoditymarket
93.6%
100.0%
93.1%
96.5%
85.4%
93.1%
Trainingandextension
93.3%
98.6%
96.5%
93.8%
80.6%
97.2%
Casuallabourmarkets
92.6%
97.2%
94.4%
94.4%
84.0%
93.1%
Technologyandinnovations
92.6%
97.9%
95.8%
94.4%
75.0%
100.0%
Lawsandpolicies
91.9%
98.6%
95.8%
97.2%
70.1%
97.9%
Inputmarkets
90.4%
97.2%
90.3%
91.7%
75.0%
97.9%
Productionassets
85.3%
97.2%
93.1%
84.7%
68.1%
83.3%
25
Table6:Mostimportanttypesofinformationneeded
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Typeofinformation
Rainfall
Healthyfoods
Effectofweatheroncropproduction
Soildegradationandsoilconservation
Temperature,sunshineandotherweatherconditions
Howtomitigateweatherchanges
Nutritiousbenefitsoffood
Balancedanddiversifieddiet
Howtopreparenutritiousfood
Pricesofnutritiousfood
Wheretogetcredit
Landlawsandpolicies
Interestratesandothercostsofcredit
Newfarming/fishingmethods
Newtypesofseeds/cuttings
Qualityofagriculturalinputs
Costofcasuallabour
Techniqueusedtoapplyinputs
Newfertilizers/pesticides
Fertilizerandpesticideslawsandpolicies
Indexof
importance
8.83
8.72
8.41
8.37
8.37
8.36
8.26
8.20
8.18
8.14
7.55
7.53
7.37
7.35
7.34
7.25
7.23
7.22
7.21
7.19
Index of importance
Inthehouseholdsurvey,
respondentswhoindicatedthatthey
needaparticulartypeofinformation
(e.g.purchaseorsalespricesof
productionassets)wereaskedto
ratehowimportantthetypeof
informationistothemusingthe
followingchoices:1=notso
important,2=important,3=very
important.TheIndexofImportance
isascaledaverageofthescoregiven
byallparticipants.Itrangesfrom0
to10withzeroindicatingalowlevel
ofimportanceand10ahighlevelof
importance.
Thecategorieswhichscoredthelowestwereinproductionassetsandinputmarkets.Thisislikelybecausea
substantialproportionoftherespondentsarecasuallabourersorsubsistencefarmerswhodonotusemany
production assets and purchase many inputs. Although the category on laws and policies ranks low in
comparisonwithothercategories,thisisbecausethecategoryincludedinformationneedsrelatedtofishing
rights;substantiallyfewerpeopleindicatedaneedforinformationonfishingrights(asonlyabout5%ofthe
respondentsarefisherfolk)butahighpercentageindicateaneedforinformationonotherlawssuchasthe
landlaw.Wheninformationonfishingrightsisexcluded,thecategoryrankshigher.
Within each information category, the study asked questions about respondents needs with regards to
differenttypesofinformation.Forexample,withinthecategoryofweatherandenvironment,thestudyasked
respondents on their need for information regarding rainfall; temperature, sunshine and other weather
conditions;effectofweatheroncropproduction;howtomitigateweatherchanges;andsoildegradationand
conservation.Whencomparingallthedifferenttypesofinformationwithinallcategoryareas,thetoptwenty
typesofinformation,startingfrommostimportantusingtheIndexofImportance,isshowninTable6.The
most important type of information needed is on rainfall followed by healthy foods. This data is explored
furtherinthenextsection.
BYSTATE/REGION
Information needs were lowest in Mandalay (see Table 5). The only information categories which had high
needinMandalaywereinnutritionandweather.Interestingly,technologyandinnovations,lawsandpolicies
and input markets scored relatively low as categories of information needed in Mandalay whereas these
categoriesscoredveryhighinothersstates/regions.
Shanstatehadthehighestinformationneeds.However,thereislittlevariationininformationcategoryneeds
intheotherstates/regions.
26
BYGENDERANDEDUCATIONLEVEL
Thereislittledifferenceininformationneedsbetweenmenandwomenfromboththehouseholdsurveyand
thefocusgroupdiscussions.However,ingeneralmenreportedhavingslightlyhigherinformationneedsthan
women. Differences in information needs were highest in input markets and production assets with men
indicatinghigherneedthanwomen.Thecategorieswherewomenhadslightlyhigherinformationneedsthan
menwereinnutrition,casuallabourmarketsandweatherandenvironment.
Figure8:Informationneedsbygender
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
20.0%
Male
0.0%
Female
Thereislittledifferenceininformationneedsbetweenrespondentsofdifferenteducationlevels.
BYLANDSIZECULTIVATEDINTHELASTYEAR
Amongthosewhocultivatedlandinthelastyear,thedatashowsthatinformationneedsincreasewiththesize
oflandcultivated.Allofthosewhocultivatedmorethan10acresoflandidentifiedaneedforinformationin
all areas included in the study. Respondents who cultivated less than one acre of land have very high
information needs in some areas but less so in laws and policies, credit and finance, production assets and
trainingandextension.
Figure9:Informationneedsbysizeoflandcultivated
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
01acre
1tolessthan2acres
2tolessthan10acres
10andmoreacres
Productionassets
Commoditymarket
Technologyandinnovations
Inputmarkets
Lawsandpolicies
CasualLabourmarkets
Trainingandextension
Nutrition
Creditandfinancialsupport
Meteorologyandenvironment
27
BYTYPEOFLIVELIHOODANDDISTANCEFROMMARKET
Informationneedsarehighestforthosewhosemainlivelihoodsourcesareagriculturalfarmingandlivestock
and lowest for artisans/crafts people and casual/daily labour. This is because the categories of information
includedinthesurveyaretargetedtowardstheagriculturalsector.
Thereisnotmuchdifferenceintheinformationneedsbasedonthedistancefrommarket.
MEANSOFCOMMUNICATION
OVERALLANALYSIS
Overall, the communication means that people have most access to is radio (about half of respondents)
followedbymobilephone.Lessthan5%oftherespondentshaveaccesstointernetalthoughabout35%have
accesstoamobilephone.OnlyaboutaquarterofrespondentshaveaccesstoaTVandabout10%tojournals.
The channel through which most people get information on agriculture and livelihoods is from friends and
relatives. In focus group discussions, respondents indicated that they share the information they get with
othersfromtheirvillageaswellasfromothervillages,particularlywhentheymeetatthemarket,atreligious
ceremoniesorfestivals.InSouthernShanstate,mostvillagersgotothe5daymarketintheirareaandmeet
with many people at that time. The market place is thus a very important place to get information on
livelihoods.
Radio,TVandnewspapersarealsoimportantsourcesofinformationonlivelihoods,althoughasnotedabove,
accesstoTVandnewspapersisverylowintheruralareas.Veryfewpeoplearecurrentlygettinginformation
by SMS. In focus group discussions, most respondents indicated that they do not know howto useSMS or
internet on their mobile phone, even when it is available. In some areas, e.g. in PaO, the respondents
mentioned that they donotunderstand Myanmar and thus would not be ableto useSMS. However,most
peopleareveryinterestedingettingmoreinformationthroughSMSandinternetandthinkthatitwillbecome
animportantinformationsourceinthefuture,particularlyfortheyoungergeneration.
Figure10:Accesstoinformationchannels
100.0%
80.0%
Total
60.0%
Shan
Ayerawaddy
Rakhine
40.0%
Mandalay
Chin
20.0%
0.0%
Radio
TV
Newspapers/
journals
Mobilephone/SMS
Internet
28
Figure11:Useofinformationchannelstogetlivelihoodsinformation
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
Total
Shan
Ayeyarwaddy
20.0%
0.0%
Rakhine
Mandalay
Chin
Whilemostpeoplegetlivelihoodsinformationfromfriendsandrelatives,itisconsideredalessreliablesource
of information. Almost all respondents find the information from all sources easy to understand. In focus
groupdiscussions,respondentsindicatethattheyarenotabletounderstandsomeEnglishwordsusedonthe
internet, and also sometimes on the radio or TV. Information from farmers associations/cooperatives and
extensionworkersarethemostpractical.Theyarealsothemostuseful,takingintoaccountallthreefactors
easytounderstand,reliableandpractical.TheresultsshowthatinformationfromSMSandinternetarethe
least practical and useful overall; however, this data should be interpreted with caution as very few
respondents(only5)arecurrentlyaccessinglivelihoodsinformationbySMSandinternet.
Figure12:Overallusefulnessofinformationfromdifferentinformationchannels
14,15
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
Practical
Reliable
0.5
Easytounderstand
0.0
14
The questionnaire did not ask respondents about whether information from friends/family is easy to understand or
reliable.
15
Eachcolouredbarshowsthepercentofpeoplewhosaidthattheinformationtheyreceivefromaninformationchannel
iseitheruseful,practicaloreasytounderstand,scaledtoascaleof0to1.Forexample,if35%ofrespondentssaidthatthe
informationreceivefromradioiseasytounderstand,thenthebluebarforradiois0.35inlength.
29
Figure13:UnmetNeedIndexfordifferentmeansofcommunication
120%
100%
TheUnmetNeedIndexshows
thegapbetweentheCurrent
MediaIndexandPreferred
MediaIndex(seeTextbox
linkedtoFigure17for
explanationoftheseindices).
TheUnmetNeedIndexranges
from0to1,withzero
indicatingalowgapand1
indicatingahighunmetneed
forthatinformationchannel.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
20%
Although there are few people who currently have access to internet and a low
proportion of people who use internet to access information on livelihoods, there is a keen interest among
respondentstogetmoreinformationthroughtheinternet.Almostallrespondentsinfocusgroupdiscussions
and key informant interviews noted that mobile phones and internet will become more important in the
future. The Unmet Need Index16, which compares current versus preferred use of a particular means of
communication, is highest for mobile phones/internet. There is also a desire for government extension
workers to provide more information than they currently do. Furthermore, although many NGOs are
providingextensionservicesinthestudyareasincludingthroughfundingfromLIFT,thereisapreferencefor
moreinformationtocomefromthesesources17.Conversely,thereisadesiretobelessdependentonfriends
andfamilyaswellastradersandmiddlemen(negativeUnmetNeedIndex).
BYSTATE/REGION
Analysis of the data by state/region, however, shows significant variations in access to different media
channelsandwhererespondentscurrentlygetinformationonlivelihoods.Thisisdiscussedinmoredetailin
SectionE.
Language is a key factor affecting communications in ethnic areas. Most of the livelihood information
currentlyproducedisonlyinMyanmarlanguageandmanyethnicpeopleinthestudyareas(e.g.PaOandChin)
cannotunderstandorreadMyanmar.Asnotedbeforeonly65%oftherespondentsinthehouseholdsurvey
could read and write Myanmar. Where information is provided in person, e.g. extension services, they are
more likely to be provided in local languages. Mass media information such as radio, TV and internet are
primarilyinMyanmarandnotavailableinlocallanguages.Infrastructuresuchascommunicationtowers/relay
stations,roadinfrastructureandelectricityareotherkeybarriersforcommunicationsinsomestates/regions
suchasChinandRakhine.
BYGENDERANDEDUCATIONLEVEL
In general, men have better access to all means of communications than women. There is little difference,
however,inhowmenandwomengetinformationonlivelihoods.Infocusgroupdiscussions,womeninsome
areasnotedthattheyarenotabletoattendtrainingsofferedbyNGOsbecausetheydonothavetimeasthey
16
UnmetNeedIndex=1(CurrentMediaIndex)/(PreferredMediaIndex)
Althoughnotpossibletosubstantiate,thepreferenceformoreinformationfromgovernmentandNGOsmaybebecause
thestudyisseentobesupportedbythegovernmentandNGOs.
17
30
havetoworkinthefieldsaswellastakecareofchildrenandthehousework.Somewomenlistedhusbands
asasourceofinformation.
Figure14:Accesstocommunicationchannelsbygender
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
Male
20.0%
Female
10.0%
0.0%
Radio
TV
Newspapers/ Mobilephone/
journals
SMS
Internet
Asexpected,accesstoallmeansofcommunicationsalsoincreaseswithlevelofeducation.However,among
thosewhodohaveaccess,thereisnocleardifferenceinwhethertheyuseittogetinformationonlivelihoods
amongrespondentsofdifferenteducationlevels.Thisimpliesthateducationlevelsmaybelessimportanta
factor in use of communication channels than other factors related to education such as income (where
people with less schooling earn less and thus are less able to afford to buy different communications
equipment).
Figure15:Accesstomeansofcommunicationsbyeducationlevels
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
Noschooling
40.0%
Primary
30.0%
Secondary
20.0%
Higher/university
10.0%
0.0%
Radio
TV
Newspapers/ Mobilephone/
journals
SMS
Internet
BYTYPEOFLIVELIHOODANDDISTANCETOMARKET
Tradershave thehighest access to all forms of communication; this is because they usuallylivein the main
towns.Thosewhosemainsourceofincomeisfishing/fishbreedinghavethelowestaccess.Noneofthefisher
folkinthestudyhaveaccesstonewspapersandjournals,mobilephoneorinternet.
Farmers/livestock breeders and traders are more likely to access all different types of channels of
communications for information on livelihoods compared to other occupations. For all livelihood types,
includingtradersandmiddlemen,friendsandfamilyremainthemostimportantsourcesofinformation.Radio
isanimportantsourceforfarmers/livestockbreedersandtraders.Thosewhorelyonfishing/fishpondsget
very little information from most types of communication channels compared to those dependent on other
typesoflivelihood.Fisherfolkrelymostonradioandextensionservicesfortheirlivelihoodinformation,apart
fromfriendsandfamilymembers.
31
Table7:Useofdifferentcommunicationchannelstoaccesslivelihoodinformation
Farmers/
livestock
Traders/
Labourers
breeders
Fisherfolk
brokers
Radio
62.3%
78.9%
66.7%
85.2%
Television
62.5%
69.4%
25.0%
68.4%
Newspapers/journals
12.5%
70.9%
0.0%
85.7%
SMS
6.3%
1.3%
0.0%
4.3%
Internet
25.0%
45.0%
0.0%
20.0%
Farmersassociations/
18.1%
31.5%
10.8%
19.5%
cooperatives
Extensionservices
44.3%
52.7%
51.4%
41.5%
Traders/middlemen
19.5%
45.2%
24.3%
34.1%
Family/friends
84.6%
90.4%
97.3%
92.7%
Artisans
/skilled
workers
62.5%
54.5%
20.0%
0.0%
0.0%
21.2%
57.6%
30.3%
81.8%
Surprisingly, there is not much difference in access to means of communications by distance to market.
Similarlythereislittleeffectofdistancefrommarketinwhethertheyusethechannelstoaccessinformation
onlivelihoods.
Figure16:Accesstomeansofcommunicationsbydistancefrommarket
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
<5miles
30.0%
510miles
20.0%
>10miles
10.0%
0.0%
Radio
TV
Newspapers/
journals
Mobilephone
Internet
D. AGRICULTUREANDLIVELIHOODINFORMATIONNEEDS
Thissectionprovidesadetailedanalysisoftheagricultureandlivelihoodinformationneedsofrespondentsfor
thedifferentinformationcategoriesinthestudy.
PRODUCTIONASSETS
Asnotedbefore,productionassetsscoredlowestinthecategoriesofinformationneeded.Inparticular,itis
low for casual labourers and traders. Further analysis however, shows that it is an important category of
information need for those whose main income source is farming and livestock breeding, and fishing/fish
breeding.
Among those who indicated a need for information on production assets, respondents indicated that the
informationneededisofmediumimportance(IndexofImportance=6.4).
32
Figure17:Currentuseversuspreferencetoreceiveinformationonproductionassets
1.20
1.00
0.80
Therespondentswereaskedhow
theycurrentlyreceiveinformation
oneachinformationcategory,
selectingtheirfirst,secondand
thirdchannelsofinformation.
Similarly,theywereaskedto
identifytheirthreepreferred
channelstoreceivesuch
information.
0.60
0.40
CurrentMediaIndex
0.20
PreferredMediaIndex
0.00
TheCurrentMediaIndexisa
compositeindexofhowmany
respondentsselectedaparticular
channelasfirst,second,thirdor
notused.
ThePreferredMediaIndexisa
similarcompositeindexof
preferredchannels.
TheCurrentMediaIndexand
PreferredMediaIndexrangefrom
0to3withzeroindicatingverylow
currentuseorpreferenceand3
indicatingveryhighcurrentuseor
preference.
Themaincurrentsourceofinformationonproductionassetsisfriendsandfamily.
Theyarealsothepreferredsourceofinformation.OtherkeypreferredsourcesofinformationareNGOs/other
organisations,governmentextensionworkers,traders/middlemenandradio.Incomparingthecurrentversus
thepreferredsourceofinformation,thereisamuchhigheraspirationtoreceiveinformationfromNGOsand
governmentextensionworkers.
COMMODITYMARKETS
Commodity markets is a relatively important area of information need, in particular information related to
salespricesofcropsandsalepricerelativetoquality.Morethanaquarterofrespondentsindicatedthatcrop
pricesandpricesrelativetoqualityareveryimportanttothem.Thetypesofcropswhichrespondentsneed
informationaboutdifferindifferentareas.Forexample,inShanstate,thereisstronginterestinknowingthe
priceofcorn,whichisamaincrop,whileinAyeyawadyandRakhineregions,respondentsindicatedaninterest
inknowingthepricesofpaddyaswellasforcrabs,fishandprawns.InChinstate,respondentsinfocusgroup
discussions mentioned an interest in the demand for elephant foot yam. In Mandalay, in addition to crop
prices,respondentsareinterestedinmarketsforlivestockproducts.
Duringfocusgroupdiscussions,respondentsmentionedthatknowingthepriceofcommoditiesallowsthemto
avoid being cheated by traders and middlemen. Some farmers are also able to wait to sell their products.
Knowingtheprices,includinginternationaldemand,alsohelpstoknowwhichcropstogrow.
However,insomeareas,respondentsnotedthattheyusuallyborrowfrommiddlementopurchaseinputsto
planttheircropsandhavetoselltothesemiddlemenimmediatelyaftertheharvestirrespectiveoftheprices
intheopenmarket.Havinginformationaboutsalespricesisthusnotusefultothem.Furthermore,theprices
receivedfromtheradioareforpricesinYangonormajorcommoditymarketsandtheunitsandpricesintheir
33
localareasdiffer.Thepricesquotedalsodonotincludetransportationcosts.Tradersandmiddlemendonot
followthelistedpricesandfarmersstillhavetoselltothematthequotedprices.Thelistofcropsforwhich
pricesareavailableisalsolimited.Insomeareas,NGOsputupnoticeboardswithinformationoncropprices
butthesepricesareonlyupdatedonceamonthandthusnotthatuseful.
Somefarmersprefertoselltomiddlemenratherthanseekothermarketsoutsidetheirvillageastheydonot
want to deal with transport costs. In areas such as Chin and Rakhine states, the farmers are subsistence
farmerswhobuyriceandotherproductsforconsumptionratherthanselltheirproductsandthushavelittle
interestincommodityprices.
Interestingly, about a quarter of respondents indicated that information on collective selling is not so
importanttothemeventhoughsuchschemescanhelptoincreasepricesobtainedbyfarmersforthesaleof
theirproduce.
Figure18:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationrelatedtocommoditymarkets
Collectiveselling
Notsoimportant
Priceinrelationsquality
Important
Transportationcoststomarkets
Veryimportant
Salepricesofcommodities
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Most respondents currently receive information on commodity markets from friends and family or from
tradersandmiddlemen.Althoughthesearealsostronglypreferredinformationsourcesforthefuture,many
would like to decrease their dependence on these sources of information (a negative Unmet Need Index).
Other preferred information sources are NGOs/other organisations, radio and mobile phone/internet with
many more preferring to get information from NGOs/other organisations as well as mobile phone/internet
comparedtocurrentusers(highUnmetNeedIndex).
Information on commodity markets is needed throughout the year with peaks in August, November and
December,correspondingtotheharvestseasonforthemonsoonandwintercrops.
Figure19:Monthsduringwhichinformationoncommoditypricesisneeded
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Jan
Feb Mar
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov Dec
CASUALLABOURMARKETS
With regards to information on casual labour markets, the cost of labour is the most important type of
information to know. This is important for both casual labourers as well as farmers/livestock breeders and
fisher folk/fish breeders. Other elements where to find labour, capacity, time availability and work
conditionswerealsoofrelativeimportance.
34
Figure20:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationoncasuallabourmarkets
Workconditions
Timeavailabilityofcasuallabor
Notsoimportant
Capacityofcasuallabor
Important
Wheretofindcasuallabor
Veryimportant
Costofcasuallabor
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Aswithotherinformationcategories,friendsandfamilyarethemaincurrentsourceofinformationoncasual
labourmarkets.Mostrespondentsalsoindicatedthisasthemainpreferredsourceofinformationwithlittle
change in preferences as a personal reference from someone you know about the labour you hire is more
likelytobetrustedthaninformationfrommassmediachannels.Thereissomewishformoreinformationto
beavailablefromNGOs/otherorganisationsandfarmersassociations/organisationsbuttheseremainoflow
preferenceincomparisonwithfriendsandfamily.
Infocusgroupdiscussions,respondentsindicatedaneedforinformationonwherejobsareavailable.
TECHNOLOGYANDINNOVATION
Many respondents consider information on technology and innovation very important, in particular
informationonnewseedsandcuttings,newtypesoffertilizersandpesticidesandnewplantingorfishingand
farming methods. Information on new machinery is important but less so in comparison. This category of
information was the most commonly mentioned information need in focus group discussions and key
informantinterviews.Manyrespondentsnotedthattheyhavelearntaboutnewseedsorplantingmethods,
includingorganicfarmingmethodsfromNGOs.Mostofthestudyareas,exceptMandalay,areareaswhere
LIFT partners are already working and thus the respondents have received some extension services from
NGOs.Theynotedthattheiryieldshaveincreasedusingthetechniquesintroduced.
InShanstate,respondentsmentionedhavingreceivedinformationfromMettafoundation,UNODCandUNDP,
aswellasfromthePaONationalOrganisation.InChinstate,organisationsmentionedwereGret,WFP,CARE,
Mya Sein Yaung, Merlin and UNDP. Reveal Help Age International was the organisation most commonly
mentionedinMandalay;GretinAyeyawadyregionandInternationalRefugeeCouncilinRakhinestate.These
organisation primarily correspond with the LIFT implementing partners that facilitated access to the villages
forthestudy;mostrespondentshavethusbeenbeneficiariesoftheLIFTprojectsoftheseorganisations.
However,somerespondentsnotedthattheyarenotabletoapplytheinformationtheyhavereceivedbecause
oflabourshortage(forlabourintensivemethods),highcostofnewseedsorhighcostofnewfertilizerswhich
theycannotafford.Attimes,theinformationreceivedfromtradersor companiesis notaccurateandtheir
crops fail resulting in losses for them. In particular, respondents talked about fake or noneffective
fertilizers,althoughsomenotedthattheeffectmaybebecauseofinappropriateapplicationorunsuitability
fortheconditionsintheirarea.
Figure21:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationontechnologyandinnovation
Newfarming/fishingmethods
Notsoimportant
Newtypesofmachinery
Important
Newfertilizers/pesticides
Veryimportant
Newseeds/cuttings
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
35
Manyfarmersarereluctanttotryoutnewseedsorplantingmethodswhichhavenotbeendemonstratedto
haveanimpact.Theythustakeawaitandseeapproachasotherfarmerstrythemout,ortrythemonasmall
plot of their land, before using it throughout their fields. Adoption of new techniques thus takes time to
multiply.
As with other categories of information, friends and family are the main current source of information on
technology and innovation. However, most respondents would prefer to receive such information from
NGOs/otherorganisationsandgovernmentextensionworkers.Thisindicatesastronginterestininformation
servicesfrombothNGOsandgovernmentwhicharenotcurrentlybeingmet.
Figure22:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationontechnologyandinnovation
1.60
1.20
0.80
0.40
0.00
CurrentMediaIndex
PreferredMediaIndex
TRAININGANDEXTENSION
More respondents consider where to find training and extension services very important compared to
other elements of information on training and extension (costs, providers, types and timing of training)
although the other elements are also important. In some focus group discussions, respondents indicated a
particular interest in learning about diseases and treatment of diseases, for both plants and livestock. One
respondentmentionedthathetookapictureofaplantaffectedbydiseaseandsentittotheDepartmentof
Agriculture by SMS in order to get advice on how to manage the problem. This was an innovative way of
gettingadvice.Therewasalsostronginterestinlearningmoreaboutlivestockbreedingtechniques.
Unlikeothercategoriesofinformation,mostrespondentscurrentlygetinformationontrainingandextension
from NGOs and other organisations rather than from friends and family. While respondents indicated that
NGOsandotherorganisationsarealsotheirpreferredsourceofinformation,morepeoplewouldalsoliketo
receive such information from government extension workers. This corresponds with the findings from the
categoryoftechnologyandinnovationswhererespondentsindicatedastronginterestinlearningfromNGOs
and governmentextension workers. Bothgovernment and NGOextension services are insufficient to cover
theneed.InShanstate,oneofthevillageheadsnotedthatNGOtrainingisonlyavailableto15%ofvillagers
andotherslearnfromthosewhohaveattendedthetraining.
NUTRITION
Asnotedabove,thereisaparticularlystrongneedforinformationonnutrition.Mostrespondentsconsider
information on healthy foods to be very important. More respondents indicated that the elements on
nutritionareveryimportantincomparisonwithotherinformationcategoriesandfewerindicatedthatthey
arenotsoimportant.
36
Figure23:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationonnutrition
Howtopreparenutritiousfood
Pricesofnutritiousfood
Notsoimportant
Balancedanddiversifieddiet
Important
Nutritiousbenefitsoffood
Veryimportant
Healthyfoods
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Friendsandfamily,governmentextensionworkers,NGOs/otherorganisationsandradioarethemostcommon
currentsourceofinformationonnutrition.However,thereisastrongpreferenceformoreinformationtobe
provided by government extension workers and NGOs/other organisations and less dependence on it from
friends and family. In this case, government extension workers may refer to health workers rather than
agriculturalextensionworkers.
Figure24:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonnutrition
1.60
1.20
0.80
0.40
CurrentMediaIndex
PreferredMediaIndex
0.00
The respondents strong interest in more information on nutrition is an indication of their interest in
information on nutritional diversity, food preparation and health benefits. The interest in information on
nutritionmaybebecausemanyofthehouseholdsarefoodinsecure.Thehouseholdsurveydataindicatesthat
at the peak month of June, about 40% of households indicate that they are food insecure. Food insecurity
however,ispresentthroughouttheyear.
Figure25:Percentageofrespondentswhoarefoodinsecure
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
37
INPUTMARKETS
A higher percentage of respondents consider information on application techniques, price of inputs from
differentsuppliersandthequalityofinputstobeveryimportant.Respondentsinfocusgroupdiscussions
indicatedaninterestinknowthepricesofinputssuchasseeds,fertilizers,pesticides,weedicides,aswellasfor
fuelandiceforfisherfolk.Otherelementsofinformationoninputmarketspriceindifferentplaces,when
inputsareavailableandtransportationcostsarealsoconsideredimportant.Duringfocusgroupdiscussions,
manyrespondentsstressedtheimportanceofknowingthequalityofseedsandwhichtypesofseedstoplant.
Sometimesseedsarepromotedbycompaniesbutfailtoprovideahighyieldorarenotsuitablefortheirarea.
Figure26:Importanceoftypesofinformationoninputmarkets
Techniqueusedtoapplyinputs
Transportationcosts
Notsoimportant
Wheninputsareavailable
Important
Qualityoftheinputs
Veryimportant
Priceindifferentplaces
Pricefromdifferentsuppliers
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Theinformationforinputmarketscurrentlycomesprimarilyfromfriendsandfamilyandtraders.However,
respondents indicated that they would prefer to rely less on friends and family and traders and instead get
such information from NGOs and government extension workers. Some information is obtained from radio
andmorerespondentswouldliketogetsuchinformationfromradiochannels.
Infocusgroupdiscussions,respondentsmentionedthattheyusuallycalltraders,middlemenorshopkeepers
orgototowntoaskforinformationoninputssuchasseeds,fertilizersandpesticides.Theythensharethe
information with their friends and families. The middlemen, brokers and shop keepers interviewed also
mentionedthattheyprovidesuchinformationtofarmers.Manyoftheinstructionsonimportedinputsare
printedinThaiorChineseandfarmersrelyonthesellersforinformationonhowtousetheseinputs.Some
shop keepers also have demonstration plots andprovide information on the useof these inputs. However,
some shop keepers are not able to provide advice or information and only sell the products. Many agro
chemicalcompaniesalsohaveextensionworkersthatgoouttovillagestomarkettheirproductsandprovide
demonstrationsontheuseoftheseinputs.However,theyareseentobesellingonlytheirownproductsand
arenotalwaystrustedbythefarmers.
Figure27:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationoninputmarkets
1.60
1.20
0.80
0.40
CurrentMediaIndex
0.00
PreferredMediaIndex
38
Information on seeds and fertilizers is needed throughout the year with the peak for seeds in May and for
fertilizersinJuly.
Figure28:Percentageofpeoplewhoneedinformationonseedsandfertilizersthroughouttheyear
40
35
30
25
20
Seeds
15
Fertilizers
10
5
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
CREDITANDFINANCE
There is a strong interest in information on credit and finance, ranking third in the category of information
needed. More than 90% of respondents indicated that different elements of information about credit and
financeareimportantorveryimportantwithonly10%indicatingitisnotsoimportant.Inparticular,
respondentsthinkthatinformationonwheretogetcreditandcostofborrowingisveryimportant.
Friendsandfamily,NGOsandotherassociationsaswellasvillageleadersarethemainsourceofinformation
oncreditandfinancing.InformationonloansfromgovernmentbankssuchastheMyanmarAgricultureand
Development Bank (MADB) are disseminated through village leaders. Village tract leaders attend regular
monthlytownshipmeetingsattheGeneralAdministrationDepartmentwheretheygetsuchinformation.They
then disseminate it to village leaders who disseminate it to villagers through information distributors,
loudspeakersorvillagemeetings.Remindersonwhenrepaymentsoftheseloansareduearealsoannounced
throughvillageleaders.
Figure29:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationoncreditandfinance
Debtrepayment
Notsoimportant
Interestratesandothercosts
Important
Termsandconditions
Veryimportant
Wheretogetcredit
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Thereishowever,averystronginteresttogetmoreinformationoncreditandfinancingfromNGOsandother
organisationsincomparisonwithotherinformationsources.
Some companies also provide credit for purchase of inputs and machinery and respondents indicated an
interestingettingmoreinformationfromprivatecompanies,aswellasfromgovernmentextensionworkers
andfarmersassociationsandcooperatives.Thereappearstobelittleinteresttogetsuchinformationfrom
tradersandmiddlemeneventhoughtheydoprovidecredit,possiblybecausetheirinterestratesareusually
high.
39
Figure30:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationcreditandfinances
1.60
1.20
0.80
CurrentMediaIndex
0.40
PreferredMediaIndex
0.00
LAWSANDPOLICIES
Thereisaparticularinterestininformationaboutlandrights.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhelargecontroversy
aboutlandgrabbingandtherecentchangesinthelandlawandlandusepolicy.Inkeyinformantinterviews,
respondentsnotedtheimportanceforfarmerstoknowabouttheLandUseCertificateForm7whichallows
farmerstohaverighttouseofthelandtheycultivateon.Manyfarmersarestillunawareoftheneedforthe
certificate and may lose their right to use of their land. Farmers also need the certificate to be able to get
loansfromtheMyanmarAgriculturalDevelopmentBank.
Informationonlawsandpoliciesrelatedtoseeds,fertilizersandpesticidesandformingassociationsarealso
consideredimportant.TherehavealsobeenrecentchangestotheSeedLawandAssociationLawwhichhave
animpactonsmallfarmersabilitytoobtaingoodqualityseedsandtoformassociativestructures.
There is less interest in information on fishing rights and use of forests and vacant land, although it is also
consideredrelativelyimportant.
Figure31:Importanceofinformationonlawsandpolicies
Forestsandvacantlands
Fishingrights
Notsoimportant
Associationsandorganizations
Important
Land
Veryimportant
Fertilizerandpesticides
Seeds
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0% 100.0%
Most people currently get information on laws and policies from friends and family, government extension
workersandvillageleaders.However,thereisastrongpreferencetogetmoreinformationfromNGOs/other
organisations,althoughgovernmentextensionworkersandvillageleaderscontinuetobeimportantpreferred
sourcesofinformation.
40
Figure32:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonlawsandpolicies
1.60
1.20
0.80
CurrentMediaIndex
0.40
PreferredMediaIndex
0.00
WEATHERANDENVIRONMENT
As noted before, weather and environment is a very important information need with more than 50% of
respondents indicating that it is very important. Less than 5% think it is not so important. In particular,
respondents are keen to get information on rainfall prediction when it will rain and how much. In many
focusgroupdiscussions,respondentsindicatedastronginterestinknowingabouttheweather.InShanstate,
respondents noted that they used to sow their seeds in April and if the rains are late, the seeds do not
germinate and they have to sow them again. Ifthey have information on when the rains will start and soil
moisture,theywillbeabletobettertimewhentheyplanttheirseeds.
InRakhinestate,therewasastronginterestinobtaininginformationaboutweatherinordertobeabletotake
measures against disasters as the area is a cyclone prone area. Many respondents also rely on open sea
fishingforlivelihoodsandthusneedtoknowabouttheweathertoknowiftheyshouldgofishing.
A key informant interview in Yangon with an organisation working on climate change noted that there are
manychangesintheclimatewhichhaveanimpactonfarmersanditisimportantforfarmerstoknowhowto
respondtothesechanges.Forexample,rainstendtocomelaterandheavyrainscontinuetilllateintherainy
seasonandfarmersneedtoadjustwhentheyplantcropsandhowtheyharvesttheminordertoavoidlosses.
Itisthusimportantforfarmersnotonlytoknowaboutweatherconditionsbutalsotogetadviceonwhatto
do.TheinformantnotedthatthereisaneedtodevelopthefieldofagriculturemeteorologyinMyanmarto
providesuchinformation.
Figure33:Importanceofdifferenttypesofinformationonweatherandenvironment
Soildegradationandsoil
conservation
Howtomitigateweatherchanges
Notsoimportant
Effectofweatheroncropproduction
Temperature,sunshineandother
Important
Veryimportant
Rainfall
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%
Radio,friends andfamilyandTVarethemaincurrentsourcesofinformationonweatherandenvironment.
More respondents indicated a preference to receive such information from radio and TV as well as from
governmentextensionworkers,NGOsandthemobilephone/internet.
41
Figure34:Currentandpreferredsourcesofinformationonweatherandenvironment
2.00
1.60
1.20
0.80
CurrentMediaIndex
0.40
PreferredMediaIndex
0.00
E. USEOFDIFFERENTMEANSOFCOMMUNICATION
Thissectionprovidesdetailedanalysisontheuseofdifferentmeansofcommunication.
FRIENDSANDFAMILY
Friendsandfamilyarethemainsourceofinformationformostrespondents.InShanstate,manyrespondents
say that they meet with friends and family during market days as well as festivals and ceremonies such as
pagodafestivals,ethnicnationalfestivalsandnovicationceremonies.Atthistime,theyexchangeinformation,
includinginformationonlivelihoods.InShanstate,therearemarketseveryfivedaysinthemaintownssuch
asHopongtownandpeoplemeeteveryfivedaysandcangetupdatedinformation.Inpagodafestivals,they
mayshareinformationoncroppricesormethodsofplantingdependingonthetimeofthefestival.
Somerespondentssaidthattheysometimesobtaininformationbyphonefromtradersandthenshareitwith
theirfriends.
Friendsandfamilyhavealotofinfluenceandpeopleadoptnewtechniquesiftheyseethatothershaveused
themsuccessfully.However,respondentswouldliketoreducetheirrelianceonfriendsandfamilyandreceive
informationdirectlyfromothersourcessuchasextensionservicesandmassmediachannels.
RADIO
About50%ofparticipantsinthehouseholdsurveyindicatedthattheyhaveaccesstoradio.Thedatahowever
shows high variation between states and regions (Table 5). Access to radio is very high in the delta and
Mandalay(about80%)whileitislowerinShanandRakhine(about30%)andverylow(lessthan15%)inthe
Chinhills.Theloweraccessinthethreeethnicstatesisduetolanguagebarriers.Infocusgroupdiscussions,
manypeopleinShanandChinindicatedtheydonotlistentotheradiobecausetheydonotunderstandthe
Myanmarlanguage.Thereisyetlimitedbroadcastofradioprogrammesinethniclanguages.
Of those who have access however, radio is an important source of information on livelihoods with 70%
indicatingso.Again,thiswashighestinMandalayandAyeyawadyregions.Inkeyinformantinterviewsand
focus group discussions, many respondents indicated that radio is an important source of information on
weatherandcommodityprices.Radioisausefulmeansofreceivinginformationbecauseitismobileandcan
be taken to the fields or to work. Many respondents in key informant interviews felt however that most
peoplelistentosongsontheradioandnottoinformationprogrammes.
42
Ofthosewhohaveaccesstoradio,aboutthreequarterslistentoiteveryday.Mostpeoplelistentoradioin
theafternoonsandmorningsandlesssointheevenings.
The radio channels most listened to are the Myanmar Radio National Service and Shwe FM, most likely
becausetheyhavethehighestcoverageinthestudyareas.Mostoftheradiochannelsareregionalandcan
onlybereceivedincertainstates/regions.OtherpopularchannelsarePadamyarFM,PadaukmyarFM,Thazin
radio,CherryFMandPyinsawadiFM.
TELEVISION
AccesstotelevisionislowestintheRakhineandChintownshipswhereonlyabout20%ofrespondentshave
access. In Shan, Ayeyawady and Mandalay, access is about 2535%. In focus group discussions, TV was
mentionedasasourceofinformationonlyinAyeyawady,RakhineandMandalay.Manyrespondentssaidthat
theydonothaveaccesstoTVbecauseoftheneedforelectricityandadigitalsettopbox.Thedigitalsettop
boxallowsaccessto14channels18inadditiontoMRTVandMyawady.AlthoughtheMinistryofInformation
hasaprogrammetodistributedigitalsettopboxes,thesetendtogotothevillageleaderandarenotbeing
usedduetothelackofelectricityinmanyvillages.
Like radio, language is a major barrier to accessing information by TV. In Shan, Chin and Rakhine states,
respondents mentioned that they do not watch TV because they do not understand Myanmar. The NRC
Channel broadcasts in ethnic languages but this is seen as propaganda by the viewers. In some areas, the
televisionreceptionispoorwhenthereisheavyrain.
About60%ofrespondentswhohaveaccesstoTVindicatethattheywatchiteverydaywhileabout30%watch
itatleastonceaweek.MostpeoplewatchTVonlyintheevenings.
ThemostcommonlywatchedchannelsareMRTVandMyawaddy,mostlikelybecausetheyhavethehighest
coverage.InShanstate,respondentsmentionedthatmanypeoplewatchThaichannelsbecausetheydonot
understandMyanmar.AbouthalfofthosewhowatchTVsaytheyuseittoaccessinformationonlivelihoods.
Thisisofteninformationonweatherandadvertisementsbyprivatecompanies.Inthehouseholdsurvey,only
one person among all the respondents who have access to TV indicated that he/she watches the Farmer
Channel.Skynet,whichisapaidtelevisionservice,alsohasanAgricultureLivestockandForestryChannelbut
fewrespondentsmentionedhavingwatchedthechannelasthemajorityofrespondentsdonothaveaccessto
Skynet.Somerespondentsinfocusgroupdiscussionsmentionedthattheyobtaininformationonweatherand
croppricesfromTV.MostpeopleuseTVforentertainmentandwatchdramasorsports.
NEWSPAPERSANDJOURNALS
Accesstonewspapersandjournalsinruralareasisverylow.Thiswasconfirmedinfocusgroupdiscussions.
Onlyabout15%ofsurveyrespondentsinShan,AyeyawadyandChinhaveaccesstonewspapersandjournals;
inRakhineandMandalay,accessisonlyabout5%.TheMinistryofInformationhastriedtoestablishlibraries
invillagestopromotereadingandsuppliesoldbooksandjournalsfortheselibraries.However,villageshave
toprovideabuildingandlibrarianandmostlibrariesarenotfunctioning.Insomeareaswherethereisaccess
tonewspapersandjournals,thesearrivetwotothreedayslate.Informationonweatheristhusofnotmuch
use.Inonevillage,respondentsnotedthattheyusenewspaperstowraptobaccoforsmoking!
Among those who have access to newspapers and journals, about three quarters indicate that they obtain
livelihood information from themexceptin Chin state whereonly about a quarter do so. Less than10% of
thosewhohaveaccesstonewspapersandjournalsreadthemeveryday.Abouthalfreadthematleastoncea
week.
18
MRTV, MRTV Entertainment, MITV, Hluttaw Channel, NRC Channel, Farmer Channel, Reader Channel, Education
Channel,MRTVSport,MRTV4,5Plus,MNTV,Channel9
43
The main newspapers read are The New Light of Myanmar, 7 Days, The Mirror, Union and The Voice.
However,onlyahandfulofpeoplereadeachofthesejournals.Respondentsalsomentionedalargevarietyof
weeklyjournalsreadbutagainlessthanfivepeopleselectedeachofthejournalslistedinthequestionnaire.
In focus group discussions, respondents mentioned a number of local and regional newspapers in local
languages.InChinstate,regionaljournalsincludetheChinLandHerald,ChinVoiceaswellastheZoaw,Zo
Times and Falam Post which are in the local dialect. In Southern Shan state, respondents mentioned the
GoldenGongwhichisissuedmonthlybythePaONationalOrganisation.
In focus group discussions and key informant interviews, respondents referred to the magazine Doe Kyae
Ywa which means Our Village which is a magazine that is published twice a month by the Ministry of
InformationanddistributedbytheInformationandPublicRelationsDepartmenttovillages.Themagazineis
targetedtoruralvillagersandincludesinformationonagricultureandlivelihoods.Insomeareas,theMinistry
of Information also produces some local journals on a quarterly basis (e.g. Pae Tin Than journal in Chin
State). The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation produces the AgriBusiness News and the Ministry of
Fisheries produces the Silver Sea journal but there are limited copies for distribution. For example, the
townshipofficeoftheDepartmentofFisheriesonlyreceives3copiesamonth.InChinstate,manyreligious
organisationsalsopublishanddistributenewslettersbutthesearefocusedonreligiousissues.
MOBILEPHONEANDSMS
About50%ofrespondentsinShanandAyeyawadyindicatedthattheyhaveaccesstoamobilephone.This
fallstoabout30%inChinandMandalayandtoabout15%inRakhine.InChinstate,itwasnotedthatmany
lowincomehouseholdscanaffordtohaveamobilephoneasaresultofremittancesreceivedfromfamily
members abroad. In addition to the still limited coverage of mobile services, the cost of buying a mobile
phoneandtheneedforelectricitytochargephonesarealsootherbarrierstouseofmobilephones.
MostpeopleuseMPTastheirmobileprovider.OtherprovidersareMEC,TelenorandOoredoo.Thereiswide
variation in which providers are used in the different states/regions (see Figure 35). In Rakhine and Chin
states, only MPT and MEC are used. Coverage by Ooredoo is only significant in Mandalay (about 30% of
respondents).
Figure35:Percentageofrespondentswhousedifferentmobileproviders
Ooredoo
Ayerawaddy
Telnor
Shan
Mandalay
Rakhine
MEC
Chin
Total
MPT
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Duringfocusgroupdiscussions,mostoftherespondentsindicatedthattheycurrentlydonotuseSMSevenif
theyhaveamobilephone.Theyarenotawareofhowtosendandreceivemessages.Somerespondentssaid
thattheyrelyontheirchildrentodoso.Insomeareas,respondentssaytheydonotuseitbecausetheydo
44
notspeakMyanmar.Nevertheless,thereisanoverwhelmingwillingnesstoembracemobiletechnologyandto
relymoreonitinthefuture.
WhilemanyrespondentsdonotcurrentlyuseSMS,theyusethemobilephonetocalltraders,friendsorfamily
memberstoobtaintheinformationtheyneed,suchasinputprices.Theexamplegivenpreviously,ofhowone
respondentsentamessagewithapictureofhiscropthathadbeenaffectedbydiseasetotheDepartmentof
Agriculture to get advice on what to do, shows some innovative uses of the technology. Some staff of the
GeneralAdministrationDepartment(GAD)notedthattheyarepartofaVibergroupwithothertownshipGAD
staffandshareinformationusingtheapp.
Respondentsnotedthatmobilephoneshaveimprovedsociallifeallowingthemtostayintouchwithothersas
wellastomakecallsduringanemergency.Onerespondentmentionedthathecurrentlypaysamonthlyfee
toreceivelocalandinternationalnewsbySMS.
When askedif they would be willing topay to receive livelihoodsinformation by SMS,most respondentsin
focus group discussions said they would, if the amount was reasonable. It is not clear what is considered
reasonable.Somerespondentshowevernotedthatpaymentshouldbeonlyonceaftertheharvest.
INTERNET
Overall, less than 10% of respondents have access to the internet. Access is highest in Shan state. No
respondentsinRakhinestatehaveaccess.InRakhinestate,theMPTmobileservicecoverageisonlyprovided
throughtheCDMAsystem;GSMservicesarenotyetavailable.Thedataonuseofinternetisthusbasedona
smallsampleandshouldbeinterpretedwithcare.Amongthosewhohaveaccesstointernet,onlyabout30%
use it to obtain information on livelihoods. The majority of users access the internet through their mobile
phone.Onlyahandfulofpeoplehavetheirowncomputer.
Aswithmobilephones,mostpeopleinfocusgroupdiscussionsindicatedthattheyareinterestedandkeento
gainaccesstotheinterneteventhoughtheydonotyetknowhowtouseit.Thereishowever,anissueofa
language barrier in some areas and information would have to be made available in local languages and
dialects.
FARMERSASSOCIATIONSANDCOOPERATIVES
About60%ofrespondentsindicatedthatthereisafarmersgrouporassociationintheirvillage.About35%
said that they are a member of a farmers group, association or cooperative. Membership was highest in
Mandalay(about60%)andlowestinRakhinestate(about15%).
About 30% of respondents said that they receive information on livelihoods from a farmers group or
association. The percentage is lower in Rakhine state (about 15%). Of these, all of them received the
informationbywordofmouthduringameetingortraining.Noneofthemreceiveditthroughanewsletteror
phone.
The Agriculture and Farmer Federation of Myanmar is a democratic trade union for those in farming and
food production. It is working to improve industrial relations, encourage national tripartite dialogue and
facilitate social dialogue mechanisms. They conduct seminars and trainings and produce publications for
distribution. It has 621 groups at the village level and 72 at the township level. It has more than 100,000
membersincludingabout62,000memberswhopayactivedues.Thevillageandtownshipgroupsholdregular
meetings. They also conduct training on basic trade union awareness. They note however, that local
authoritiesarestillafraidofunionseventhoughthelabourorganisationlawallowsthem.Thecentraloffice
sendsoutreports,publicationsandbookstomembers.Theybelievemobileandphonecommunicationwill
becomemoreimportantbutwillnotbeakeysourceofinformationforlivelihoods.
45
In some townships, the study conducted interviews with the Chairpersons of the Rice Association, who are
themselves rice traders. The associations do not appear to take an active role in providing information to
farmersatthetownshiplevel.
EXTENSIONSERVICES
Between4060%ofrespondentsinthedifferentstatesandregionshavereceivedlivelihoodsinformationfrom
extension workers. The percentage was the same for men and women. Respondents who depend on
different types of livelihood sources reported having received training, including casual labourers, farmers,
fisherfolk,tradersandartisans/craftspersons.Infocusgroupdiscussions,somerespondentsmentionedthat
theyarenotabletoattendtrainingprovidedbydifferentorganisationsbecausetheydonot havethetime.
Thiswasmorefrequentlymentionedbywomenwhoindicatedthattheyneedtoworkinthefieldsaswellas
takecareofhouseholdchoresandthechildren.Extensionserviceprovidersindicatedthatpoortransportation
isakeyfactorconstrainingtheprovisionofextensionservices.
Extensionservicesarebeingprovidedbygovernmentdepartments,NGOsaswellasprivatesectorcompanies.
TheDepartmentofAgriculture(DOA)atthetownshiplevelprovidesextensionservicestofarmers.TheDOA
conducts trainings, group discussions and demonstration plots on farmers fields to teach about new
agricultural production methods. The extension workers go out two to three times a month to provide
extension services. In order to set up a demonstration plot, farmers have to provide the land and fertilizer
required.Thekeyinformantsinterviewednotedthatthecoverageofextensionservicesislowduetolimited
resources numbers of extension workers, funds for transportation, information materials for distribution.
The DOA uses contact farmers to try to increase their coverage. Most information materials are only in
Myanmar although extension workers can usually speak the local language. Nevertheless, there are some
languagebarriersassomelocallanguageshavelimitedvocabularyanditisdifficulttoexplainsomewordsin
the local language. Some township officials indicated that adoption of new techniques by farmers is low
becauseoflackofinterest,lackoftimetoattendtrainingandhighcostofnewtechniques.
The Department of Agricultural Mechanisation provides training on tractor maintenance and the Livestock
Breeding and Veterinary Department provides trainings and extension services on livestock production
methodsbutonalimitedscale.TheMyanmarAgricultureDevelopmentBankprovidesinformationoncredit
servicesbutnotonotheragriculturalissues.
Inthetownshipsvisited,manyLIFTpartnersandotheragencieshaveprovidedextensionservicestotherural
population. This includes Metta Foundation, GRET, WHH, Better Life Organisation, PACT, Help Age
International, WinrockInternationalandInternationalRescueCommittee(IRC).Somepartnersonly provide
microfinanceservicesandsoprovideinformationaboutcreditandfinance.Mostrespondentsindicatedthat
thetrainingsprovidedbyNGOsareusefulandhavehelpedthemtoincreasetheirincome.Theyusuallyadopt
the techniques introduced and those that cannot attend the
traininglearnfromthosethathave.InRakhine,IRCestablishes
Village Information Centers and information boards in the
villages where they post information on crop prices, seed
distributors, times when fishing is not allowed, nutrition and
contact persons. The village respondents however noted that
this information is usually old as it is only updated once a
month. NGOs also distribute pamphlets and educational
materials. Some respondents noted that they would like the
opportunity, not only to receive information from NGOs but
alsotoexpresstheirfeelingstoNGOs.
Figure36:VillageinformationboardinMinbya
46
Some large private seed and agrochemical companies such as Aventine Limited and Ayeyawady Company
(undertheAwbaGroup)haveextensionworkerswhoprovideextensionservicestofarmersinthevillagesto
promotetheirproducts.AventineLimitedhas300staffthroughoutthecountrywhogodoortodoorandto
farmers fields to explain their products. They also conduct farmers meetings at night in the house of the
villageleader,libraryormonasterytoexplainapplicationmethodsandeffectivenessofdifferentfertilizersand
pesticides.Duringthemeetings,theyprovideadrink,snackandsmallincentive.Astaffmembercancover3
villages a day. In addition, Area Managers and Regional Managers conduct meetings 510 times a month
reaching 3060 farmers each time. The coverage of such companies is thus much larger than that of
government extension workers and NGOs in their target areas. Some companies also have demonstration
plots.
TRADERS,MIDDLEMENANDSHOPKEEPERS
About 90% of respondents in the household survey
get information from traders, middlemen and
shopkeepers. In Chin state, this decreases to about
65%, likely because most farmers are subsistence
farmerswhodonotselltheirproduce.Duringfocus
group discussions, most respondents indicate that
they contact middlemen and traders for information
onprices.
Mostoftheinformationfromtradersisobtainedface
to face by word of mouth. Only about 5% of
respondents stated that they call traders and
middlemen by phone to obtain information. In
Rakhine state, some respondents stated that they Figure37:FertilizershopinShanstate
sometimesrequestboatdriverstoenquireaboutinformationatthemarketortownontheirbehalf.
VILLAGELEADERS
Questions related to village leaders as an information source were not included in the household survey.
However,manyrespondentsduringfocusgroupdiscussionsstatedthattheyobtaininformationonlivelihoods
fromvillageleaders,primarilyinrelationstoinformationrelatedtocreditandlandlaws.Villageleadersgoto
thetownshipeverymonthformeetingswithgovernmentofficialsundertheTownshipGeneralAdministration
Departmentandthenrelaytheinformationbacktothevillagers.Respondents,particularlythoseinChinand
Rakhinestatesalsospecifiedvillageleadersasapreferredchanneltoreceiveinformationfrom.
F. MAPPINGOFCURRENTINFORMATIONCHANNELS
A mapping of current information channels available to farmers was conducted first by identifying the
information sources mentioned by key informants and by farmers during focus group discussions. Further
information about the key channels was then collected through interviews with representatives from the
organisationsproducingtheseinformationsourcesatthetownshiplevelandatthenationallevelinYangon.
This was supplemented with information from reports on existing studies and media related assessments.
Efforts were also made to identify some of the information products that are planned or currently being
developedbutthislistmaynotbeexhaustive.
47
EXISTINGINFORMATIONCHANNELS
Table 8 provides a summary of organisations and the channels through which they currently provide
information on livelihoods and food security for the rural populations in the study areas. These include
governmental,privatesectorandnotforprofitorganisations.
Governmental organisations which are currently producing agricultural and livelihood related information
productsandchannelsinclude:
departments under agricultural related ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation
andMinistryofLivestock,FisheriesandRuralDevelopment;
theInformationandPublicRelationsDepartmentandMyanmarRadioandTelevision(MRTV)ofthe
MinistryofInformation;
theGeneralAdministrationDepartmentoftheMinistryofHomeAffairs.
Most government sources face a limitation in resources and have limited coverage although they have an
extensivenetworkthroughoutthecountryandarepresentinalmostalltownships.Thequalityofservicesand
productsproducedhowever,needstobeupgradedtomakethemmoreattractiveandresponsivetotheneeds
ofusers.Supportisneededtodevelopinformationchannelswhicharemoreinteractiveandallowfortwo
waycommunicationtoalsoincorporatelocalknowledge.
Nongovernmental organisations which currently produce agricultural and livelihood related information
productsandchannelsinclude:
Privatemediaoutletsthroughradio,TV,newspapersandjournals;
Privateagrochemicalcompaniesthroughadvertisementsandextensionservicesfocusingprimarily
inhighoutputproductionregions;
Tradersandmiddlementhroughdirectcontactandmobilephones;
Nongovernmental organisations through training and extension services, pamphlets and
informationboards;
Farmersassociationsandcooperativesthroughwordofmouthandfarmergroupmeetings;
Regionalorganisationsthroughnewspapersandjournals,usuallyinlocallanguages.
Most of the information services provided by these information channels are free (except Skynet and some
journals).However,insomecases,equipmentsuchasaradioorTVisneededtoaccesstheinformation.Also,
in some cases, villages have to provide land or other resources for demonstration purposes to receive the
extensionservices.
Specifically on nutrition, LIFT is supporting a project called LEARN (Leveraging Essential Nutrition Actions to
Reduce Malnutrition) implemented by Save the Children to support NGOs to implement more nutrition
sensitivelivelihoodprogrammes.Theprojecthasproducedsomeguidanceandcommunicationmaterialsto
increase knowledge and awareness of nutrition. More information is available from the website
https://myanmar.savethechildren.net/ourconsortiums/leveragingessentialnutritionactionsreduce
malnutritionlearn.
48
Table8:Mappingofavailableinformationsourcesonlivelihoodsandfoodsecurity
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
Frequency
Coverage
Typesofinformation
provided
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
Extensionservicesincluding
training,farmergroup
meetings,fielddays,
demonstrationplots.Setup
basepointsforgatherings
andusecontactfarmers.
Sometimeconductedin
collaborationwithNGOs
TheAgribusinessNews
Trainingforshopkeepers/
tradersonCertificatefor
PesticideApplication
GovernmentSources
Departmentof
Agriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
4divisionslanduse
division,seeddivision,
planningdivisionand
plantprotection
division
3targetsseed
production;training
andeducation;
researchand
development
Trainingsabout412
timesayear
dependingonregion;
fielddaysonceayear
reach50100farmers
from45villages
eachtime;farmer
groupsmeetings23
timesamonthfor10
15farmers
Noinformation
available
Noinformationwas
available
About6070%of
villagesintownship
Informationonseeds,
newplantingmethods,
applicationoffertilizers
andpesticides
InChinstatetarget
standardmodelrice
farmerswithlandnear
themainroadandability
tobuyfertilizers
Receive20copiesfor
wholetownship
Departmentof
Agricultural
Mechanization,Ministry
ofAgricultureand
Irrigation
DepartmentofFisheries,
MinistryofLivestock,
FisheriesandRural
Development
3daytrainingsintractor
stations
6trainingsper
stationperyear
Noinformation
available
SilverSeaJournal
Twiceamonth
Noinformation
available
Howtodriveatractor
andmaintenance
Alsoloansandsells
machinerytofarmers
individuallyandin
groups
Fishandprawn
cultivationmethods,
aquaculture
management,pricesof
fish,typesoffish
Usefulbutcoverageislowso
farmersdonotoftenhave
contact.Onlyabout50%of
farmersapplytheinformation
provided.
Transport,weather,availability
ofbudgetandteachingfacility
arebarrierstoprovidingbetter
services.
Sometimestechniquescostlyfor
farmerstoimplement,e.g.give
adviceonplantdiseasebut
cannotprovidepesticides
DOAstaffalsoneedtoimprove
theirownknowledge
Lacktrainingmaterialsinlocal
languages.Distributionof
journalsisweak.
Keeninterestfromfarmersto
getmoreinformationfrom
governmentextensionservices
Notreferredtobyany
respondents
Journalnotreferredtobyany
respondents
Somerespondentsnotedthat
fisherfolkavoidstaffoffishery
departmentbecausetheycome
tocollecttax
49
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
Frequency
Coverage
Typesofinformation
provided
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
LivestockBreedingand
VeterinaryDepartment,
MinistryofLivestock,
FisheriesandRural
Development
Livestockproduction
methods,artificial
insemination,nutritious
valueoffeed
InformationandPublic
RelationsDepartment,
MinistryofInformation
Roleoftownship
officeisinformation
exchangecollect
informationtosend
tocentraloffice,and
todistributenational
newspapersand
booksandsetup
librariestopublic
Nationaland
internationalnews;all
typesofinformation
Trainings
Setupvillagelibraries
villagershavetoprovide
buildingandlibrarianand
IPRDprovidesoldbooksand
journals
Mobilelibrary/smallmedia
cornerwithdiscussions
Noticeboardsatpublic
placessuchasjetties,
hospitals,colleges
DoeKyaeYwaJournal
Regionaljournals
Distributedigitalsettop
boxesforTVreception
Conductstrainingsin
collaborationwithother
governmentdepartments
e.g.education,social
welfare,antinarcotics
34timesperyear
Centraloffice
distributesbooks23
timesamonth
Onceayear
Noinformation
available
Twiceamonth
Once
Noinformation
available
Programmescoverall
villagesbutvillage
mustbeableto
providespaceand
librariansofew
villageshave
functioninglibraries
Digitalsettopboxes
distributedonlyto
householdswithTV
Informationforrural
populationsincluding
agriculture
Varioustopicse.g.drug
education,socialwelfare
MyanmaRadioandTV
(MRTV),Ministryof
Information
Substationssetupin
townshipsfor
Analogsystemonly
broadcastsMRTV
Digitalsystemwhich
requiresuserstohavedigital
settopboxprovidesaccess
6amto12pmdaily
InRakhinestate,only
analogsystem
available;3sub
stationsinKyaukpyu
Coverageofstations
Nationaland
internationalnews;
weather;cropprices;
talkshowsincludingon
livelihoodissues
Usefulbutcoverageisverylow.
Trainingnotreferredtobyany
respondents.
Keeninterestexpressedby
respondentsinMandalayregion
formoreinformationon
livestockbreeding.
Mostvillagescannotprovide
buildingandlibrarian;booksand
journals(includingDoeKyae
Ywa)oftenkeptinvillage
leadershouseandnotreadby
mostvillagers
MostresourcesinMyanmar
languagesonotusefulinethnic
areas
Librarianscanhelppeoplefind
bookse.g.oneperson
approachedlibrarytofindbook
ongrowingmushroomsand
librariansourceditfromthe
centralofficethepersonis
nowearninganincomefrom
growingmushrooms
Newspapersandjournals
seldomreachruralareas.IPRD
haslimitedbudgetfor
distribution.
Thereisnotmuchinterest
amongpeopletoreadand
mobilelibrariestargetschools
wherethereisacaptive
audience
Radioisanimportantsourceof
informationwherepeople
understandMyanmarbutlessso
inareaswhereethniclanguages
arespoken.
50
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
transmissionofTV
andradiosignals
MyanmarAgricultural
DevelopmentBank
Villageleadersand
TownshipGeneral
Administration
Department,Ministryof
HomeAffairs
Nongovernmentsources
NGOsandCSOse.g.
Metta,IRC,HelpAge
International,BetterLife
Frequency
to14channels(MRTV,
MRTVEntertainment,MITV,
HluttawChannel,NRC
Channel,FarmerChannel,
ReaderChannel,Education
Channel,MRTVSport,
MRTV4,5Plus,MNTV,
Channel9)
2FMradioprogrammes
MRTVandPyinsawadiFM
DeutscheWelke
Akademie/MyanmarSurvey
ResearchstudyonMRTV
19
PerceptionIndex
Advertiseavailabilityof
loansinnewspapers
Alsoprovideinfoat
meetingsofGeneral
Administrationofficersat
RegionalandDistrictlevels
whotransmititto
Administrativeofficersof
townshipandvillage/ward
levels
Meetingsattownshiplevel
withvillagetractleaders
Coverage
Provideinfo3times
ayearforseasonal
loansrainyseason
crop,wintercrop
andpremonsoon
crop
Typesofinformation
provided
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
variesinKyaukpyu,
analogstationcovers
2.5miles(30village)
InLabutta,digital
stationcovers20miles
(400,000people)
Yangon(urban)and
Myitkyina(semiurban
andrural)
Noinformation
available
FarmerChannelgets
informationfromDOA,
YezinAgricultural
Universityand
Departmentof
AgriculturalResearchfor
broadcast.
Assessmentofthe
contentandperception
ofMRTVincomparison
withotherradioandTV
stations
Typeofloansavailable
seasonalloansfor
seasonalcropsandterm
loansformachineryand
plantationcrops
Interestrate(5%per
annum),conditionsof
loan.
Reminderswhen
repaymentsaredue
Administrative
informationandnew
lawse.g.LandLawand
landregistration
Microfinanceloans
fromMADB
Villageleadersareimportant
sourceofinformationon
administrativeandlegalissues
Informationonseeds,
newplantingmethods,
applicationoffertilizers
Qualitydependsonthe
organisation;however,most
respondentsfindthe
Twiceamonth
Alltownshipsand
villagetractsunder
governmentcontrol
Extensionservicesincluding
training,discussiongroups,
demonstrationplots
Dependson
organisation
Limitedtoproject
areasonly
Radioisimportantsourceof
informationonweatherand
cropprices.
TVisusefultoshowhowthings
aredonebutmostvillagerslack
TVandadequateelectricity
However,mostpeoplewatch
radioandTVforentertainment
purposesandseldomwatch
livelihoodrelatedprogrammes
suchasFarmerChannel
Mostinformationaboutcredit
fromMADBisobtainedthrough
villageleaders.
Villagersarenotmanagingdebt
wellandborrowfromone
sourcetorepayanother.
19
(MyanmarSurveyResearch,2015)
51
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
Organisation,ArrYone
Oo,MercyCorps,
ProximityDesign,Green
PeasantInstitute
Frequency
Coverage
Informationboards
Books,CDs,pamphlets,
vinyls
Developmentofmobileapps
(ProximityDesign,Mercy
Corps)
Typesofinformation
provided
andpesticides
Organicfarming,
reforestation,landlaw
Fisheriesandlivestock
training
Creditschemes
Nutrition
Somemarket
information
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
informationusefulandpractical.
Sometimestheyarenotableto
applynewtechniquesbecause
oflackofresources;for
example,needalotoflabourfor
someorganicmethodsand
contourfarming
Someareashavelimited
marketssodifficulttoincrease
profitsforfarmers
Someorganisationprovide
snacks/incentivesduring
trainings
Someorganisationsinvolve
monkstogainfarmerinterest
Keeninteresttogetmore
informationfromNGOs
SeenasanNGO
Notreferredtobyrespondents
WinrockInternational
FoodSecurityWorking
Group
FarmertoFarmertraining
programme(5yearproject
fundedbyUSAIDtill2018)
InternewsAssessmentof
MediaLandscapein
20
SouthernShanState (An
assessmentontypesof
mediaandsuitabilityfor
reachingdifferentaudiences
inSouthernShanState)
Resourcecenterswith
library
Knowledgesharing/field
practice/exchangeevents
24trainingsperyear
includingtheoryand
demonstration
Oneoff
Opendaily
4timesperyear
32townshipsin
Yangon,Ayeyawady,
Mandalay,Magway
andSouthernShan
Fivetownshipsin
SouthernShanState
Resourcecentersin
Yangon,Magway,
Pyapon,Hakhaand
NaungKhan(Taunggyi)
Dependsonrequestsof
farmerse.g.goatraising,
organicfarming
methods,vegetableand
fruitgrowing,apiculture,
aquaculture
Existingmediaoutlets,
mostaccessiblemedia
forfarmers,preferred
sourcesofagricultural
information,most
effectivemediafor
targetaudiencesin
SouthernShanState
Rangeoflivelihoodand
foodsecurityissues,e.g.
landuse,mushroom
growing,organicfarming
20
(WinrockInternational,March2015)
52
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
MyanmarClimate
ChangeWatch
Regionalorganisations
Privateagrochemical
companiese.g.Good
BrotherCompany,
MyanmarAwbagroupof
companies,Aventine
Limited,DiamondStar
Company,Ayeyawady
SeedCompany
hostedbymembers
Farmermeetingsatresource
centers
Policyrelatedconsultations
Trainingoftrainercourses
Distributionofpapers,
publications,regional
newsletter,CDsincludingto
villagers
Weatherinformationon
FacebookbyDr.TunLwin
InterviewsbyDr.TunLwin
onTV,radio,newspapers
andCDs
Regionalnewsletterse.g.
GoldenGongbyPaO
NationalOrganisation,
RegionalRakhine
GovernmentNewsletter,
religiousnewslettersinChin,
KyarPhyuNews(White
TigerNews)byShan
NationalDemocraticParty,
ManagarbyPalaungYouth
Association,ChinLand
Herald,ChinVoice,Zoaw,Zo
TimesandFalamPost
Extensionservicesfarmer
seminars,fielddays,
trainings,groupmeetings
Targetdealersandsub
dealersaswell
Promotionsduringmarket
days
Frequency
Coverage
Typesofinformation
provided
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
Respondentsfeelthatthe
informationisaccurateand
believeinit
Usuallyinlocallanguagesois
accessibletolocalpopulation
Butusuallylittleinformationon
livelihoods
Someyoungpeopledonotwant
toreadlocaljournalsinlocal
language
Monthlyfor5070
famers
1012timesperyear
Asneeded
Alwaysonline
5000friendsand
almost30,000
followers
Dependson
newsletter
Dependson
newsletter
Temperature,moisture,
wind,cloud,rainfall,
storm,flood.
Providesadvicefrom
viewofdisaster,not
agriculture.
Regionalnewsincluding
somelivelihoods
information
Dependson
company
Dependsoncompany
Promoteproductsof
companye.g.pesticides,
fertilizers,seeds,farm
machinery
Companiesprovideinformation
butsometimesinformationis
notsuitabletolocalareaand
farmersdonotgetanybenefit
fromuseofproducts
Companiestargetareasthat
havelargegrowingareas,not
smallfarmers
Somefarmersreluctanttospeak
tostrangers/representatives
53
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
Frequency
Coverage
Typesofinformation
provided
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
TheFarmerapp
(developedforAwba
withtechnicalsupport
fromMercyCorpsand
sponsorshipofOoredoo)
Mobileapplication
Online
Tobelaunched
nationallyin
November
AgricultureandFarmer
FederationofMyanmar
WorldFoodProgramme,
VulnerabilityAnalysis
andMappingplatform
(TheVAMShop):
www.vam.wfp.org
FAOdatabaseon
agricultureproduction
(FAOSTAT)
www.faostat.fao.org
Basictrainingsontrade
unionawareness
Advancedleadership
training
Reports,pamphlets,books
Internetwebpages
Monthly
4timesayear
National
Online
International
Foodsecurityand
commodityprices
Internetwebpages
Online
International
ShweFM
Technicalinformationon
farming,bestpractices,
latestnews
Weatherupdatesand
commodityprices
Agriculturalexpert
advice
Sendapictureandget
advice
Discussionforums
Tradeunions
Occupationalhealth
safetyandenvironment
ShweAgricultureProgram
Wednesdaysand
Fridays
1520minute
programmeinthe
formofaplay
70%coverage
nationally
Mostlyincentral,
easternandsouthern
Myanmar
Food,nutritionand
foodsecurity
Landuseand
agriculturalinputs
Waterresourcesand
irrigation
Agricultural,fisheries
andforestry
production
Newsonagriculture
Weatherandstorm
warnings
Cropprices
fromprivatecompanies
Notmentionedbyrespondents
asapphasnotyetbeen
launchednationally
Farmersassociationsformedat
villagelevelmeetevery2
months
Attownshiplevelmeetevery
month
Shareinformationamong
members
Targetedtoemergencyand
developmentorganisations
Notreferredtobyrespondents
Targetedtodevelopment
organisations
Basedongovernmentdata
Notreferredtobyrespondents
Peoplelistentoradiomostlyto
obtaininformationonweather
andcropprices,nottolistento
livelihoodprogrammes
Radioisportableandcanbe
54
Source
Meansofproviding
informationandreferences
Frequency
Coverage
Typesofinformation
provided
Otherradiochannels
CherryFM,BaganFM,
PadamyayFM
Dependsonchannel
Dependsonchannel
Skynet
TheFarmerJournal
AgricultureLivestockand
ForestryChannel
broadcastingnarrative
stories,plays,talks,
interview
Skynetpackageincludes100
otherchannelsondifferent
themes
TheFarmerJournal500
Kyatspercopy
Alsoavailablefreeon
Facebook
Somecompanieswho
advertiseinjournal
purchasejournaland
distributeforfreetofarmers
Sendarticlesforbroadcast
throughBaganFMand
Myawaddy
Publishcompilationsand
distributetoNGOsand
governmentdepartments
Somecompaniesbuyto
donatetolibraries
4hoursfor6times
perdayfrom7amto
7pm
WeeklyonMonday
National
Establishedin2012.
30,000to50,000
copiesnationally.
Advertisementsby
companies
Weatherinformation
Cropprices
Talkshowson
agriculturalrelatedissue
Advertisementsby
companies
Farmmachinery,
advancefarming
systems,cropgrowing
techniques,production
offertilizers,useof
pesticides,organic
farming,soil
management,pestsand
diseases,postharvest
technology,dams,seed
banks,foodsafety,
Allinformationrelated
tolivelihoodsoffarmers.
Getinfoonmarketand
coppricesfromDOAand
commoditycentersin
Thirimingalar,
BayinthnaungandAung
Ban.
AlsoincludesTalkson
WeatherPredictionby
Dr.TunLwin
Attitudesofrespondentsto
informationsource
carriedtothefields
Peoplelistentoradiomostlyto
obtaininformationonweather
andcropprices,nottolistento
livelihoodprogrammes
Radioisportableandcanbe
carriedtothefields
Fewrespondentsmentioned
theyhaveaccesstoSkynet
Needsatellitedishandreceiver
box
Viewershavetopurchase
packagespaidmonthly
Mostvillagerscannotaffordto
payforpackagesandequipment
OnlyinMyanmarlanguage
Insomeareaspeoplecannot
readbecauseonlyinBamar
Somerespondentsrefertoitbut
fewnewspapersandjournals
reachtheruralareas
55
EXISTINGSTUDIESONMEDIACHANNELS
Thestudyreviewedanumberofmediaassessmentsthathavealreadybeenconductedbyotherorganisations.
Winrock International which is implementing a five year farmer to farmer training programme funded by
USAIDconductedanassessment21onthetypesofmediaavailableandtheirsuitabilityforreachingdifferent
target audiences in five townships in Southern Shan State, including in two townships covered in this study
(Hsihseng and Hopong townships). The findings of the assessment are similar to those of this study. The
assessment found that radio and television are the most convenient media channels and very few farmers
read print media. Furthermore, theassessment respondents usetelephonesforcommunication but mobile
internetandtelephonemessagingarenotwidelyused,exceptbyyouth.
DeutscheWelkeAkademiewhichisworkingwiththeMinistryofInformationtosupportthetransformationof
theMyanmarRadioandTelevision(MRTV)intoapublicservicemediahasfundedanMRTVPerceptionIndex
22
study to understand the current content and audience perception of MRTV. The study, conducted by
MyanmarSurveyResearch,foundthatMRTVismorepopularamongtheruralpopulationbutmainlybecause
there is less choice for rural populations. Although it is considered trustworthy and credible (e.g. accurate
weatherforecasts),theleveloftrust(asasourceofindependentnews)isnotveryhighasitisconsideredto
favour government due to censorship. It is also perceived as being outdated and not meeting the
entertainmentneedsoftheyoungergeneration.ThestudynotedthattheNationalRacesChannel(NRC)has
followers in the nonBamar areas but the content and explanation is limited. The study provides detailed
analysisofanumberofradioandTVchannelssuchasMRTV,MRTV4,Channel7andMyawady.
LIRNEasiaandMIDOhavecollaboratedtoconductanationallyrepresentativebaselinestudyoninformation
communicationandtechnology(ICT)needsandusageinMyanmar,withafocusonmobileandinternetuse.
The study found that mobile phone coverage nationally, even in rural areas, is high. About 87% of rural
householdsindicatedthatthereismobilecoverageintheirvillageand45%ofruralhouseholdshaveatleast
one mobile phone. The most common providersare MPTGSM or MPT CDMA(MEC). Smartphone use in
rural areas is much lower with about 55% of mobile phone owners having one. Internet use (through the
mobile) is still limited with only 15% using it for calling applications such as Viber and 10% using it for the
Facebook application. The main barrier to having a mobile phone is the cost of the handset. The study
confirmedthatthereisathirstforinformationofvarioustypesbutthemainsourceofinformationformost
peoplecurrentlyisfriendsandfamily.Mostcallsaremadeforsocialpurposesandonlyabout17%ofcallsare
madeforlivelihoodpurposes.
ICTMEDIA
ACCESSINSTUDYAREAS
Table9summarizestheaccesstodifferentmediachannelsbyrespondentsinthehouseholdsurvey.
Access to ICT media (radio, television, mobile phone and internet) is lowest in Rakhine state and highest in
Ayeyawadyregion.RadioisthemostcommonICTmediaformavailablefollowedbymobilephones.Accessto
internetisstillverylow.
AccesstomobilephonesishighestinAyeyawadyandShanwith4555%respondentshavingaccesstoone.All
fourmobileproviders(MPT,MEC,OoredooandTelenor)arepresentinthesetwostates/regions.However,
Ooredoo coverage does not currently extend to Hopong township in Shan state23. Mobile phone access is
lowest in Rakhine where there is only 15% access. Only MPT and MEC networks are available in the three
21
(WinrockInternational,March2015)
(MyanmarSurveyResearch,2015)
23
InformationfromOoredoowebsitewww.ooredoo.com.mm.AccessedOctober2015.
22
56
studytownshipsinRakhine.Surprisingly,mobilephoneaccessisrelativelyhighinChinstatewherethereisno
network coverage by private mobile providers Ooredoo and Telenor. Also access by respondents in the
Mandalay townships is relatively low at about 27% even though there is coverage by more networks.
However,theOoredoonetworkdoesnotcurrentlycoverMahlaingtownshipinMandalay24.
NoneoftherespondentsinthehouseholdsurveyinRakhinestatehaveaccesstointernet.Surprisingly,access
intheShantownshipsishighestatabout10%withaccessslightlylowerinAyeyawadyregion.AccessinChin
andMandalayarethesameat3.5%.
Use of radio is significantly lower in ethnic states (Shan, Chin and Rakhine) than in the Myanmar speaking
regions.Chinstatehasthelowestuseofradios.Figure38showsamapofthecoverageofFMandAMradio
channelsinMyanmar.TownshipsinChinandRakhinehavelimitedaccesstoFMradiostations.InChinstate,
there is also an issue of language as many Chin do not understand Myanmar. Myanmar Radio and Thazin
Radio have programming in ethnic languages. Cherry FM broadcasts from Taunggyi and there is relatively
widecoverageinShanstatewithprogrammesindifferentethniclanguagesincludingShanandPaOalthough
programminginPaOisverybrief.Thestudydidnotidentifyanyotherethnicradiostations.
Use of televisions is low in Rakhine and Chin states. The availability of Thai TV channels likely explains the
relativelyhigherTVaccessinShanstateincomparisontootherethnicstates.
Table9:Accesstocommunicationchannelsbystate/region
Shan
Ayeyawady
Rakhine
Mandalay
Chin
Allstudy
areas
Radio
31.3%
82.6%
36.1%
77.1%
12.5%
47.9%
Television
31.3%
36.1%
18.1%
26.4%
19.4%
26.3%
Mobilephone/SMS
43.8%
54.9%
14.6%
27.1%
34.7%
35.0%
Internet
9.70%
6.90%
0.00%
3.50%
3.50%
4.7%
Newspapers/journals
15.30%
13.20%
5.60%
6.90%
14.60%
11.1%
NEWMOBILEAPPLICATIONS
A number of NGOs and private companies are in the process of developing mobile applications (commonly
known as apps) to provide information to farmers. The Awba company plans to launch an app for android
phones in midNovember. The app was developed with technical support from Mercy Corps and allows
farmers to access technical and related information such as best practices and latest news on agriculture.
Informationabouttheappontheinternet25indicatesthatitalsointendstoprovideinformationonweather
forecastsandupdatedcommoditypricesandtoallowfarmerstosendimagesandaskquestionsofexperts,for
exampleonplantdiseases.InformationisprovidedinMyanmarlanguage.Therearenochargesfortheapp
butusersarechargedforinternetuse.TheappisbeingsponsoredbyOoredoosmAgricultureservice.
ProximityInternationalbegantodevelopamobileappasapilottwoyearsagoforfarmerswhomitisdirectly
workingwith.Itisthusnotavailableforthegeneralpublic.Theappprovidesinformationonnewtechnology
and does not provide information on prices and weather and Proximity is continuing to work on further
developingtheapp.Anumberofotherappsarealsobeingusedordevelopedforthehealthsectorbyother
organisationssuchasFHI360andPUAMI.
24
InformationfromOoredoowebsitewww.ooredoo.com.mm.AccessedOctober2015.
Information from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eightvillages.android&hl=en. Accessed October
2015
25
57
Asmostoftheseappsarecurrentlystillinthedevelopmentstage,theyarenotknowntotherespondentsin
thestudyareasandwerenotmentionedininterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussions.Theyrequireaccesstothe
internetwhichmostrespondentsdonothave.
INTERNET
Anumberoforganisationsarecompilinginformationoncommoditypricesandfoodsecurityandmakingthem
availableontheinternet.WFPpublishesdataonfoodsecurityinMyanmaronitsVulnerabilityAnalysisand
Mappingplatform,TheVAMShop(www.vam.wfp.org)26.Thisincludesdetailedinformationonmonthlyfood
and commodity prices in different parts of the country. However, the information is targeted towards
emergencyanddevelopmentorganisationsworkingonfoodsecurityandwhichhave accesstotheinternet,
ratherthantoindividualssuchasfarmersortradersintheagriculturalsector.
TheFAOdatabaseFAOSTAT(www.faostat.fao.org)27availableontheinternetalsohasdataontheagricultural
sectorinMyanmarincludinginformationonfood,nutritionandfoodsecurity,landuseandagriculturalinputs,
waterresourcesandirrigationandagricultural,fisheriesandforestryproduction.Theinformationisbasedon
government data at a national level and is not applicable for farmers. The United State Department of
Agriculturealsopublishesinternationaldataonagriculturalproductionontheinternet(www.ers.usda.org).
PRINTMEDIA
UseofprintmediabyrespondentsinthehouseholdsurveyisalsoshowninTable9.Thepercentagewhoread
newspapersandjournalsislowestinRakhineandMandalayregionatonlyabout5%ofrespondents.
REGIONALANDETHNICPRINTMEDIA
The study identified a number of regional and ethnic print media sources in the study areas, particularly in
ShanandChinstates.Thesejournalsusuallyprovidegeneralnewsabouttheregionandsometimesinclude
articles on agriculture and livelihoods. There are a number of newsletters printed by regional ethnic
organisationsandreligiousorganisationsaswellasanumberoflocaljournals,forexample:
GoldenGongbyPaONationalOrganisationinSouthernShan
KyarPhyuNews(WhiteTigerNews)byShanNationalDemocraticPartyinNorthernShan
ManagarbyPalaungYouthAssociationinNorthernShan
ChinLandHerald,ChinVoice,Zoaw,ZoTimesandFalamPostinChinstate
PaeTinThaninFalamandPantikhininTedimtownshipbyMinistryofInformation
RegionalRakhineGovernmentNewsletterinRakhine
YadanaponDailyinMandalayregion
TheWinrockstudyalsonotedthefollowingregionaljournalsinShanstateShanHeraldTribune,Taunggyi
Times, and the PaO language agricultural Shwe Maung Journal. These journals were not mentioned by
respondentsinthestudy.
Duringthestudy,anumberofinterviewswereconductedwithfreelancereportersbasedinthestudyareas.
They reported having covered agricultural related stories and events for journals as well as radio stations.
Linkingthesereporterswithagriculturalexpertsorinformationsourcestoproducerelevantstoriesforfarmers
inareasofinterestidentifiedinthestudywouldbebeneficialinordertoincreasetheireffectiveness.
26
27
(WorldFoodProgramme)
(FAO)
58
Figure38:CoverageofMyanmarLocalRadioMedia
59
BROCHURESANDPAMPHLETS
ManyoftheNGOsandprivatecompaniesproducebrochuresandpamphletsonvarioustopicsrelatedtothe
servicesorproductsthattheysupport.TheseareproducedinbothMyanmaraswellaslocalethniclanguages.
Thestudydidnotcarryoutaninventorisationofthebrochuresorpamphletsthatareavailableinthestudy
townships.
COMMUNITYLIBRARIES
The Information and Public Relations
Department (IPRD) of the Ministry of
Information has a programme to establish
communitylibraries in villagesand townships
topromotereading.Forexample,inHopong
township, the IPRD has established 12 village
libraries. The IPRD supplies old books and
journalstotheselibrariesbutthevillageshave
to provide a building and librarian. For
example, the IPRD in Minbya township
indicated that they receive books23times a
month from the central office which they
distribute
to the villages. Distribution
Figure39:Anonfunctioningvillagelibrary
however can be a challenge, particularly in
Chinstatewheretransportationisverydifficult.Insomevillages,thelibraryissituatedinthevillageleaders
homeandthevillageadministratoractsasthelibrarian.Mostappointedlibrariansarenotpaidanddonot
undertake their responsibilities well. As a result, most village libraries are not functioning. The materials
provided are only in Myanmar language and the programme thus targets only those who read Myanmar.
Mostofthelibrariesareusedbyyoungpeopleorstudents.
In addition to community libraries, the IPRD also runs mobile libraries. The libraries move from village to
villagestayingineachvillageforafewdays.Theyareoftensetupinschoolsandtargetstudents.Talksand
discussiongroupsarealsoconductedaspartofthemobilelibrary.
G. SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGSBYSTATESANDREGIONS
Thissectionsummarizesthekeyfindingsfromthedifferentstatesandregionsinthestudy.
AYEYAWADYREGION
Ayeyawadyregionhasarelativelywelldevelopedinformationandcommunicationnetworkandinfrastructure
incomparisonwithotherstates/regionsinthestudy.The2014censusshowedthatabout60%ofhouseholds
ownedatleastoneofsixcommunicationmeansradio,television,landlinephone,mobilephone,computer
andinternet.Mawlamyinegyunhasthepoorestaccessamongthethreestudytownships28.
ThestudyfoundthatuseofradiosisparticularlyhighinAyeyawadyregion,at82%ofrespondents.Pyinsawadi
and Cherry FM radio stations are available in the Ayeyawady study townships in addition to the AM radio
channels.
28
A summary of the data on ownership of communication channels in the study townships from the 2014 census is
includedinAnnex4.Notethatthecensusaskedquestionson ownership ofcommunicationsequipmentwhilethisstudy
askedquestionsonaccessto/useofthecomunicationschannels.
60
Ingeneral,allfourmobileserviceprovidersinMyanmarMPT,MEC,OoredooandTelenorareavailablein
thethreestudytownshipsinAyeyawadyregionbutsomeofthevillagesvisitedbythestudyteamdidnothave
accesstoanymobilecoverage.About55%ofrespondentsinthehouseholdsurveyintheregionhaveaccess
toamobilephone. Internet access is alsorelatively high in comparison with other states/regions, although
thisfigureisstillverylow(about7%ofhouseholds).
LiteracyratesinAyeyawadyregionat93.8%29arehigherthanthenationalaverageandmostpeoplespeakand
read Myanmar. Transportation is primarily by boat and boat drivers can be an important intermediary
informationsource.
Farming,casuallabour,livestock,fishingandsmall businessarekeyincomesourceswithpaddyasthemain
crop.Informationneedscenteraroundtheseactivitieswithweather,nutritionandcreditinformationbeing
the most important information needs. Information on input markets, commodity markets and production
assetsareoflowerimportance.
AsaresultofcycloneNargis,therearemanyNGOsworkingintheregion,includingLIFTimplementingpartners
(e.g. Gret, Mercy Corps, Welthungerhilfe, PACT, Proximity) providing a range of services. There are thus
opportunitiestopartnerwithanumberoforganisations.
MANDALAYREGION
Mandalayregionalsohasagoodcommunicationnetworkandinfrastructurewithabout70%ofhouseholdsin
the study townships owning at least one of the communication means surveyed in the 2014 census (radio,
television,landlinephone,mobilephone,computerandinternet).
AsinAyeyawadyregion,useofradiosishighat77%ofsurveyrespondents.Radioandtelevisionwereoften
quotedaskeychannelsofinformationbyrespondentsinthesurveyandthereareseveralradiostationsthat
transmit in the region such as Shwe FM, Bagan FM, Cherry FM, Padamyar FM, Myanmar Radio and Thazin
radio.
Accesstomobilesisnotveryhighatabout27%ofhouseholdssothecurrentuseofappswouldbelimited.
OoredoocoveragedoesnotcurrentlyextendtoMahlaingtownship30.
LiteracyratesaresimilartothoseinAyeyawadyregionandMyanmaristhemainlanguageused.
Most farmers also rear livestock which is an important secondary source of income for many households.
Informationonlivestockproductionisthusimportantinthisregion.Manyhouseholdsalsodependoncasual
labourasasourceofincome.Keycropsgrownarepaddy,aswellasbeansandpulses.
Mandalay has the lowest level of information needs in comparison with other states and regions. In other
states and regions, more than 90% of respondents indicated that they need information in all categories of
information; in Mandalay,this percentage was above90% only for nutritionand weatherinformation. Less
than 75% of respondents indicated that they need information on technology and innovations, laws and
policies,inputmarketsandproductionassets.
There are few NGOs working in the region and no LIFT projects are currently operational in the study
townships.
SHANSTATE
In Shan state, the two townships in Southern Shan state have less access to communication channels in
comparisonwithKyaukmeinNorthernShan.Accordingtothe2014censusdate,about70%ofhouseholdsin
29
30
2014censusdata
InformationfromOoredoowebsitewww.ooredoo.com.mm.AccessedOctober2015.
61
Kyaukmehaveaccesstoatleastonecommunicationsmeanssurveyedwhilethisdropstoabout60%inthe
othertwotownships.
Use ofradiosis lower thanin Myanmar speakingregions. Cherry FM,Shwe FM, MyanmaRadioand Thazin
radioareaccessibleinthestudytownships,withsomeprogramminginlocalethniclanguages.Ownershipof
TVs is relatively high and respondents in Southern Shan state noted that they often access Thai speaking
channelsfromacrosstheborder.
MobilephoneaccessisalsorelativelyhighinShanstateatabout45%ofhouseholds.TheOoredoonetworkis
notyetavailableinHopongtownship31.
LiteracyratesinShanstatearelowestinthecountryandtherearemanydifferentethnicgroupswhichspeak
different languages. Surprisingly then, readership of journals and newspapers is highest in Shan state
comparedtootherstates/regionsinthestudy.PaOisthemainlanguageintheSouthernShanstatetownships
butKyaukmeinNorthernShanhasamixofdifferentethnicgroups.Thereseverallocalprintnewslettersand
journalsproducedbyanumberofregionalethnicorganisationsandmediacompanies.Marketsandfestivals
featured strongly in focus group discussions as spaces for sharing information. These may provide special
opportunitiesforspecificcampaignsoreventstodisseminateinformation.
Farmingisthepredominantlymainsourceofincomefollowedbycasuallabour.Livestockandfishingarenot
importantsourcesofincome.Awidevarietyofcropsaregrownwiththepotentialfornewtypesofcashcrops
tobeintroduced.
Shan state has thehighest information needs in comparison with otherstates and regions. All respondents
(100%) indicated that they need information on nutrition, weather and commodity markets while other
categoriesofinformationwerealsoselectedbymorethan95%ofrespondents.
ThereareseverallocalNGOsworkinginSouthernShanstatewithMettaFoundationasthekeyorganisation
providing agriculturaland livelihoods services.Winrock International isalso working in these townships.In
Kyaukme,Cesvi,thekeyLIFTimplementingpartnerhascurrentlycloseditsprogrammeanditisnotclearifthe
programmewillcontinue.
RAKHINESTATE
Access to communication in Rakhine state is poor with 2014 census data showing that about 60% of
householdsdonotownanyofthecommunicationsmeanssurveyed.
Radio use by study respondents is comparable to that in Shan state but there is limited coverage by radio
stationswithaccessonlytoMRTVandThazin,andtoPyinsawadiFMonlyinMyebontownship.Therearealso
limitedTVchannels(MRTVandMyawady)althoughafewhouseholdshaveaccesstosatelliteserviceproviders
suchasSkynetandsettopboxes(PSI)whichprovideaccesstoadditionalchannels.
MobilephoneaccessislowandbothOoredooandTelenorarenotyetavailableinthestudytownships.Only
MPTandMECnetworksareavailable.
Literacyisslightlybelowthenationalaverageat85%32.ThestudytownshipsincludebothRakhineandChin
communitieswhospeakRakhineandChinlanguagesrespectively.
Most of the people are farmers, casual labourers or fisher folk. As the area is often hit by cyclones, all
respondents in the household survey identified information on weather as an important category of
informationneed.Mostfarmersaresubsistencefarmersanddonotselltheirproductsbutfisherfolkneedto
access the markets and thus need to have market price information. Also important are information on
nutritionandcredit.Oflessimportanceisinformationonproductionassetsandinputmarkets.
31
32
InformationfromOoredoowebsitewww.ooredoo.com.mm.AccessedOctober2015.
2014censusdata.
62
ThepartnersintheLIFTproject,TatLan,arethekeyorganisationsworkingonagricultureandlivelihoodsin
thestudytownships.
CHINSTATE
Chinstatehasthepoorestcommunicationsnetworkandinfrastructure.Inparticular,Tonzangtownshiphas
verypooraccess.Accordingtothe2014census,only0.6%ofhouseholdsinTonzangtownshipownaradio,1%
a television and 0.5% a mobile phone. No households have access to internet in their homes. During the
study,thestudyteamcouldnotaccessTonzangtownshipbecauseofheavyflooding.
Use of radio and television is lowest among the study states/regions. There is no coverage by FM radio
stationsintheareaandmostpeopledonolistentoMyanmarradioorwatchMyanmarTVbecausetheydo
notunderstandthelanguage.
SurprisinglymobilephoneaccessamonghouseholdrespondentsisrelativelyhigheventhoughbothOoredoo
andTelenornetworksarenotavailableinthestudytownships.OnlyMPTandMECnetworksareavailable.It
wasnotedduringthestudythatremittancesbymigrantsareoftenusedbyhouseholdstopurchaseamobile
phone.
Thecensusdatashowsaliteracyrateof79.4%.TherearemanyChindialectsandmostofthepopulationdo
notunderstandorspeakMyanmar.DifferentChindialectsarespokeninthethreestudytownships.Thereare
severallocalChinjournalsandnewsletterspublishedinthelocaldialects.Externaljournalsarriveverylateand
arenotuseful.
The majority of people are subsistence upland agricultural farmers and some farmers also rear livestock. A
lowerproportionofthepeoplearecasuallabourersincomparisonwithotherstatesandregions.Themost
importantcategories of informationneeds are nutrition, weather and technology andinnovations. There is
lessinterestininformationonproductionassetsandcredit,likelyreflectingthescaleandtypeofagriculturein
thearea.
ThereareafewNGOsworkinginChinstateandGretisakeypartnerintheregion.However,theydonothave
aLIFTfundedprojectinTedimandTonzangtownships.
63
IV.
KEYINFORMATIONGAPSANDPREFERREDCHANNELSOFCOMMUNICATION
Thefollowingsectionseekstoidentifytheinformationgapsandpreferredchannelsofcommunicationbased
ontheinformationneeds,existinginformationchannelsidentifiedinthestudyandrespondentspreferences.
A. KEYINFORMATIONGAPS
Ingeneral,thereisaneedforinformationinallareascoveredinthisstudy.Thisreflectsthecurrentstateof
agriculturein Myanmar with low knowledge levels and adearth ofinformationavailable readilyin the rural
areas. Efforts to extend information in all areas explored in this study would be welcomed by the target
populations.However,theexactinformationprovidedmustdifferfromoneareatoanotherandbeadapted
toeachregionbasedonthetypesofcrops,weatherconditionsandinterestofthefarmersintheareatoadopt
newtechnologies.Theinformationwillalsoneedtobeprovidedindifferentlanguagesindifferentareas.
UNESCO,however,willnotbeabletorespondtoalltheneedsofallfarmersandwillthusneedtoidentifykey
prioritiesfortheirinterventions.Furtheranalysisoftheinformationneedswithineachinformationcategory
provides a more detailed analysis of information gaps. Table 10 shows the top 20 most important types of
information needed as identified in the household survey, as well as where such information is currently
availableinthevillages.InformationonrainfallandweatherconditionsisreadilyavailablefromradioandTV
inmany areas except inthe ethnic states whereaccess to radio andTV arelow. Thereare also substantial
NGOprogrammesprovidinginformationonnewmethodsandinputsandoncreditsourcesandcostsinthe
target areas. The sources of information for the other types of information are very limited and there is a
needtoexpandthesources andefficiency ofdeliveringsuchinformation.Typesofinformationwithahigh
informationgapare:
informationonnutrition(healthyfoods,nutritiousvalueoffoods,diversifiedfoodsanddiet,howto
preparenutritiousfoodsandpricesofnutritiousfoods);
information on mitigating the effects of weather (effect of weather on crop production, soil
degradationandsoilconservationandhowtomitigateweatherchanges);
informationonlaws(landlawsandpoliciesandfertilizerandpesticidelaws);
informationonthequalityofagriculturalinputs;and
informationonthecostofcasuallabour.
B. ANALYSISOFPREFERREDCOMMUNICATIONCHANNELS
Table10alsoshowsthepreferredsourcesofinformationforeachoftheinformationcategoriesasexpressed
byrespondentsinthehouseholdsurvey.
Friendsandfamilyarethemainpreferredcommunicationchannelsformosttypesofinformation.NGOsand
government extension workers are also key sources. This indicates a high preference for interpersonal
communicationmethods.
As literacy is not high in many of the targeted areas, written materials are of low interest to most farmers.
Newspapers and journals do not reach the rural areas but may serve the purpose of township level groups
such as local traders, journalists and extension workers who may in turn provide such information to the
farmers.Thesematerialsarethususefulforthemiddlelevelinformationproviders.
While many people listen to radio for weather information and input prices, there is not much interest in
receivingotherlivelihoodsrelatedinformationfromtheradio.Televisionisnotreachingtheruralpopulations
due to the lack of equipment and poor transmission. These formats thus have limited use in reaching the
peopleinthetargetareasbeyondinformationonweatherandinputprices.
64
Table10:Mostimportanttypesofinformationneededandcurrentavailablesourcesofinformation(shadedrowsareareaswheretheinformationgapishigh)
Rank Typeofinformation
Availablesourcesofinformation
Informationgap
Preferred channelsforreceivingsuchinformation
1
Rainfall
Radio,television
Healthyfoods
Effectofweatheroncropproduction
Somegovernmentextension
workers,NGOs
Limited
Soildegradationandsoilconservation
Limited
High
Radio,television
Temperature,sunshineandother
weatherconditions
Howtomitigateweatherchanges
Nutritiousbenefitsoffood
Balancedanddiversifieddiet
Howtopreparenutritiousfood
10
Pricesofnutritiousfood
11
Wheretogetcredit
12
Landlawsandpolicies
13
Interestratesandothercostsofcredit
14
Newfarming/fishingmethods
15
Newtypesofseeds/cuttings
16
Targetaudience
Highinethnicareaswhere
radiocoverageislow
High
Radio,friendsandfamily,television,government
extensionworkers
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs
High
Farmers,extensionworkers
Highinethnicareas where
radiocoverageislow
High
Radio,friendsandfamily,television,government
extensionworkers
Radio,friendsandfamily,television,government
extensionworkers
Radio,friendsandfamily,television,government
extensionworkers
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs
Somegovernmentextension
workers,NGOs
Somegovernmentextension
workers,NGOs
Somegovernmentextension
workers,NGOs
Somegovernmentextension
workers,NGOs
NGOsprovidingcredit, Village
leaders
Verylimited
High
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs,friendsandfamily
Allruralpopulations
High
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs,friendsandfamily
Allruralpopulations
High
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs,friendsandfamily
Allruralpopulations
High
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs,friendsandfamily
Allruralpopulations
Medium
NGOs,friendsandfamily,governmentextensionworkers,
villageleaders,companies
Govtextensionworkers,NGOs,villageleaders,radio
Farmers,extensionworkers
Medium
Qualityofagriculturalinputs
NGOsprovidingcredit,Village
leaders,
NGOs,governmentextension
workers
NGOs,governmentextension
workers
Sometraders
17
Costofcasuallabour
Verylimited
High
18
Techniqueusedtoapplyinputs
Sometraders
Medium
19
Newfertilizers/pesticides
Medium
20
Fertilizerandpesticideslawsand
policies
NGOs,governmentextension
workers
Verylimited
Limited
High
Medium
NGOs,friendsandfamily,governmentextensionworkers,
villageleaders,companies
NGOs,governmentextensionworkers,friendsandfamily
Medium
NGOs,governmentextensionworkers,friendsandfamily
Highfortrustedsources
Friendsandfamily,NGOs,governmentextensionworkers,
traders
NGOs,farmersassociations
High
Friendsandfamily,NGOs,governmentextensionworkers,
traders
NGOs,governmentextensionworkers
Governmentextensionworkers,NGOs,villageleaders,
radio
Farmers,fisherfolk
Allruralpopulations
Farmers,extensionworkers
Farmers,fisher folk
Farmers,extensionworkers
Farmers,casuallabourers,
familymembers
Farmers,fisherfolk,
extensionworkers
Farmers,traders,extension
workers
Farmers,traders,extension
workers
Farmers,casuallabourers
Farmers,traders,extension
workers
Farmers,traders,extension
workers
Farmers,traders,extension
workers
65
AccesstoSMSandinternetisstillverylimitedandthusisnotcurrentlyausefulmeanstoreachmostpeoplein
the rural area. In many other countries, the use of new information communication technologies (ICT) has
beenshowntobeusefulforfarmers.Astudyofdatafrom1995to2000in81countriesshowedthatnewICT
hasasignificantlypositiveimpactonagriculturalproductivity,includingindevelopingcountries33. Thestudy
alsoshowed,however,thatadoptionofICTaswellasthereturnsfromICTarehigherinrichercountriesthan
34
poorer countries. There is thus credible evidence of positive impact but questions remain on how ICTs
support agricultural production and under what conditions. Empowering poor farmers and harnessing the
effectiveness of ICTs will require a complex set of policy, investment, innovation, and capacitybuilding
measures, in concert with beneficiaries and other partners, which will encourage the growth of locally
appropriate, affordable, and sustainable ICT infrastructure, tools, applications, and services for the rural
economy.35
Mobile phone applications,inparticularhaveshownstrongpotentialtoincreaseproductivity.Anumberof
NGOs and private companies in Myanmar are in the process of developing some apps to disseminate
informationtofarmers.However,inmanyareasinMyanmar,thecontextisnotyetconduciveforusingsuch
technologyonalargescale.Onlyveryfewhouseholdshaveaccesstosmartphoneswhichareneededtouse
appsandinternetcoverageisstilllimited.Asmanyhouseholdshaveaccesstosimplekeypadmobilephones
andtherateofexpansionofthemobilenetworkishighandwillremainhighforthecomingyears,thereisa
potential to expand the use of SMS as a vehicle for transmission of information. The use of mobile SMS
informationplatformswherefarmersreceiveSMSalertmessagesandmobilefarmerhelplineswherefarmers
can call agricultural experts for advice have been shown to increase access to realtime information and
support36. To make them viable, the cost of such services must be considered. In focus group discussions,
mostrespondentsindicatedthattheywouldbewillingtopaytoreceivelivelihoodsinformationbutthatthis
shouldbeaffordableandbeaoneoffpaymentafterharvest.Somekeyinformantsfeltthatfarmerswould
notbewillingtopaytoreceiveinformation.
LowlevelsofliteracyhoweverlimittheuseofSMSandsomeformofsupportonhowtouseSMSisneededif
thesemethodsaretobeintroducedinthestudyareas.Youngerfamilymemberscanplayanimportantrolein
this. Furthermore, middle level information providers as described below could be nodes for further
disseminationoftheinformation.AwarenessofSMSusecouldalsoberaisedthroughradioandTV.
The use of internet will increase in the longer future and the use of applications will increase. Application
developmentandtestingandpilotingshouldbedoneatthismomentbutintroductiononalargerscaleneeds
towaituntiltheenvironmentismoreconducive.
In developing the use of SMS and internet, it will be important to ensure that messages and apps are also
providedinlocalethniclanguagesinadditiontoMyanmartoensurethatethnicpopulationsarenotleftout
further deepening the divide and inequality between groups. To enable this, there is a need for mobile
telephone companies to also develop the capability and use of standardised Unicode fonts required for the
localethniclanguages.Itisalsoimportanttoensurethattheinformationprovidedthroughsuchchannelsalso
reachwomenwhocurrentlyhaveloweraccesstonewICT.
Duetotheheavyrelianceofpeopleontheinformalnetworkoffriendsandfamily,theideaofusingnodesto
infiltrate the informal network and act as information distributors may be explored. The system of
information distributors is already functioning in some villages where village leaders disseminate
information received from the township level through these information distributors. These information
distributors could be from existing trusted sources such as NGOs and government extension workers, local
journalistsandreportersaswellaskeyinfluencersinthecommunitysuchasreligiousleaders.
33
(Lio&Liu,2006)
(TheWorldBankGroup,2012)
35
(TheWorldBankGroup,2012)
36
(Vodafone,2011)
34
66
Telephone access (including both landline and mobile phone access) is higher and could be an important
means for two way communication and information on demand. While this has not yet been developed in
Myanmar,helplinesandcallcentershavebeenintroducedinothercountrieswithrelativesuccess.Thecall
centers, possibly linked to radio shows, could be located within the Ministry of Information, Ministry of
Agriculture and Irrigation or within NGOs and should be operated by people who can speak the local
languages.
Although farmers associations and cooperatives were not identified as a preferred channel by many
respondents, the data shows that respondents consider information from farmers associations and
cooperativestobehighlyreliable,practicalandeasytounderstand.About60%ofrespondentssaythatthere
isafarmerassociationorcooperativeintheirvillageandtheseorganisationsmaybeusedasameanstoshare
knowledge among rural populations themselves based on their own experiences. Many such organisations
holdregularmeetingsandthesearegoodforumstoshareinformation.Nationalassociationshoweverdonot
seem to be key sources of information and the potential to tap these national associations to share
informationtolocalassociationsshouldbeexplored.
67
V.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Thefollowingrecommendationsarebasedonananalysisofthekeyinformationgapsandpreferredchannels
of communication and seek to provide suggestions for initiatives that may be developed by UNESCO in its
project.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Informationonrainfallandotherweatherconditionsareofhighpriorityforruralpopulationsduetothe
keyeffectofweatherontheirlivelihoods.Basicdailyweatherforecastsarecurrentlyavailablefromradio
andtelevision,withradiobeingthemainsourceofsuchinformationforruralpopulations.Intheethnic
states,suchasRakhineandChinstates,however,accesstoradioislowbecauseofthelanguagebarrier.
Otheroptionstoprovidesuchinformationsuchasdevelopmentoflocalradiochannelsinlocallanguages
orSMSservicethroughinformation distributorscouldbedeveloped.TherecentBroadcastLawthat
hasbeenpassedallowsthedevelopmentoflocalcommunityradiostationsandthesecouldbesupported
topromotebroaderinformationexchangeinlocalareas.
Information on nutrition is also a key gap with very few organisations providing such information as
nutrition is often overlooked in interventions related to livelihoods and food security. This information
maybeprovidedbyNGOextensionservicesaswellasgovernmentservices.Furtherresearchshouldbe
carried out to understand information needs in this area. UNESCO may seek collaboration with other
actorssuchastheMinistryofHealth,UNICEF,WorldFoodProgramme,FAOandothernutritioninitiatives
(e.g. ScalingUp Nutrition initiative) and with specific LIFT implementing partners to develop
communicationinitiativeslinkedtospecificnutritionalobjectivesofthepartnersprojects.
While information on daily weather conditions is available from radio, TV or newspapers, there is little
information on how the weather conditions affect production and how to mitigate against different
weather conditions, which are also important for farmers. Information on how to respond to weather
conditions could be developed for distribution through extension services provided by NGOs and
governmentdepartmentsaswellastheinformationdistributors.Forexample,informationpackages
forhowtomanagedroughtcouldbedevelopedifsuchconditionsarepredictedfortheseason.
Information on where to get credit and interest rates and costs of credit also ranked highly with few
information sources providing such information widely. Most villagers currently receive information on
loansfromtheirvillageleadersandNGOswhichoffermicrocreditservicesandtheseshouldcontinueto
bekeysourcesofinformation.However,cautionshouldbetakennottopromotehighlevelsofborrowing
and indebtedness as many farmers already have high levels of debt. Information should thus also be
providedonhowtomanagedebt.
Farmers need to have information about the relevant laws particularly the land law and fertilizer and
pesticidelaw.InparticularknowledgeabouthowtosecuretheLandUseCertificateForm7iscrucialfor
theminordertobeabletosecuretheiruseofthelandtheycultivateandabilitytoobtainaloanfromthe
MADB.Althoughvillageleadersprovidethisinformation,thisisverylimited.Thereisastronginterestto
receivesuchinformationfromgovernmentextensionworkersbutthisneedstobedoneinauserfriendly
supportivemanner.Inadditiontoprovisionofinformationthroughextensionworkersandradio,itmay
beusefultoprovidesuchsupportthroughahelplineorcallcenterwhereadvicecanbeprovidedtothe
individualbasedonhis/herowncircumstances.
Information on prices of inputs and commodities did not rank among the top 20 types of information
needed. Such information is currently available from a variety of sources including radio, TV and
newspaperandjournals,aswellasfromtradersandmiddlemen.However,informationonthequalityof
inputs and techniques to apply inputs did rank among the top 20 types of information needed. Some
informationonthisiscurrentlyavailablefromtradersbutthereisaninteresttogetsuchinformationfrom
NGOsandgovernmentextensionworkers.
There is a strong interest for information on new farming methods, new seeds and new
fertilizers/pesticides from NGOs and government extension workers. Most farmers however, are risk
averse,andwillnotusenewmethodsandinputsuntiltheyhavebeendemonstratedtohaveanimpact.It
68
8.
9.
is thus important to create opportunities for farmers to share such information among themselves in
order to promote such methods. This can be done through discussionforumsand eventsorganised by
farmersassociationsandcooperatives.
Thereiscurrentlyverylittleinformationbeingprovidedonthecostofcasuallabour.Thisinformationis
usefultobothfarmerswhohirecasuallabouraswellasthecasuallabourersthemselves.Asthereisnot
an established market for casual labour and the cost varies significantly between areas, such
informationisbestprovidedbylocalsourcessuchasfarmersassociationsandcooperatives.
Theanalysisofthetop20typesofinformationrequireddoesnotincludeinformationrelatedtofishing
andlivestockbreedingasfisherfolkandlivestockbreedersformasmallerpercentageoftherespondents.
However,inareaswherefishingandlivestockbreedingareimportantsourcesoflivelihoodAyeyawady
andRakhineforfishingandMandalayforlivestockbreedingitisimportanttoalsoprovideinformation
on techniques related to these activities. Such information is best provided through NGOs and
governmentextensionworkersaswellasfarmersassociationsandcooperatives.
69
VI.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Babu, S. C., Glendennin, C. J., AsensoOkyere, K., & Govindarajan, S. K. (March 2012). Farmers' information
needs and search behaviours: Case study in Tamil Nadu, India. International Food Policy Research
Institute.
Department of Population, Ministry of Immigration and Population. (2015, May). The 2014 Myanmar
PopulationandHousingCensus,HighlightsoftheMainResults,CensusReportVolume2.NayPyiTaw.
Department of Population, Ministry of Immigration and Population. (May 2015). The 2014 Myanmar
PopulationandHousingCensus,,CensusReportVolume3(State/regionreports).NayPyiTaw.
FAO.
FAOSTAT.
Retrieved
October
2015,
(n.d.).
http://faostat.fao.org/CountryProfiles/Country_Profile/Direct.aspx?lang=en&area=28
from
IntegratedHouseholdLivingConditionAssessmentProjectTechnicalUnit.(20092010). IntegratedHousehold
LivingConditionsSurveyinMyanmar.Myanmar.
Lio, M., & Liu, M.C. (2006, May). ICT and agricultural productivity: evidence from crosscountry data.
AgriculturalEconomics,34(3),221228.
LivelihoodandFoodSecurityTrustFund.(2014).LIFTStrategy20152018.Yangon.
LivelihoodandFoodSecurityTrustFund.(July2012).BaselineSurveyReport.Yangon.
Meitei,L.S.,&Devi,T.P.(2009,March).Farmers'informationneedsinruralManipur:anassessment. Annals
ofLibraryandInformationStudies,Vol.56,pp.3540.
MichiganStateUniversityandMyanmarDevelopmentResearchInstitute.(2013,July). Astrategicagricultural
sectorandfoodsecuritydiagnosticforMyanmar.
MinistryofHealth.(2009).TownshipHealthProfiles.NayPyiTaw.
MinistryofLivestock,FisheriesandRualDevelopment.(2014). RuralDevelopmentStrategicFramework.Nay
PyiTaw.
MyanmarSurveyResearch.(2015,January).MRTVPerceptionIndex,Resultsofaquantitativeandqualitative
audiencesurveyinMyanmar.Yangon.
Ooredoo.
(n.d.).
Retrieved
October
2015,
from
http://www.ooredoo.com.mm/en/Personal/Services/mAgriculture.aspx
The
www.ooredoo.com.mm:
Farmer
app.
(n.d.).
Retrieved
October
2015,
from
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eightvillages.android&hl=en
Play:
October
2015,
from
70
71
VII.
ANNEXES
72
ANNEX1:DATACOLLECTIONTOOLS
RapidAssessmentofCommunityInformationNeedsforSustainable
LivelihoodsandFoodSecurity
HouseholdAssessmentInstrument
Readthisstatementtotherespondentbeforetheinterview.
Mynameis___________________andIamworkingonbehalfofUNESCOandLIFT.
Wewouldliketoinviteyourhouseholdtoparticipateinaninformationneedsassessmentthatislookingatthe
informationneedsofruralhouseholdslivinginRakhine,Shan,Chin,AyeyawadyandMandalayState/Regions.The
assessmentisconductedbyDantDaLunManagementandConsultingServicesonbehalfofUNESCOincollaboration
withtheMinistryofInformation.Takingpartinthissurveyistotallyyourchoice.Youcandecidetonotparticipate,or
ifyoudoparticipateyoucanstoptakingpartinthissurveyatanytimeforanyreason.Ifyoustopbeinginthissurvey,
itwillnothaveanynegativeeffectsonhowyouoryourhouseholdistreatedorwhatassistanceyoureceive.Ifyou
agreetoparticipate,wewillaskyousomequestionsaboutyourfamilyandyourlivelihoodsituation.Beassuredthat
anyinformationthatyouwillprovidewillbekeptstrictlyconfidential.Yournamewillnotberecordedinourdatabase
andwillnotbesharedwithanybodyoranyparty.Youcanaskmeanyquestionsthatyouhaveaboutthissurvey
beforeyoudecidetoparticipateornot.Thankyou.
Iftherespondentdoesnotgiveconsent,thankthemandmoveontothenexthousehold.
Section 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION
Village name
Village tract name
Township name
State/Division
Name of enumerator
Date of interview
Start Time: ________________
Checked
1=Yes, 2=No
[___]
1=Head
[___]
2=Spouse
1=Male
[___]
2=Female
73
2.2
What is your
Ethnicity?
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
Bamar
=1
Kayin
=2
Kayah
=3
Shan
=4
Chin
=5
PaO
=6
Kachin
=7
Buddhist =1
Animist
Christian
Hindu
=2
=3
=4
Casual
Farmer
How would you
Business
Farmer +
Crafts
Laborer
Alone
describe your
=3
Livestock
Person
=2
=1
occupation?
=4
=5
What age are you? Specify age in years. If specific age not known,
Age
round to the nearest 5 years upwards.
Single =
Married
Widowed
1
=2
=3
Secondary
Primary
2.7
What was the highest level of
No
School =3
school
school you attended?
schooling
=2
=1
2.8
What was the highest standard that you achieved at that level?
If less than Standard 1, enter 00. If higher than Standard 10,
enter 99
MYANMAR LANGUAGE SKILLS
2.9
Can you read: The sky is blue
2.10
Rakhine
=8
Other ethnic
(specify)
Muslim
Other
=5
Other
Fishe
Skilled
.
r Folk
wage
=6
earner =7
in years
[___]
Separated
/Divorced = 4
Higher/University
=4
Other
Other
Standard
[___]
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
SECTION 3: DEMOGRAPHY
Age of family members
Numbers of individuals
0-5
M
3.1
6-9
years
M
F
10-16
year
M
F
17-60
year
M
F
TOTAL
>60
year
M
F
4.3
How many HRC sub-centre (public & private) are there within 5 miles from
your house?
Miles
Miles
[____]
[____]
[____]
Unit
4.4
How many schools (for students aged 5 to 14) are there in your village?
4.5
Unit
1=yes
[____]
2=no
1=yes
2=no, Go to 5.7
74
5.6
How many adults work outside the household and village for more than
1 month every year?
Adults |_____|
5.7
Did your household hire workers to assist you with rice farming, fishing
or as household labor in the past 12 months?
1=yes
2=no
5.8
Did any members of your household work as casual labor in the past
12 months (note: casual labor usually spends nights in the house)
1=yes
2=no
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
Irrigated
land = 1
Rain-fed
permanent =
2
1. Yes
2. No, Go to 6.4
Acre
Dont know =
99
Acre Dont
know = 99
1. Yes
2. No, Go to 7
[____]
[____]
Acres Dont
[____]
know = 99
Rain-fed
Rotational = 3
Mixed=4
7.2
What was the main crop your household grows in the monsoon season? (USE
BELOW CODES or specify other)
1. Yes
[____]
7.3
Did your household grow any other crops in the monsoon besides the main crop
7.4
What other crops did your household produce in the monsoon besides the major
crop (pick from the list)
Did your household grow any other crops before this monsoon season (in the
winter or summer season)?
What was the main crop your household produced before this monsoon season?
(USE BELOW CODES or specify other)
7.5
7.6
2. No Go
to 7.5
1. Yes
2. No
[____]
1. Yes
2. No
[____]
CROP CODES
Cereal crop/
Roots/ Tubers
1=Paddy
2=Corn / Maize
3= Wheat
4= Millet /
Sorghum
5= Potato
Industrial
crop
10 =
Tobacco
11= Sugar
Cane
12=Cotton
Oil seed
crop
15= Peanut
13= Rubber
18=
Sunflower
19= Other
Oil Seed
16= Sesame
17= Mustard
Pulses
20= Green
Gram
21= Black
Gram
22= Chick Pea
6 = Sweet Potato
23= Pigeon
Pea
24= Butter
Bean
25= Cow Pea
7= Cassava/Yam
26= Suntapya
14= Other
Ind. crop
29= Soya
Bean
30= Pelun
31= Rice
Bean
32= Duffin
Bean
33= Lablab
Bean
34=Long
Bean
35= Other
Vegetable /
Aromatic crop
36= Onion
38 =Chilli
45=
Watermelon
46= Mustard
Leaf
47= Cabbage
39 = Ginger/
Tumeric
40 = Gourd
48=
Cauliflower
49= Kailan
41 = Tomato
50= Pumpkin
42 =
51=
37 = Garlic
75
Pulse Crop
8= Other cereal
crop
9 = Elephant Foot
Yam
28 = Beetle
Nut
8.4
8.5
What was the main crop your household sold during the past 12
months
Did your household sell your main crop alone or did you sell with
other farmers?
Were you able to access information on prices for the main crop
before you sold it?
If you were able to access information on prices, where did you get
this information from?
(NOTE do not read options. Multiple answers are possible, please
circle the right answers)
8.6
8.7
8.8
Egg Plant
43=
Cucumber
44= Roselle
27= Suntani
1=yes 2=no go to
next section
USE ABOVE CROP
CODES
1 = Sold alone only
2 = Sold in group only
3 = Sold alone and in
group
1=yes 2=no
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Drumstick
52= Other
(Specify)
[____]
[____]
[____]
[_____]
= Radio/TV
= Newspaper/weekly Journal
=Mobile phone/internet
=Friends/Family
= Farmer association/cooperative
= NGO/other organization
= Trader
= Other:___________
Did you know the price for your main crop at the nearest market
town at the time of sale?
If you knew the price at the market town, was the price higher,
same or lower than the price that you would get selling at your
village?
1 =Yes
2 = No
1 = own village
2 = village tract
3 = market town
1 = higher
2 = same
3 = lower
[_____]
[_____]
[_____]
Inthesectionbelowwewouldliketocollectinformationonvarioustopicswhichareconsideredimportantforrural
peoples(farmers,fishingfolksandlandless).Wehaveincluded10separatetopicareas.EachTopicareaisnumbered
andhasanumberofquestions.Foreachtopicarea,wewouldliketoknowwhatarethemostimportantinformation
needs, how do people currently receive information, through what information source (TV, radio, newspaper,
telephone etc.) are they receiving such information and whether they are interested in receiving this type of
information in thefuture.These questionsare also asked in relation to different seasonsof theyear, asitmaybe
important for rural people to have different types of information at different times of the year or throughout the
entireyear.
9.1 Production Assets
Thesequestionsareaboutproductionassets,thoseitemsorresourcesthathaveeconomicvaluethatanindividual,a
corporationororganizationownsorcontrolswiththeexpectationthatitwillprovidefuturebenefits.Thiscaninclude
(property,land,afishingboatandapowertiller,ahandtractor,fishingnetsorastoragefacility).Thesearenotitems
whichhavetoberegularlyreplenishedlikefertilizerorpesticide.
What type of information do you need regarding
your production assets
9.1.1 The purchase or sales price of production
assets, such as land or a power tiller?
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
76
1 =Yes
9=Government
extension workers
3=very
important
2=important
2 = No If no skip to 9.1.8
2= Second
___________
3= Third
___________
1=not so
important
0=not needed
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
2= Second
___________
3= Third
___________
3=Newspaper/weekly journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.2.7
1 = Main
____________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
___________
77
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
1 = January
[____]
2 = February
[____]
3 = March
[____]
4 = April
[____]
5= May
[____]
6 = June
[____]
7 = July
[____]
8 = August
[____]
9 = September
[____]
10 = October
[____]
11 = November
[____]
12 = December
[____]
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.3.8
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
1 = Main
____________
1 = January
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
[____]
78
2 = February
[____]
3 = March
[____]
4 = April
[____]
5= May
[____]
6 = June
[____]
7 = July
[____]
8 = August
[____]
9 = September
[____]
10 = October
[____]
11 = November
[____]
12 = December
[____]
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
Importance
0=not
needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not
needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not
needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not
needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.4.7
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
79
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.5.9
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
3=Newspaper/weekly journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
9.6 Nutrition
This question about nutrition encompasses many things nutrition can be interpreted as the interaction of nutrients
and other substances in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease within human beings. In
our case nutrition implies a healthy or nutritious food, a balanced diet and a diversified diet made up of different foods
and vegetables.
What type of information do you need regarding
nutrition
9.6.1 Information on healthy foods
9.6.2 Information on the nutritious benefits of
different types of food have
9.6.3 Information on a balanced and diversified
diet
9.6.4 Information on the prices of nutritious food
9.6.5 Information on how to prepare nutritious
food
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
80
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.6.8
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
Yes =1 No = 2
3= Third
__________
If yes go to 9.7
Not Enough
1 = January
[____]
2 = February
[____]
3 = March
[____]
4 = April
[____]
5= May
[____]
6 = June
[____]
7 = July
[____]
8 = August
[____]
9 = September
[____]
10 = October
[____]
11 = November
[____]
12 = December
[____]
3=Newspaper/weekly journal
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
4= Hand phone/internet
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very important
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.7.9
81
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
Information Needs
1 = January
[____]
2 = February
[____]
3 = March
[____]
4 = April
[____]
5= May
[____]
6 = June
[____]
7 = July
[____]
8 = August
[____]
9 = September
[____]
10 = October
[____]
11 = November
[____]
12 = December
[____]
Information Needs
1 = January
[____]
2 = February
[____]
3 = March
[____]
4 = April
[____]
5= May
[____]
6 = June
[____]
7 = July
[____]
8 = August
[____]
9 = September
[____]
10 = October
[____]
11 = November
[____]
12 = December
[____]
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
82
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10=Bank
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.8.7
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11= Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
Importance
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
83
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
10= Companies
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.9.9
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
11 = Village Leader
8=Traders/middle man
12 = Other
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
0=not needed
1=not so
important
2=important
3=very
important
6=Farmer association/
cooperative
Importance
1 =Yes
2 = No If no skip to 9.10.8
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
2= Second
___________
3= Third
__________
3=Newspaper/weekly
journal
4= Hand phone/internet
7=NGO/Other
organizations/Private
8=Traders/middle man
84
9=Government
extension workers
10= Companies
11 = Village Leader
12 = Other
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5
1=yes
2=no
1=Almost
every day
2=At least
once a week
If 'no', go to next
section
3=Less than once a
week
1=Morning
2=Afternoon
3=Evening
1=yes
2=no
If no, go to next
section
10.6
10.7
1=yes
2=no
10.8
1=yes
2=no
10.9
1=yes
2=no
Codelistforradiochannels
1=Cherry FM
2=Mandalay FM
3=Pyinsawadi FM
5=City FM
6=Padamyar FM
7=Shwe FM
9=FM Bagan
10=Padaukmyay FM
11=Thazin FM
TV
10.10
10.11
10.12
10.13
1=yes
2=no
1=Almost
every day
2=At least
once a week
If 'no', go to next
section
3=Less than once a
week
1=Morning
2=Afternoon
3=Evening
1=yes
2=no
If no, go to next
section
10.14
10.15
10.16
1=yes
2=no
10.17
1=yes
2=no
10.18
1=yes
2=no
7=MRTV-4
2= Readers Channel
8=Channel7
13=MRTV
ENTERTAINMENT
14=MITV
19=MNTV
25=MWD Music
20=CHANNEL 9
26=MWD
Documentary
85
3=for COMEDY
9=for EDU
15=HLUTTAW
21=MWD Variety
27=MWD Shopping.
4=for INFO
10=5-SPECIAL
16=NRC
22=MWD Movies
28=MRTV-3
5=for TUNES
11=5-SERIES
17=FARMER
23=MWD Series
29=POLICE
6=MRTV
12=5-THUKHUMA
18=MRTV SPORT
24=MWD
10.19
10.20
10.21
10.22
10.23
2=no
1=Every day
2=At least
once a week
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
10.24
10.25
1=yes
2=no
10.26
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
10.27
If 'no', go to
next section
3=Less than
once a week
If 'no', go to
next section
8=The
Emperor
2=The Voice
9=The
Freedom
3=Daily
Eleven Media
4=Democracy
Today
5=The
Messenger
6=The
Standard
Times
10=The Mirror
11=News
Light of
Myanmar
12=Myawaddy
13=Myanmar
Times
7=The Union
(Pyi Htaung
Su)
Journal (Weekly)
14=7 days
21=Than Daw
Sint
28=True News
35=Popular
News
42=Ku Mu Dra
15=The voice
22=Myanmar
Post
29=Lu Htu
Pone Yake
36=Hlat Ta
Pyat
43=Modern
16=Eleven
Media
23=Myanmar
Post Global
30=Irrawaddy
Burmese
News (weekly)
37=Internet
Journal
44=Hot News
17=Yangon
Times
24=Myanmar
Times
31=Thu Ri Ra
Nay Win
38=Taung Thu
Gyi
45=Tomorrow
18=Flower
News
25=The Call
32=Asia Light
39=People
Age
19=The
Messenger
26=Hnin Si
Phyu
33=Thu Ri Ra
A Lin
40=Trade
Times
20=Envoy
27=Myanmar
Age
34=A khont A
Lann
41=Street
View
10.28
Mobile telephone/SMS
Do you have access to a mobile phone?
1=yes
10.29
1=MPT
2=Telenor
10.30
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
10.31
2=no
86
technical)?
10.32
10.33
10.34
10.35
10.36
10.37
10.38
10.39
10.40
10.41
10.42
10.43
10.44
10.45
10.46
10.47
10.48
10.49
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
Internet
1=yes
2=no
If 'no', go to
next section
1=Mobile
phone
2=Own computer
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
3=Other computer
(internet shop, friend)
If 'no', go to next section
1=yes
2=no
1=by phone
2=newsletter
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
Extension services
1=yes
2=no
1=government
2=NGO/CBO
1=by
phone/sms
2= internet
If 'no', go to
next section
3=Private
company
4=Other
(specify)
3= word of
mouth
87
10.50
10.51
10.52
10.53
10.54
10.55
10.56
10.57
10.58
10.59
10.60
10.61
10.62
Number of
times
[___]
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
1=yes
2=no
If 'no', go to next
section
3=word of mouth/
at meeting/
training
3=monthly
Family/friends
Do you ever obtain livelihoods information
1=yes
through family/friends?
2=no
1=yes
2=no
4=seasonally
88
UNESCO
RapidAssessmentofCommunityInformationNeedsfor
SustainableLivelihoodsandFoodSecurity
InformationNeedsAssessment
JulyAugust2015
KeyInformantDiscussionGuide
(Withkeystakeholders,publicsectorserviceproviders,privatesectorserviceprovidersat
theYangonandtownshiplevelandthoseinvolvedingovernanceatthevillagelevel)
Yangon:__________
Date:____________
Township:____________
___________
Time
started:
Village:_________
_________
Time
completed:
Type:(pleasecircle)publicserviceprovider/privateserviceprovider/governanceactor
WewouldliketoinviteyoutoparticipateinaKeyInformantInterview.Weareundertaking
an information needs assessment that is looking at the information needs of rural
households living in Rakhine, Shan, Chin, Ayeyawady and Mandalay State/Regions. The
assessmentisconductedbyDantDaLunManagementandConsultingServicesonbehalfof
UNESCOincollaborationwiththeMinistryofInformation.
Takingpartinthisinterviewistotallyyourownchoice.Youcandecidetonotparticipate,or
ifyoudoparticipateyoucanstoptakingpartatanytimeforanyreason.Itwillnothaveany
negative effects.. If you agree to participate, we will ask you some questions regarding
information needs and services. Be assured that any information that you provide will be
keptstrictlyconfidential.Yournamewillnotbesharedwithanybodyoranyparty.Youcan
ask me anyquestionsthat you have about thissurvey before you decide to participate or
not.Thankyou.
1. Respondentname,position/organization
Whattypesofagricultureandrelatedrurallivelihoodinformationdorural
householdsneed?
Howarehouseholdscurrentlyreceivingsuchinformation?
89
Dotheyhavetheirownlocalinformationsourcesandchannels?
Howusefulistheinformationtheyreceivefromthedifferentinformationchannels?
6. Howdotheyapplytheinformation?
7. Whatisthecurrentcoverage(geographicalarea,numberofpeoplereached,andthe
futureaim)oftheservicesthatarebeingprovidedorarebeingsupported?
i) ForVillagerLeaders/Elders
(1) Canyougiveanoverviewofthedifferentinformationservicesthatare
availableatthevillagelevel?
(2) Howareyoucurrentlysupportingtheseservices?
(3) Whatlanguageisused,aretheredifferentlanguagesinuse?
(4) Whoisthetargetaudience?
(5) Aretheseinformationserviceslocallyrun?Dotheycovermultiplevillages?
(6) Whatbarriersorobstaclesdotheseinformationsourcesface?
(7) WhatareruralpeoplesattitudestowardstheuseofInformation
CommunicationTechnology?(Internet,andSMSmessagesbyhandphone)
90
ii) ForTownshipAdministrators
(1) Canyougiveanoverviewofthedifferentinformationservicesthatare
availableatthetownshiplevel?
(2) Howareyoucurrentlysupportingtheseservices?
(3) Whatlanguageisused,aretheredifferentlanguagesinuse?
(4) Whoisthetargetaudience?
(5) Aretheseinformationserviceslocallyrun?Dotheycovermultiple
townships?
(6) Whatbarriersorobstaclesdotheseinformationsourcesface?
(7) WhatareruralpeoplesattitudestowardstheuseofInformation
CommunicationTechnology?(Internet,andSMSmessagesbyhandphone)
iii) ForPublicandPrivateServiceProviders(ExtensionServicesorMedia)
(1) Whatservicesorinformationdoyoucurrentlyprovideorhowareyou
supportinginformationneeds?
(2) Whoisthetargetaudience?
(3) Whatisthefrequencyoftheproductionofinformationthatyouprovide?
91
(4) Dotheseserviceshavecosts?Aretheyfree?
(5) Whatlanguagearetheservicesprovidedin?
(6) Whattechnologyorinfrastructureisrequiredtoaccesstheservices?
(7) Whatbarriersorobstaclesdotheseinformationservicesface?
(8) Whatisbeingdoneforthosethathavenoaccessorcannotaffordthecosts?
(9) WhatareruralpeoplesattitudestowardstheuseofInformation
CommunicationTechnology?(Internet,andSMSmessagesbyhandphone)
92
UNESCO
RapidAssessmentofCommunityInformationNeedsfor
SustainableLivelihoodsandFoodSecurity
InformationNeedsAssessment
JulyAugust2015
FocusGroupDiscussionsGuide
(FGDwithMenandWomeninRuralCommunities)
Township:__________
Date:____________
Village:____________
Timestarted:___________
NumberofMen(M)orWomen(W):____/_____
Timecompleted:__________
Creatingagoodrapport
1. Introduceyourselftothegroupmembersandhavethemembersintroducethemselves.
2. Createacomfortableatmospherewithalighttalkonthepurposeofthemeeting(FGD),andalso
includesomehumorifpossible.ExplainthepurposeoftheFGDandthatitisvoluntary.If
personsdecidenottoparticipate,oriftheydecidetoleaveaftertakingpartatanytimeforany
reason,thiswillnothaveanynegativeeffectsonthemortheirhousehold.Iftheydecideto
participate,theinformationthatwillbediscussedwillbekeptconfidentialandnonameswillbe
citedatanytime.
3. Requestpermissionthatyouwilltakenotes,ormakerecords.
Moderatingdiscussion
1. Therearefourbroadissuestobediscussedwiththeparticipants:i)themostimportant
informationchannelsthatrelatetoagriculture,rurallivelihoodsandfoodsecurity;ii)how
thesearecurrentlyusedornotused;iii)whatformsofinformationtheywouldliketo
receiveand;iv)whattheythinkofinformationtechnology,howimportantisitandwould
theybewillingtopayforit.Initiatethediscussionbyraisingbroadquestionsfirst,and
followingwithmoreprobingquestions.Pleasedontforgettoprobeforlocalinformation
channelsthatvillagersmayhavedevelopedforthemselvessuchasvillagegatherings,on
festivaloccasionsorotherchannels.
a) Whatarethemostimportantinformationchannelstogetinformationonlivelihoodsthat
youuseandwhyaretheseimportant?(Besidesradio,TV,newspapersandextensionand
otherformalchannels,pleaseprobeforanylocalchannelsofinformation)
93
b) Howdoyouusetheinformationthatyouobtainfromtheseinformationchannels?(From
localchannels)
c) Doyouhaveanyproblemswiththeinformationyoureceive?Ifsowhataretheproblems?
d) Couldyouexplainwhatkindofinformationyouwouldliketoreceivemoreinthefuture
andwhy?
e) Couldyouexplainwhatyouthinkaboutinformationtechnology(internetsites,telephone
applications,SMS)?
f)
Doyouthinkthatinformationtechnologywillbecomemoreimportantinthefutureand
why/whynot?
g) Wouldyoubewillingtopayforinformationonlivelihoodsifthisweremadeavailable
throughSMS?
(Inotherareasoftheworld,thereceivingandsendingofSMSmessageshashelpedrural
peoplewiththeirfarmingandorbusinessaswellashelpreducerisks.SMShasbeenusedto
sendmessagesonweatherconditions,soilconditions,fishstocks,oraboutcommodity
prices).
94
ANNEX2:LISTOFORGANISATIONSINTERVIEWED
Thefollowingtableshowstheorganisationsinterviewedforthekeyinformantinterviewsanddesignationsof
thepersonsinterviewed.
State/Region
Township
Organisation
MettaFoundation
AgricultureMechanisationDepartment,
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
WinrockInternational
MyanmarAgriculturalDevelopmentBank
(MADB)
Yangon
AgriculturalandFarmerFederationof
Myanmar
Ayeyawady Company
FarmerChannel
ShweFM
AventineLimited
MyanmarClimateChangeWatch
SKYNETAgricultureLivestockand
ForestryChannel
FoodSecurityWorkingGroup
Hopong
Shan
Hsihseng
GreenPeasantInstitute
WorldVision
TheFarmerJournal
Middleman
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
MettaFoundation
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
GoldenKeyAgrochemicalCompany
DepartmentofAgriculture
UMaungBuyingandSelling
UWarahBrokerHouse
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
NaungMonAgricultureShop
DiamondStarCompany
MyanmarAntiNarcoticsAssociation
KoSaiAungAgrochemicalandSeedShop
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
Kyaukme
Chin
Falam
PACT
PhyoYadanarHtunCropsand
AgrochemicalsBuyingandSelling
CPYangonCompanyLtd.
GRET
MinistryofInformation
MinistryofInformation
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
WorldVision
Designation
NationalAgricultureandForestrySector
Coordinator
RegionalLevelOfficer
CountryDirector
DeputyGeneralManager
AssistantGeneralManager
Manager
VicePresident
GeneralSecretary
ManagingDirector
Consultant
ExecutiveDirector
ManagingDirector
Manager,Contractfarmingdepartment
Manager,Mobiletechnicianteam
ChiefExecutiveOfficer
GeneralManager
ProjectManager
KnowledgeSharingManager
Founder
LivelihoodManager
Editorinchief
Middleman
TownshipOfficer
StaffOfficer
Facilitator
TownshipOfficer
ExtensionWorker
AgricultureOfficer
Middleman
Middleman
TownshipAdministrativeOfficer
ShopOwner
Seasonalextensionworker
Chairman
Shopkeeper
DistrictStaffOfficer
TownshipStaffOfficer
JuniorStaffOfficer
BranchManager
Manager
SeniorMarketingDepartmentManager
TownshipManager
TownshipOfficer
DeputyTownshipOfficer
AssistantDirector
TownshipOfficer
Design,MonitoringandEvaluation
Facilitator
95
Tedim
Mawlamyineg
yun
Ayeyawady
Bogale
Labutta
Myebon
Rakhine
Minbya
Kyaukpyu
Mandalay
Mahlaing
MinistryofInformation
MinistryofInformation
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
SavetheChildren
Prawnandfishbroker
DoeKhitFertilizerandDieselShop
StandardTimes
Freelance
ProximityDesign
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
GRET
PACT
Riceandpaddybroker
Ricemill
Ricemill
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
MercyCorps
PACT
TownshipRiceAssociation
LabuttaTownshipTVStation
InternationalRescueCommittee
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
DepartmentofRuralDevelopment,
MinistryofLivestock,FisheryandRural
Development
DepartmentofFisheries,Ministryof
Livestock,FisheryandRural
Development
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
PeacemakerCompany
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
Agriculturalmachineshop
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
LivestockBreedingandVeterinary
Department,MinistryofLivestock,
FisheryandRuralDevelopment
RiceAssociation
GeneralAdministrationDepartment
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
KyaukpyuTVSubstation
Agriculturalmachineshop
BetterLifeOrganisation
NgweTikeKhuuTrading
DisabilityResourceCenter,Leprosy
Mission
InformationandPublicRelations
Librarian
DeputyTownshipOfficer
DeputyTownshipOfficer
TownshipOfficer
AreaManager
Prawnandfishbroker
Shop owner
FreelanceReporter
ExphotoexpertofInformationand
PublicRelationsDepartment,Ministryof
Information
DeputyBranchManager
DeputyTownshipManager
TownshipOfficer
Extensionworker
ProgrammeManager
Riceandpaddybroker
Clerk
Manager
TownshipGeneralAdministrator
TownshipManager
MarketDevelopmentOfficer
TownshipManager
Chair
AssistantEngineer
MonitoringandEvaluationOfficer
TownshipOfficer
TownshipEngineer
TownshipOfficer
DeputyTownshipOfficer
Representative
TownshipExtensionOfficer
Shopkeeper
TownshipGeneralAdministrator
TownshipOfficer
TownshipOfficer
Chair
TownshipDeputyGeneralAdministrator
TownshipManager
DistrictOfficer
ElectronicTechnician
Shopowner
MonitoringandEvaluationOfficer
Trader
Physiotherapist
Librarian
96
Natogyi
Taungtha
Department,MinistryofInformation
MinistryofAgricultureandIrrigation
MinistryofInformation
TradeUnion,Mahlaing
MinistryofInformation
Broker
UTeinNaingTunTrading
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
DepartmentofAgriculture,Ministryof
AgricultureandIrrigation
SeinPuaTrading
PACTMyanmar
MinistryofInformation
InformationandPublicRelations
Department,MinistryofInformation
TownshipOfficer
TownshipOfficer
President
TownshipOfficer
Broker
Broker
ExtensionWorker
Librarian
TownshipOfficer
TownshipOfficer
Broker
TownshipManager
TownshipOfficer
Librarian
97
ANNEX3:DESCRIPTIONOFAGRICULTUREANDLIVELIHOODINFORMATIONCATEGORIES
Production assets: Production assets are items or resources that have economic value that an individual, a
corporationororganizationownsorcontrolswiththeexpectationthatitwillprovidefuturebenefits.Thiscan
includeproperty,land,afishingboatandapowertiller,ahandtractor,fishingnetsorastoragefacility.These
arenotitemswhichhavetoberegularlyreplenishedlikefertilizerorpesticide.Thestudyassessesinformation
needsrelatedtopurchase,useandmaintenanceofproductionassets.
Commoditymarkets:Informationoncommoditymarketsrefertothepricesandtransportationcostsforcrops
orotherproductssuchaspaddy,beans,fish,chicken,buffalo,sesame,potatoesthatareproducedandthen
soldatamarket.
Casuallabourmarkets:Casuallabourmarketsrelatetothedemandandsupplyofcasualanddailylabourthat
are available in the market in rural areas. The study explores information needs related to the cost and
availabilityoflabour,capacityandworkconditions.
Technologyandinnovations:Informationontechnologyandinnovationsincludeinformationonnewtypesof
technologysuch as new nets, new type of tractors,new cultivation techniquesand as wellas to newideas,
devicesormethodsofdoingthings.
Training and extension services: Trainingandextensionservicesincludethosefrombothpublicandprivate
sourcesthatareconsideredexternalsupportthatprovideknowledgeandtechnicalsupportfromagencieslike
theDepartmentofAgriculture,privatecompaniesandNGOs.Thestudyexploresinformationneedsrelatedto
theavailability,costsandtypesoftrainingandextensionservices.
Nutrition:Nutritionencompassesmanythingsandcanbeinterpretedastheinteractionofnutrientsandother
substances in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease within human beings.
Informationrelatedtonutritionincludesinformationonthepriceandbenefitsofhealthyornutritiousfood,
preparationofabalancedanddiversifieddietmadeupofdifferentfoodsandvegetables.
Inputs:Informationoninputsrefertotheprices,qualityandavailabilityofrecurrentinputsthatareneededin
theagriculturalsectorsuchitemsasfertilizer,seedsandpesticides.
Credit and finances: Credit and finances relate to the availability of monies or other forms of credit and
financethatareavailabletoruralpopulationsforthepurposeofassistingthemintheirlivelihoodpractices.
Theseincludebothpublicandcommercialsupport.Thestudydidcollectinformationoncreditandfinancial
supportthatisusedforfood,health,education,housingorotherrelatedcosts.
Policyandlaws:Thesectiononpolicyandlawsassessesinformationonpoliciesthathaveanimpactonrural
populationssuchastheseedlaw,landlawandassociationlaw.Mostofthesepoliciesandlawsaremadeat
nationallevelandmaynotbewellknowntoruralpopulations.
Weather and environmental issues: Information on weather and environmental issues include issues that
concernruralpopulationssuchasrainfall,temperature,sunshine,theeffectofweatheroncrops,andhowto
mitigateweatherchanges.
98
ANNEX4:DATAONACCESSTOCOMMUNICATIONSFROM2014CENSUS
State/region
Township
Radio
Television
Landline
phone
Mobile
Phone
Computer
Internet
None
All
35.5%
49.5%
4.8%
32.9%
3.5%
6.2%
30.3%
0.5%
National
Ayeyawady
Rakhine
Mandalay
Shan
Chin
Bogale
37.9%
31.0%
4.5%
17.1%
1.0%
2.1% 43.8%
0.4%
Labutta
43.2%
31.9%
6.1%
14.4%
0.9%
1.2% 40.4%
0.1%
Mawlamyinegyun
26.3%
23.4%
3.4%
10.5%
0.6%
1.0% 43.8%
0.1%
Minbya
11.7%
7.5%
1.0%
4.3%
0.3%
0.5% 66.9%
0.1%
Kyaukphyu
12.5%
12.2%
1.2%
7.8%
0.6%
0.5% 56.9%
0.1%
Myebon
12.6%
7.0%
0.7%
3.3%
0.3%
0.5% 59.5%
0.1%
Mahlaing
23.6%
18.4%
2.6%
6.8%
0.5%
0.8% 28.5%
0.5%
Natogyi
26.6%
21.1%
2.7%
13.9%
0.3%
0.6% 29.1%
0.1%
Taungtha
35.1%
19.1%
2.5%
15.3%
0.5%
0.9% 31.0%
0.1%
Hopong
6.7%
14.8%
1.1%
6.8%
0.5%
0.8% 43.8%
0.3%
Hsihseng
10.6%
21.8%
1.4%
6.3%
0.4%
0.8% 41.7%
0.2%
Kyaukme
7.9%
22.4%
1.5%
13.9%
1.2%
1.2% 29.4%
0.2%
0.4%
Falam
2.0%
4.6%
0.7%
4.1%
0.3%
0.3% 42.7%
Tedim
3.4%
5.9%
1.4%
3.9%
0.7%
0.4% 58.9%
0.7%
Tonzang
0.6%
1.0%
0.1%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0% 66.8%
0.1%
99