Project News

1. YAU-JICA TCP Short-term Training Program "Rural Society and Poverty Reduction" was conducted:

Dr. Guy Trebuil, senior agronomist and geographer of GREEN research unit, Environment & Societies Department, CIRAD (International Center for Agricultural Research for Development) guided academic staff and post-graduate students through the training program "Rural Society and Poverty Reduction" from 7th to 16th September 2016.

The program was made up of three components as follows;

1. To instruct academic approach for social research in rural Myanmar by introducing agricultural eco-system analysis, household economic study, analysis of household pattern and participatory method of agricultural development,
2. To provide comparative points of view by introducing cases of agro eco-system studies in other South East Asian countries,
3. To deliver advice and guidance to carry out pilot research program.

16 trainees from Department of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agronomy, Department of Horticulture, Department of Soil and Water Science and Department of Animal Science participated in learning basic theory and academic history, and catching up latest tools of rural development studies such as computer software of resource stock simulation with practice.

Taking this opportunity, Dr. Trebuil gave a public lecture on "Modeling with Stakeholders for Integrated Natural Resource Management in Southeast Asia" as the 8th YAU-JICA TCP Special Lecture on 12th September. More than 60 academic staff and post-graduate students attended.

2．Implementation of Pilot Research:

Each research group conducted field works as follows.

1. 2nd 15th to 16th and 25th September:
   RB03-1 group selected 11 (eleven) paddy fields in Nay Pyi Taw to set insect traps.
2. 3rd to 4th September:
   CR03 group conducted preliminary survey on cultivation status of perennial crops in Myitthar, Mandalay.
3. 5th to 6th September:
   RA-01-1 group visited deep-water paddy growing area in Bago to observe the cultivation and collect information of rice varieties and their seedlings.
4. 5th to 7th September:
   RB01-1 conducted interview surveys with farmers regarding the cultivation of pulses and other crops in Thongwa, Yangon.
5. 3rd to 13th September:
   RC-01-1 group conducted surveys on post-harvest loss and quality degradation of sesame in supply-chain in Pwint Phyu in Magway.
6. 23rd to 29th September:
   RC01-2 group conducted interview surveys with brokers, wholesalers, oil producers and others who are related to supply-chain of sesame.

Laboratory experiments were also conducted using the samples collected through previous surveys.

• RA-02-1 continues to culture bacteria of rice blast and leaf blight, and to make bacterial specimen.
• RB02-1 group is identifying nematode in the collected soil.
• RB03-1 group keeps on identifying seasonal harmful insects for establishing insect alert model.
• RC01-1 group continues to process collected sesame seeds and to measure the basic data of them.

Rice transplanting in deep-water paddy area, Nat Pin Township, Bago

Setting insect trap in Takhone Township, Nay Pyi Taw

3. Pre-departure Briefing for Participants of Study Tour in Japan

The project plans to organize study tour in Japan to learn about "Educational Reform and Faculty Development in Japanese Universities related to Agriculture Science" for 10 members of the counterparts of the project from 15th to 29th September.

On 13th September, we provided pre-departure briefing for participants regarding 1) Outline of visiting universities, 2) recent university reform in Japan, especially focusing on university management after the corporatization of national universities, issues of finance, improvement of curriculums and syllabuses, in order to specify lessons-learnt they would study throughout the tour. Attached please see the itinerary of the trip.

Prof. Tanaka, Chief Advisor lectured outline of visiting universities

• Schedule of the Study Tour (PDF/79.9KB)