Project News

1. Holding the 2nd JCC Meeting

The 2nd Joint Coordinating Committee meeting of the Project for Capacity Development of Yezin Agricultural University was held on 27th June 2017. The meeting was chaired by U Hla Kyaw, Deputy Minister of MOALI

Deputy Minister delivered opening remarks. Mr. IWAI (Left), Permanent Secretary (Right)

Presentation by TCP Counterparts

Photo-Session (@Convocation Hall)

In the main session of the meeting, Chief Advisor, Prof. Tanaka presented the progress report for 2016FY and the report of plan of operation for FY 2017, and the project's counterparts proposed amendments of Project Design Matrix (PDM) and Plan of Operation (PO) and Annual Plan of Operation (APO). All these reports and proposals were approved by JCC (Please see attachments for PDM, PO and APO). In the following session, the members of each Task Force (Planning and Management, Education and Research, respectively) and Pilot Research group presented the progress report and the plan of operation.

2. Implementation and report making of Monitoring Survey

Three TFs (Planning & Management/ Education/ Research) organized by the project conducted Monitoring Survey of FY 2015/16 to collect facts and evidences related to current situation of YAU education and research. Using the Baseline Survey Report of FY 2015 as a model, they analyzed the results of surveys and wrote the reports. Two members from each TF were appointed as the members of Working Group which took responsibility for compiling and editing the reports into the form of Annual Report. They worked with long-term experts and compiled the following reports to the Annual Report of Monitoring Surveys (Provisional Version) to be submitted to the 2nd JCC meeting.

• Internship Program of Final Year Students (2015/2016 Academic Year)
• Perception of Students on Education System
• Perception of Teaching Staff on Education System
• Research Activities of YAU Academic Staff and Graduate Students
• Job Opportunity and Destination of YAU Graduates
• Questionnaire Survey on YAU Academic Staff's Time Use

Final version of the report will be completed in July including an additional report of questionnaire survey on students' perception of the performances of teachers in the classes.

3. Cooperation toward curriculum reform

Yezin Agricultural University decided to introduce a new curriculum to new students who will join YAU as the first-year students in November 2017, in which credit system and differentiation of subjects into compulsory and elective ones will be introduced. The project had advised the YAU leaders and staff to materialize this reformation and the Education TF members played important roles in the course of this reformation. Also, we are trying to raise awareness about the necessity of improvement of supporting systems, such as setting up an inquiring points for students, and to train teachers in order to deliver proper guidance to the students through various meetings such as TCP Regular Meeting and TF Member Meeting.

4．Implementation of Pilot Research

1) Each research group in the Pilot Research Program conducted fieldworks as follows.

• 1st June:
  RC-02-2 group collected mango fruits for sampling diseases in mango farm in Sint Kaing TS, Mandalay.
• 3rd, 11th, 17th and 25th June:
  RB-03 group collected insects and re-located and re-installed insect traps for next seasons in 7 Townships in Nay Pyi Taw.
• 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th June:
  RB-01-1 group conducted surveys on the utilization of home gardens in Lewe TS and Zeya Thiri TS in Nay Pyi Taw.
• 22nd and 23rd June:
  CR-04 group conducted surveys on germination and seedling establishment of direct-seeded rice in deep water area in Thanatpin TS, Bago.

Survey at mango farm in Sint Kaing TS, Mandalay

Survey on harvest at experimental farm in YAU

2) Laboratory and in-farm experiments were also conducted as follows

• RA-01-1 (Plant Breeding Group)
  About 100 cultivars transplanted in January, consisting of local varieties collected by the team, those provided by Seed Bank and breeding lines (F6) screened by the Dept. of Plant Breeding, were harvested at the experimental farm of YAU. The team started to investigate yielding abilities of the varieties and the quality of unpolished rice.
• RA-02-1 (Plant Pathology group)
  Pathogens of rice blast and leaf blight collected in Zaya Thiri and Pyinmana were continuously cultured, and bacterial specimens from these samples were preserved.
• RB-01-1-1 (Agronomy Group)
  Analyzing the spatial distribution of pulses in Pyinmana TS using the data obtained by ground survey and aerial photographs taken by drone.
• RB-01-1-3 (Horticulture Group)
  Analyzing the spatial distribution of vegetables in Pyinmana TS using the data obtained by ground survey and aerial photographs taken by drone.
• RB-01-2 (Soil and Water Science Group)
  Drying and adjusting collected soil sample have been continued.
• RB-02-1 (Plant Pathology Group)
  Identification of nematode was continued to conduct using soil sample.
• RB-03-1 (Entomology Group)
  Toward making a pest-warning model, the team continued to identify and count pests collected by the insect traps newly established in the NPT special district and insect net.
• RC-01-2
  Data analysis for those collected in the fields has been continued.
• RC-02-1 (Horticulture Group)
  Changes in quality and physiological characteristics of Mango fruits in the postharvest period have been continued to observe.
• RC-02-2 (Plant Pathology Group)
  Identifying disease of collected mango has been continued.
• RC-02-3 (Entomology Group)
  Identifying pests collected from pheromone traps in mango orchard has been continued.