Food Security, Tenure Security and Community Forestry in Burma (text and audio)

ABSTRACT: Burma (Myanmar) is currently emerging from almost half a century of severe military dictatorship. In a country comprising over 50% forested landscapes, the status of forest governance and forest rights are central to the democratisation process.

Oliver will present findings from a recent study on community forestry in Burma, and seek to clarify some of the issues, opportunities and challenges in the country. A key challenge remains the reconciliation of environmental protection with local food security for the uplands, where their attempted territorialisation under colonial and post colonial forestry administrations continues to threaten the prevalent taungya forest fallows cultivation systems.....THE PROBLEMS: *One of Southeast Asia’s and the World’s poorest countries (UNDP 2007/2010).
*poverty headcount: 32% across the ~59 m population
*10% below the UNDP’s food poverty line.
*Rural poverty is significantly higher than urban poverty (36% / 22%)
*In Chin State, (upland North), 73% are poor, and 40% fall below the food poverty line.
*moderately underweight children 34% nationally, 60% in Rakhine State
*BUT data v. poor...
Causes:
*Faltering agricultural production & lack of alternate livelihood opp.s from industry
*Conflict
*State command economy – forced procurement – disastrous
*Lack of service provision, market support, credit etc.
*Tenure insecurity – state controlled land
*Common Property Resource decline
*Environmental degradation
*Increasing land appropriation for crony agribusinesses & Chinese opportunists...
1. Does Community forestry work?
2. Is Tenure security at the Forest Agriculture Interface as Community forestry part of the solution? Or a further problem?