Sustainable rice production in Myanmar impacts on food security and livelihood changes

In Myanmar, 70% of the rural population engages in rice farming for their livelihoods. Since 2013, the government and development projects have introduced a variety of sustainable rice cultivation practices such as improved fertilizer-, water-, pest- and post-harvest management. A mixed method approach was used to gain a better understanding of adoption behaviour and livelihood changes. One hundred and twenty nine farmers participated in the study which revealed the adoption of sustainable practices; reasons include higher yields, reduced costs and labour savings. Reasons for non-adoption included unsuitable or expensive practices. We find that profitability analysis and partial budgeting calculations revealed an estimated increase in income (>0) of 113 USD/ha (SD = 90.64 USD/ha), due to an increase in yield and reduced costs. Furthermore, in-depth interviews revealed that farmers (n = 32) used this extra income for religious and social activities, for food, health care and education. They were able to expand their farm business and produce rice more sustainably. The paper thus contributes to the adoption literature by linking development project outputs to outcomes and impact. Concerted efforts by the government and development projects can enable farmers to produce cereals more sustainably and experience positive changes to their livelihoods and strengthen rural development at local and regional level.