Climate Action Myanmar Project #39478

Help People in Myanmar Protect Vulnerable Forests

by Rural Development Institute DBA Landesa

Help People in Myanmar Protect Vulnerable Forests

Project Report | Dec 23, 2019
Growing Partnerships and Impact

By Eleanor Trenary | Philanthropy Officer

Meeting with locals to understand their land needs

After establishing a new agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Landesa’s team in Myanmar has ramped up engagements with national officials to promote pro-poor land reform. Following a successful study trip in Vietnam, Landesa staff and dozens of Myanmar officials held workshops to discuss lessons learned from the trip and identify next steps.

These developments are promising for Myanmar, where Landesa has already documented land allocations to more than 120,000 previously landless and marginalized families thanks to support from Landesa. Among those benefitting from these land allocations are indigenous groups, whose traditional farming practices not only provide economic opportunity, but also protect the vulnerable forests of Myanmar. Additionally, many families whose land was confiscated by the previous military regime are regaining access to land, seeding hope for a peaceful future.

For those in the Seattle area, March 12^th is Landesa’s annual gala, Seed the Change. This year’s gala will feature a keynote address from Dr. Ohnmar Myo Aung, land rights expert and Landesa Myanmar Country Lead, who will share stories for struggle and triumph, and the way secure land rights have profoundly changed the lives of tens of thousands in Myanmar.

Thank you for your support, and happy new year!

7 villages received a community forest certificate

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Sep 23, 2019
Sharing Knowledge, Growing Impact

By Eleanor Trenary | Philanthropy Officer & Project Leader

Myanmar policymakers learning about land reform.

Friends,

One of my favorite things about working at Landesa is how our programs both create pro-poor land tenure policies and help countries grow their capacity to effectively implement those just policies.

Last month, Christine Anderson, Land Tenure Specialist at Landesa, did exactly that when she and a group of 20 government officials from Myanmar visited Vietnam to learn about that country’s success in pro-poor land reform. As part of Landesa's Global South-South learning program in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, this group learned about the land law drafting process and policies that Vietnamese officials have worked on for decades. As Christine explains, parts of the trip were truly groundbreaking:

"The 10-day program featured seminars with the Vietnamese government officials, civil society organizations in the land sector, and field visits to smallholder farms. The meeting between the leadership of the Myanmar land records department and Vietnam land registry to review actual joint titles was likely the first such policy meeting in Myanmar's history."

By engaging with more experienced governments in Vietnam, Taiwan, the U.S., and India, Landesa is helping Myanmar lawmakers and administrators gain practical skills to create progressive, pro-poor, and gender-sensitive land laws in Myanmar. Read the rest of the blog here: https://www.landesa.org/press-and-media/learning-across-borders-myanmar-officials-visit-vietnam-to-learn-about-land-law-drafting-process/

Your support enables this kind of systems-change work with the potential to benefit millions of rural families. On behalf of the entire Landesa team, thank you for support!

In Solidarity,

Eleanor

Links:

Learning across borders: Myanmar officials visit Vietnam

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Jun 26, 2019
71,000 Rural Families Allocated Land

By Eleanor Trenary | Philanthropy Officer

Ma Phyu, with her 2,000 tree seedlings

Thank you for your support of land rights in Myanmar! Your donation to this project is helping millions of rural households enjoy stronger rights to land. With secure rights to land, people can invest in climate-smart agriculture, reduce conflict with family members and neighbors, and boost their income by selling extra produce.

Who you’ve helped: Ma Phyu’s story

Ma Phyu is an indigenous ethnic minority woman in southern Myanmar and before her community gained secure land rights, they feared being displaced and lived with constant uncertainty.

“We always had to worry about our farms, whether they would be removed by the government or if we would be sued by the Forest Department for trespassing.”

Thanks to a Landesa-supported program in partnership with the Myanmar civilian government, the land was reclassified and the village received a Community Forest Certificate. This Certificate gives them the legal right and documentation to live and practice traditional agroforestry among the trees of the forest.

“Now I am confident,” Ma Phyu told us. “I dare to announce to anyone that this is my farm and these are crops from my farm.” Ma Phyu has joined the forest management taskforce in her village, and is encouraging other women to step into leadership roles.

The Certificate gives the villagers security, as well as responsibility to protect the delicate ecosystem. By giving secure land rights to the community, the forest is protected from clear-cutting or deforestation by developers. With assistance from the Forest Department, Ma Phyu has planted over 2,000 native tree seedlings this year, which will boost her family’s income and replenish the forest.

“I imagine in the future my farm will be prosperous with organic crops and homegrown nutrients for my family.”

Scaled Impact Felt Throughout Myanmar

Ma Phyu’s story echoes throughout Myanmar: over 71,000 families have received land through government allocation programs supported by Landesa. The government has identified an additional 2.8 million acres of land available for allocation, which will continue to improve the lives of rural farmers and landless households through the country.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your support of land rights in Myanmar! Together, we will continue to champion secure land rights for millions of the world’s poorest women and men, providing opportunity and promoting social justice. For additional updates on our work around the world, please, visit landesa.org or follow us on social media.

With gratitude,

Eleanor Trenary
Philanthropy Officer

P.S. Global Giving is matching all new monthly donations this year—share this project with your friends and family and ask them to join you in supporting this important work!

Villagers proudly hold their new land titles

71,000+ Myanmar families have received land titles

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