Help Environmental Farming in Myanmar

Global Community Service Foundation On-site Reviews of Organic Gardening Project

In late September the President of GCSF will visit the Inle Lake region of Myanmar. She will be there to coordinate a medical mission sponsored by GCSF. While there she will spend some time reviewing the status of the vermiculture activities. She plans to survey the number of families that have begun to use the worm casting (or worm tea) to fertilize their crops, in lieu of chemical fertilizer, the number of families that are in the process of producing the worm-produced compose, and the number of families that plan to start the process.

She will also assess the need for additional support, supplies and resources and gather information; photographs and success stories to aid us with the planning and execution of the program.

We know that some vermiculture progress is being make as the natives of Inle Lake share their knowledge, expertise and starter batches of worms, but the task of introducing the practice among all the villages around the lake will require full-time education activities, advice and monitoring. We have not yet identified a Inle Lake native to perform those duties; so a major task will be to work with Myanmar government, non-government, local village leadership, agriculture schools and self-help (like farmer organizations) to identify the best candidates and support programs. The Inle Lake area has a very active “Women’s Self-Help Association” which could be supportive.

Then in November a group of members of the Board of Directors of GSCF will travel to Inle Lake (at their expense) to assess the progress and needs of additional support.

After those review processes we expect a more concerted effort by the Inle Lake farmers to improve the quality of the lake water. GlobalGiving donors have provided the support to get the project initiated. The Inle lake people know that the resources for the project come from a diverse group of people who care about the environment – particularly their homes, gardens and the health of the citizens of their lake and they are thankful.

Inle Lake Vermiculture Project Report 

Reducing the detrimental effects of chemical fertilizer in Inle Lake in Myanmar is a major effort, but by small scale efforts, and small recurring donations it can be done. Global Community Service Foundation is committed to that goal. 
 
The use of vermiculture fertilizer on the land-based village gardens is showing effective results in reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer used, and is greatly improving the quality and quantity of vegetables grown. That improvement is enhancing the health of the natives. 

While there is significant improvement of ecological agriculture at the land-based gardens, the progress at the water-based gardens is slower. Our contacts at Inle Lake determined that the closer relationships between the land-based villages resulted in more leadership and more mutual cooperation for implementation of verminculture methods. 

In order to improve the rate of progress of vermiculture production and use, and to expand efforts to improve Inle Lake, officers and members of the board of directors of GCSF intend to visit the lake (at their own expense) in November. 

The following options will be discussed with the Inle Lake natives, and considered; 

1. Continue efforts to engage a full time project facilitator from the community to train and assist families during their efforts to implement vermiculture at Inle Lake. The facilitator can be tasked to conduct seminars on the benefits of vermiculture and the methods of use of the natural fertilizers. We have the funds to begin that process, but to implement the organic gardening technique at all 44 villages on the 45 square mile lake will require continuous, recurring, support. 
2. Determine the feasibility of “teaming” the lake-based gardeners with villages inland which have significant success, experience and expertise with vermicultue. 
3. Determine the feasibility of assisting selected lake-based gardeners to establish micro-enterprise services to produce the vermiculture fertilizer for sale or barter to other gardeners. 
4. Consider the possibility and feasibility of teaming with indigenous organizations to coordinate vermiculture education and assistance.  
5. Consider the possibility of expanding the project to include drinking water purification and waste disposal methods to improve the health of the natives. 
6. Internview members of the land-based villages that have been successful in implementing vericulture practices.  Learn from them what made them successful and then try to replicate the successful measures to the lake-based program. 

 
GCSF President Selva said, “We can easily help one family, or one village, but the need is to ecologically improve the lake to improve the environment, save lives and improve family health for now, and for generations to come.” 
 
“Since we have been using vermiculture produced fertilizer the quality and quantity of vegetables are better. It does immediately show its power, as chemical fertilizer does, but given time the growth rate of the crops is higher, the quality of the vegetable is better, the lake is cleaner and the people healthier. 

 A Inle Lake Village leader remarked; 
 
“Inle Lake is like our parents. And when our mother and father gets sick, we need to cure them,” said U Myo Myint, a lakeside dweller who has switched to organic farming. “But we still have time to heal this place. We still have hope.” 

Links:

• Global Community Service