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.