Cultural ecosystem services and climate change in rural landscapes of Myanmar
Khant Sandar Htet just commenced her PhD candidacy as a researcher in the SEIAS group. Here, she introduces herself and her upcoming research agenda on Myanmar rural communities’ local knowledge, perception of cultural ecosystem services, and vulnerabilities to climate change.
Hello Htet, welcome to the team! It’s good to have you with us. Would you shortly introduce yourself?
Thank you. I am originally from a very small town that is located in a remote area of a developing country: Myanmar. Growing up in a rural community, I was surrounded by people who relied on agriculture with basic tools to make a living. The life of farmers in our areas was challenging, but at the time, I did not understand why. I have always been proud of my native land, due to its rich plant diversity and its tropical moist forest. So, when I had to choose my career path, my curiosity lead me to Yezin Agriculture University, which is the only agricultural university in Myanmar.
During my time at the university, I realized the profound importance of the agricultural sector, as almost two thirds of our population are living in rural agricultural areas.
I also became more aware of the nature of their challenges. For example, a lack of modernized technology makes farming very physically demanding for farmers. They are facing yield loss caused by mismanagement of natural resources. And the economic return on production is incredibly low, due to the lack of market accessibility and price instability.
After my graduation, I worked as teaching staff at the same university in Yezin. Since then, I have been dedicated to becoming an agricultural specialist who can use and share her knowledge for the development of agriculture in Myanmar.
What research projects have you been involved in during your studies and throughout your university career in Myanmar?
For my bachelor degree, I undertook an agricultural economics study, based on empirical research in Bago Region, in Lower Myanmar. During the early phase of my career, I was also assigned to assist senior researchers from Yezin University in a variety of fields related to agriculture.
One experience that I would like to highlight is my participation in a “Climate Smart Agriculture” project, funded by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). For that project, I interviewed rice farmers from Yangon and Bago Delta Regions and learned about their difficulties under heavily flooded conditions.
In 2018, I conducted a survey, titled “Assessment of Plant Species Diversity of Homegardens in Loikaw Township”, that highlights neglected and underutilized crop species in local residents’ homegardens.
One outcome of these successful studies was that I received additional funding for further research. Unfortunately, these projects had to be suspended, as it became infeasible to travel to the proposed study area, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current political dynamics in Myanmar.
I have also taken part in plant breeding and plant variety selection projects funded by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), which were intended to provide new climate-change resilient rice varieties for the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar.
This year, during the monsoon season, I conducted a case study on ecosystem services of rice cultivation landscapes and homegardens in Nay Pyi Taw. So far, my research mainly focused on rice and plant genetic resource diversity for food and agriculture. The work that I will do as part of the SEIAS team is the next step that I will take in ecosystem services (ES) research.
What was your motivation for choosing a PhD at SEIAS?
Without much familiarity with the word “sustainability”, I started my post-graduate studies at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel in Germany in 2015, in the international master program: “Sustainable International Agriculture”. After graduating in 2018 with the M.Sc. degree, my research primarily focused on homegardens and plant genetic resources. Then in 2019, I took a course on ecosystem restoration in forest and agroforestry systems at the University of Helsinki. Subsequently, I developed a professional interest in agricultural ecosystem services.
A second influence on the decision was the participatory rice variety selection project that I described earlier, through which I realized the importance of local and traditional knowledge in sustainable rice cultivation systems. Both of these experiences motivated me to pursue a doctoral degree in the SEIAS group.
Another reason is that I admire the groups’ research output and members. Working with them will enable me to learn from their knowledge and experiences, and I can contribute with my own knowledge in turn.
What are you currently working on? I heard it’s a project on rice farming, cultural ecosystem services and climate change in Myanmar?
Yes indeed, let me explain. Myanmar is a country with great vulnerability to climate change. Agriculture remains one of its main economic sectors, and is greatly exposed to climate-related hazards. I am interested in how the country’s farmers may adapt to adverse changes, and how climatic stressors intersect with cultural traditions and ecosystem services.
Rice cultivation is often blamed as one of the major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. I would like to highlight the enormous amount of people relying on rice as a staple crop in their daily diet, and the manifold social-ecological values that rice-based farming systems provide.
My current work builds on household survey data collected in Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory (NPTUT), for the study of cultural ecosystem services (CES) of rice-based farming systems, and the threats of climate change to the livelihoods of rice farmers in that area.
My preliminary findings indicate that farmers rely on traditional knowledge and cultural practices for some extent, although they realize that some of these practices are not helpful in combating climate change.
One common cultural ritual is playing “Tug of war” in the middle of the village in order to have a good rainfall before starting the cropping season. Some say that it is mandatory to follow the traditional and cultural practices descended from previous generations, whether they believe in them or not. However, the maintenance of these practices is declining.
Farmers receive extension services from the Department of Agriculture and this enhances their existing knowledge. Consequently, using climate change resistance varieties, crop diversification, and changing cropping patterns became farmers’ most common adaptation strategies for recent years. I found it interesting and inspiring to go deep into the cultural ecosystem services and climate change understanding of rice farmers.
Can you tell us more about your upcoming research agenda for your PhD?
After completing the work on my current project, I plan to prioritize research on the intersection of climate change impacts, local knowledge, and cultural ecosystem services. For my PhD research, I propose to conduct the following project: “Assessing local communities’ knowledge of cultural ecosystem services and social-ecological vulnerabilities to climate change in Inle Lake Region, Myanmar”.
We are waiting to confirm the project feasibility, due to the challenging situation in Myanmar. If all goes to plan, this study will be carried out in the surroundings of Inle Lake, the second largest fresh-water lake in Myanmar. Inle is not only famous for tourism, due to its scenery and aesthetic value, but also for its floating garden agriculture — a unique agroecosystem in Myanmar.
According to the Forest Department, the lake plays a major role in maintaining ecosystem services and the livelihood of local people in two different townships of southern Shan State.
Nowadays, substantial environmental changes are taking place in the Inle Lake Region, primarily due to rapid population growth and the development of agriculture and tourism. But the cultural and traditional value of Inle Lake to local people is priceless and irreplaceable. Understanding the social dimension of ES, including ES awareness and perception among different stakeholders, and ES bundles, can help to develop a socially acceptable roadmap for maintaining this unique social-ecological system.
I am planning to start this project early next year, working together with colleagues from SEIAS. I will be sure to share my progress about this exciting project.
Contact and further reading:
You can also find Htet on Google Scholar. If you’re interested in further details, please leave a comment below or get in touch via email: khant.sandar.htet@uni-kassel.de
Further reading:
Integrated Multistakeholder Ecosystem Approach At Inle Lake (Myanamar) Based On Zoning Principles And Integration Of Ecorestoration And Agrofarming Practices
Cyclone Komen’s aftermath: Local knowledge shows how poverty and inequalities fuel climate risk in western Myanmar (Kmoch et al, 2021, Regional Environmental Change)
