Food security and socio-economic impacts of soil salinization in the central dry zone of Myanmar: a case study

Abstract

The study area, HteinKanGyi village in Myittha Township, Mandalay Division is located in the Central Dry Zone (CDZ) of Myanmar. The central Myanmar is known as Dry Zone because of its physical characteristics such as low annual precipitation, instable distribution pattern, significant high temperature and low relative humidity. In the study area, more than 700 acres of the land is saltaffected due to the water logging from the result of left main canal system of Kinda Dam. Soil salinity has been one of the most important issues for local farmers who live in this village. Decreasing soil productivity caused by salinization has led to social tension, unemployment and reducing incomes of all households. This study surveyed the impacts of soil salinity on the crop production and to describe the food security and social and economic conditions in the HteinKanGyi village, Myittha Township. All respondents have more or less acreage of salt affected soil. Some people had no cultivated rice fields because of severe affected by salinity, and thereby families survive mainly as seasonal agricultural laborers. General socio-economic characteristics of the studied village are high population density, low agricultural productivity, low technological base, low producer prices, high costs and diminished margins, limited access to institutional credit, high degree of indebtedness, large percentage of landlessness, high incidence of seasonal migration, shortage of labor supply on large holdings and limited alternative income sources. This finding could suggest that development extension agencies should provide farmers with financial and technical assistance to make available salt tolerant rice varieties, knowledge and improved technologies in order to increase food sufficiency.