Program Info
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- Program established: 2013
- Staff: 2
- Core Program Areas
- Food Security and Resilient Livelihoods
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA)
- Global Learning and Partnership Building
Office Info
Country Director – Wilson John Barbon
Address: International Institute of Rural Reconstruction,
c/o Community Development Association
New University Avenue Road, Sayar San Ward, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar
Phone: (+95) 09262071726
Challenges and Opportunities
Myanmar is the second largest country in Southeast Asia, with a population of 53,897,154 (2015). The nation borders Bangladesh, Thailand, China, India and Laos. It has rich natural resources – arable land, forestry, minerals, natural gas, freshwater and marine resources and leading source of gems and jade.
A new civil government established on March 31, 2011 ended 49 years of military rule. The country was accepted by ASEAN as Chair of the regional grouping in 2014. In 2015, Myanmar took an unprecedented move toward reform by conducting free elections that elected a civilian government for the country.
With the democratic reforms starting to unfold, Myanmar is coming out of decades of inactivity in the regional and global economy. The country is opening up its trade, improving its financial sector and encouraging the entry of foreign direct investments.
While the country is showing signs of economic growth and engagement within the region, a significant percentage of the population is still poor. Without investments in social and community development, poverty will likely increase as farmers and rural poor are left behind. Myanmar also faces enormous challenges in ensuring food security for its people given its vulnerability to climate change, particularly in Myanmar Dry Zone, the Delta and the various mountainous regions of the country.
How IIRR Helps
- Promoting participatory and people-driven approaches to rural development to ensure that rapid development will not leave behind rural communities.
- Introducing filed programs that incubate and test scalable models to address rural development issues.
- Engaging in capacity-building programs for local NGOs and government agencies to assist in scaling-up their existent rural development platforms.
- Organizing meetings between NGOs at international conferences and round table discussions.
- Implementing a Bio-Intensive Gardening program (in partnership with the Newman’s Own Foundation) alongside a series of climate smart villages and school gardens.
Partnerships:
- Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research-Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CGIAR-CCAFS)
- International Development Research Center (IDRC-Canada)
- Community Development Association
- Radanar Ayar Association for Rural Development
- Karuna Mission and Social Services (KMSS)- Hakha
- Kalyanna Mitta Foundation
- Give2Asia
Important Facts and Figures
2017/2018
- Worked with 4 local NGOS to begin a 3-year project about climate smart villages.
- Hosted 100 roundtable discussions with international and local aid groups.
- Trained and mobilized 100 households of smallholder farmers to demonstrate new agricultural techniques.
- Trained 50 school teachers and administrators how to make effective school gardens.
- Established 4 community gardens at public high schools.
- Organized learning events attended by 135 local and international GOS to familiarize them with the current economic and cultural situation in Myanmar.