Date and Time: December 14th (Wed.), 16:30-17:30, 2016
Place: Meeting room (E107) on the first floor of East building, CSEAS, Kyoto University University

Title: Impacts of drought and tourism development on reducing farmlands and the contribution of households’ income in Bagan-Nyaung U area
Speakers: Mar Mar Win, CSEAS visiting Scholar, assistant research officer, Food Legumes Section, Department of Agricultural Research, Yezin-Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar and Kazuo Ando, Associate Professor, Department of Practice-oriented Area Studies, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Abstract:
A case study was carried out at three villages in Bagan-Nyaung U Township to identify the impacts of drought and tourism development on reducing farmlands and the contribution of households’ income in Bagan-Nyaung U area. In the study area, frequent droughts caused lower crop productions and forced the local farmers to sell their farmlands for livelihood. During the same period, tourism developmental activities stimulated the local farmers to sell their farmlands with higher market prices. Thus, the reduction in cultivated areas and farmlands provided the more opportunity for non-agricultural activities such as the building of new hotels, new roads, and petrol shops etc. are a result of urban expansion and tourism development. Based on the primary household survey findings, the income generating activities were highly diverse among farmland sold households when compared with non-sold households in the study area. A significant number of farmland sold households have chosen new developmental pathways by pursuing nonfarm-based livelihood strategies as ways to mitigate their dependence on farmland. Self-employment through business, interests from saving and informal rental taxi activity for tourism appear to be the most preferred livelihood choices by farmland sold households. These households tended to increase their durable assets, household consumption and expenditures per annum. The reduction farmlands seem to be improved their household welfare by motivating them to participate in diverse nonfarm activities. Non-sold households whose living is based on farm work, their cultivation of multiple crops sustained to cover daily household expenses in the study area. Some non-sold farmers diversified the income generating activities to reduce the risk of crops failure despite a decrease in income, savings, living standard and social impacts. However, more studies on changes in land-use and urban expansion need to be carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists for deeper understanding about its impact on household livelihoods, sustainable regional development, and food security etc.