Abstract
We focus on the impact of the construction of a new dam on the traditional farming-based livelihoods of mountain dwellers in Pinlaung, Southern Shan State, Myanmar. These communities have practiced small-scale swidden farming for generations. We used both quantitative and qualitative methods, including satellite imagery, individual household interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews to analyze changes in land use and livelihoods, land tenure security, and gender engagement. The dam resulted in the loss of 246 hectares of farmland and 146 hectares of swidden areas, leading to the adoption of new agricultural practices and livelihood diversification. While new income-generating activities like upland farming and community forestry positively influenced total household income, the loss of traditional swidden fields reduced productivity and limited opportunities, and also insecure land tenure. Gender dynamics shifted as women took on additional income-generating roles, indicating both empowerment and increased stress. Our study underscores the need for sustainable policies, fair compensation, and secure land tenure rights to ensure resilience, food security, and sustainable livelihoods for these communities.
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Notes
According to the respondents, the allocated land for settlement is 80 feet x 100 feet for most households (39 respondents), but some reported land sizes in a range of 40 feet x 50 feet to 80 feet x 100 feet.
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Acknowledgements
This work is the output of small research project granted by the Economy and Environment Partnership for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) in collaboration with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) (14/SRG-EEPSEA; SIDA Contribution No. 52190012). Thanks to Township General Administration Department, Pinlaung, for permission to conduct studies in the Bago Mountains, we could conduct field data collection for this research. We would like to express our thanks to the local people in the study villages for their support and collaboration during the field work. Also, we sincerely thank Dr. Kanittha Tambunlertchai, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand who mentored us during this project.
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This research project is funded by the Economy and Environment Partnership for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) in collaboration with the Swidish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) (14/SRG-EEPSEA; SIDA Contribution No. 52190012).
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Nyein Chan supervised the whole project: develo** idea, writing the grant proposal, preparing the research instruments, inputting and analyzing data, writing and revising the paper, and finally submitting the paper. Khin Nilar Swe assisted the project: develo** idea, preparing the research instruments, inputting and analyzing some data, and some parts of writing. La Minn Ko Ko assisted the project: collaborating the field data collection, inputting data, and writing the paper.
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With the close guidance of our mentor, Dr. Kanittha Tambunlertchai, we conducted this research project, fully considering the research ethics.
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Chan, N., Swe, K.N. & Ko Ko, L.M. Assessing the Impacts of Dam Construction on the Livelihoods of Swidden Farmers in Pinlaung, Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Hum Ecol 52, 51–65 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-024-00485-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-024-00485-6