Contents & Foreword, Characterizing And ... - IRRI books

Socioeconomic and biophysicalcharacterization of rainfedversus irrigated rice productionin MyanmarY.T. Garcia, M. Hossain, and A.G. GarciaMyanmar’s rainfed rice land covers 79% of its total cultivated rice area, whichtranslates into about 4 million hectares, one of the largest in the world.Because of a lack of irrigation facilities, rice is generally grown once a yearduring the monsoon season. A study in the Ayeyarwardy Delta, a major riceproducingarea in southern Myanmar, was conducted to characterize the differentproduction systems of rice farmers. The study also investigated theoperations of the output and input (i.e., land, labor, and capital) markets andhow farmers’ access to these markets shaped the distribution of income andresources in the village economy.The biophysical and socioeconomic factors leading to the adoption ofnew rice-based technologies, such as summer rice, double monsoon rice,the use of high-yielding varieties, and rice-fish culture, were identified. Furthermore,biotic and abiotic factors that significantly constrained rainfed riceproduction were evaluated in terms of reduction in rice yield and productivity.Alternative management practices and policy options were proposed to helpminimize the adverse effects of these constraints.Myanmar, one of the last frontiers for increasing world rice production, is located inSoutheast Asia. Thailand, Lao PDR, China, India, and Bangladesh surround its bordersfrom east to west. Its land area of 68 million hectares spans 2,092 kilometers inlength from north to south and about 925 kilometers from east to west at its widestparts. In 1997, the total population was 46 million, with 75% living in the rural areas.The country’s economy basically depends on agriculture, with about 15% of itsarea currently used for crop production. Unlike many countries in Asia, it has a largepotential for increasing the cropping area by opening untapped culturable wastelands,which are approximately 12% of its total land area. Rice, the main staple food crop ofthe country, is grown extensively, covering 53% of the country’s total area sown tocrops. Rice production accounts for 34% of the gross domestic product and 47% ofthe total agricultural exports. It is also one of the principal sources of foreign exchange,contributing 57% of the total export earnings.Socioeconomic and biophysical characterization of rainfed . . . 407