PULSES, PEOPLE, PLANET AND PROFIT (P4)
The Pulses, People, Planet and Profit (P4) project aims to increase the income of 10,000 smallholder mungbean farmers in Myanmar, of which 20% are landless female labourers. CONTEXT Pulses and beans in Myanmar account for over 20% of the total cultivated area. Pulses production has high potential, as pulses fit well with rice-based cropping systems in the Delta and diversified production systems in the Dry Zone of Myanmar.
The country is one of the world’s largest exporters of these commodities. For example, in 2015, 1.54 million metric tons of pulses and beans was exported - of which the largest amount is exported to India and China. However, there are huge market opportunities in Europe, Japan and other high-premium markets too, where mungbean sprouts are also eaten. Hence, farming and post-harvest practices which influence taste, safety and quality are very important.
Despite these market opportunities, many mungbean farmers remain poor due to low productivity and inconsistent quality of produce. Farmers also lack knowledge and skills on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Women labourers have limited access to resources, farm lands, capacity building, financing and capital to invest in other livelihood activities, as well as lack of decision-making power within their household and community.
OBJECTIVES
The P4 project intervention strategy is designed to support economic growth that focuses on the creation and the expansion of economic opportunities and ensures broader access to these opportunities. The project’s objective is to increase the
income for 10,000 smallholder mungbean farmers, of which 20% are landless female farm labourers, in four townships in Yangon and Magway Regions. P4’s specific objectives are: »» To improve the enabling environment for the mungbean value chain in Myanmar by proposing policy and regulatory reforms; »» To increase the volume of mungbeans purchased by premium market buyers from farmers’ groups, by enhancing access to support services on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and collective marketing (CM); »» To increase mungbean farmers’ productivity and quality of produce by enhancing access to support services and good quality mungbean seeds.