Community Capacity Building, Promoting the Use of Fuel-efficient Stove and Creation of Alternative Livelihood Opportunities for Local Community in the Tanintharyi Region

Objectives

To build the capacity for local communities in the Tanintharyi Region of Capacity Building, by promoting the use of energy efficient stoves and the creation of alternative livelihood opportunities. 

Background

The main source of fuel and poles and posts for construction in the target area is fuel-wood from the mangrove forests existing around their villages. Based on data issued by the Forest Department, fuel-wood consumption rate of rural household in Myanmar is 2.5 cu.ton/year. So the requirement of fuel-wood for target households (1235 HHs) is 3087.5 cu.ton per year. Along with increasing population and not accessible other sources of energy such as electrical power and gas the demand of fuel-wood is increasing year by year in the area. The project considered that for reducing fuel demand through introducing fuel-wood efficient stove. Along with degradation of mangrove forests, the local communities are suffering from bank erosion, decrease paddy yield due to salt intrusion and low fish catching rate.  

The local communities are relying on fishing at in shoreline and farming crops such as paddy, rubber, cashew nut and different kinds of fruit trees for their livelihoods.   Over 70% of the village household are casual labours working in sea fishing and crop plantations, as they do not have own resources. Livestock breeding and poultry farming are not commonly practices in the area.

Maximum size of farm ownership is 5 acre/HH. Out of 21967 ac of paddy lands, some of the lands suffer from low yield (30-40 baskets/ac) due to salt intrusion and bank erosion.

Most of local families face difficulty in earning their living and access to forest products. They do not have any alternative income sources. This is the main constraint for the communities not being involved in mangrove and fishery resource conservation activities.

Target beneficiaries

1235 households with a population of 6145 in 10 villages within Pyinbugyi village tract, in Palaw Township Thaninthayi Region. 

Outputs

The project aims to address the above problems with the following activities:

1.  Awareness raising, capacity building to the local communities on environmental resource conservation
2.  Promote utilization of fuel saving stove for local households.
3.  Support input supplies for establishment of alternative income opportunities such as vegetables and fruit trees growing in home gardens, piglets and chicken raising and setting up small business such as grocery shops and food shops.

Contributions to cross-cutting themes

- Climate change: According to the recorded data by Forest department, a rural household consumes 2.5 cubic ton of fuel-wood annually. Fuel-wood demand for Pyinbugyi village tract is estimated as 3087.5 cubic ton per year. The fuel-wood efficient stoves will save 1029 cubic ton of fuel-wood annually.

- Gender: women were involved in the fuel efficient stove making