Land and Gender Report Final Version.Indd
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FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR Hilary Faxon & Catriona Knapman December 2019 LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR DISCLAIMER LCG is an independent organisation, and we do not represent our donors, partners or organisations who are members of any forums facilitated by LCG. This document is supported wtih financial assistance from Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT). The views expressed herein are not to be taken to reflect the official opinion of any of the LIFT donors. FRONT COVER: The photograph 'The way to do daily work' on the front page was taken by Daw Hla Pa' Zain (Pek Tek) during LCG's participatory photography project, conducted as part of this research. COPYRIGHT This report is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It may be reproduced and distributed for non-commercial purposes if prior notice is given to the copyright holders, and the source and authors are duly acknowledged. If you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified content. All participants gave consent for sharing names and photos. All photos belong to the artists credited on each photo, and any use of such images should be done under the license. II LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR Hilary Faxon & Catriona Knapman December 2019 III LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are extremely grateful to Naw Mu We want to thank Australia, Denmark, the Paw Htoo, who led our data collection efforts and European Union, France, Ireland, Italy, provided constant positive energy to our project. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, We also express our gratitude to partners and Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the friends at Rights and Peace, Dawei Pro Bono United States of America, and the Mitsubishi Lawyers Network and Thwee for their support Corporation for their kind contributions to in the research sites. We also thank survey improving the livelihoods and food security of the enumerators from the Enlightened Myanmar poorest and most vulnerable people in Myanmar. Research Foundation and LCG staff, especially Their support to the Livelihoods and Food Security to Jessie Goldie for her editorial assistance. We Trust Fund (LIFT) is gratefully acknowledged. would also like to thank survey and interview respondents who gave their time to speak with us. Special thanks to the 19 women who brought their ideas and enthusiasm to the participatory photography part of this research. IV LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................................................1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................2 Gender Roles ..........................................................................................................................10 Land Tenure ............................................................................................................................13 Women’s Participation in Land Governance ...................................................................19 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................23 References ...............................................................................................................................27 V LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR LIST OF ACRONYMS CSO civil society organisation DALMS Department of Agricultural Land Management and Statistics EAO ethnic armed organisation GAD General Administration Department KNU Karen National Union LCG Land Core Group NGO non-governmental organisation NLUP National Land Use Policy VFV vacant, fallow and virgin VI LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR are often under-valued and that women face numerous obstacles to participating in land governance. Based on an understanding of land EXECUTIVE governance through the eyes of women farmers, this report explores opportunities to improve SUMMARY women’s participation in land governance and promote gender equality. This report presents an analysis of the research across three main themes: (1) gender roles; (2) his report is the final output of Land formal and informal land tenure rights; and (3) T Core Group’s Land and Gender Project, a women’s opportunities for participation in land mixed-methods research project exploring land governance. Through this analysis, we examine governance through the eyes of women farmers in how land governance affects women farmers Myanmar. Research for this report was conducted in Myanmar. They highlight critical gendered between January and May 2017 using three differences in land use, as well as who has a voice methods: survey, key informant interviews and to shape land policy, law and practice. The report participatory photography. This research was also draws attention to the diversity of women’s informed by an earlier phase of the project which experiences across the country, and the various included Myanmar’s first Female Farmers Forum factors that may influence their roles concerning and preliminary research in and around Mandalay agriculture and land governance. in July 2016. Several outputs from the project have been produced, including two policy briefs, Based on an analysis of this research and previous two photo exhibitions and an information brief scholarship, we recommend essential steps that on our participatory photography project. The should be taken to improve women farmers’ study limited its focus to three geographically and participation and promote gender equality in culturally diverse districts: Kalay District (Sagaing land governance. As the Government of Myanmar Region), Kawkareik District (Kayin State), and seeks to reform land-related laws and introduce Dawei District (Tanintharyi Region). a National Land Law, these recommendations are timely for government, as well as civil society The research builds on existing scholarship organizations, non-government organisations and that finds that women’s roles in agricultural life researchers. 1 LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR Image by Daw Haung Nge Lone ‘WANTING TO TRY HARD Images and stories help FOR MYSELF’ to paint a clearer picture In the image above, Daw Lun works in her sunflower fields with her daughter. Her land of everyday land use and lies in the Kalay-Kabaw Valley (Kalay District, agricultural practice in Sagaing Region), at the foot of the Chin Hills. Myanmar, as seen through On this land, she works hard farming and raising pigs. the eyes of rural women. In an interview with Daw Lun, she said that In our research, we gathered numerous stories like when her children are at school, she does the this one which demonstrate that land serves both housework, then when the children come back as a basis for livelihood and a shared space for home, they go together to the fields to take care family life. These stories also show that current of their crops. They clear the fields with knives; formal and informal land governance systems while most other families in the village have create insecure land tenure for many rural women. machinery for this work, they do not. Daw Lun’s This insecurity has direct impacts on their social, entire village was affected by the 2015 floods, economic, and cultural lives. In this report, we and most farms can no longer be cultivated. This seek to share our findings and, in particular, to field is one of only a few where farming is still draw attention to how land management practices possible. and systems directly impact rural women like Daw Lun. Images and stories like this help to paint a clearer picture of everyday land use and agricultural practice in Myanmar, as seen through the eyes of rural women. 2 LAND CORE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN FARMERS IN MYANMAR today. As the final output from the project, this report summarises the research findings and offers practical recommendations for advocacy INTRODUCTION and further research. This report aims to explore land governance through the eyes of women farmers and provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of land governance in Myanmar from a gender perspective. We identify critical differences in the gricultural land supports the livelihoods roles that men and women farmers play as well of more than 70 per cent of the population A as inequalities in both informal and formal land in Myanmar, shaping their cultural practices governance systems. We also show that women and ways-of-life. However, the existing land farmers have restricted access to information governance framework fails to provide adequate as well as fewer opportunities to participate in land tenure security, placing many farmers and decision-making and assume leadership roles at a indigenous communities at risk of losing their community level. Such restrictions