The geographical focus and conceivable activity options for the proposed LIFT Dry Zone programme This is a follow up paper to “opportunities/constraints and Options for Consideration in a Dry Zone programme” as considered by the LIFT Fund Board on 18/19 March 2013 LIFT Fund Management Office May 2013 Table of Contents 1 Purpose of the report ..................................................................................................................... 5 2 Poverty focus of the proposed LIFT Dry Zone Programme ............................................................. 5 3 Zoning in the Dry Zone according to the JICA typology .................................................................. 6 Size of holdings and landlessness ............................................................................................... 8 Prevalence and distribution of poverty ...................................................................................... 8 Economic stratification within zones .......................................................................................... 9 4 Defining subzones (clusters of townships) in the Dry Zone .......................................................... 10 Rainfall variability ...................................................................................................................... 10 Population density and agriculture population ........................................................................ 11 Clusters of townships ................................................................................................................ 11 Five proposed subzones ............................................................................................................ 12 1. Subzone around Shwebo with JICA type V including Tabayin, Shwebo and Wetlet townships. ............................................................................................................................. 12 2. Subzone around Magway with JICA level III, IV and V: Magway, Yenangyaung, Minbu and Pwintbyu townships ....................................................................................................... 13 3. Subzone around Myingyan with JICA type II and III including Myingyan, Natogyi, Taungtha and Mahlaing townships ....................................................................................... 14 4. Subzone around Monywa with JICA type II and III including Monywa, Yinmabin, Salingyi and Yesagyo with townships .................................................................................... 14 5. Subzone around Pakokku with JICA type I and II including Pakokku, Seikphyu, Nyaung- U and Kyaukpadaung townships ........................................................................................... 15 Presence of development organizations .................................................................................. 16 5 Past and future interventions in the Dry Zone ............................................................................. 16 Lessons from on-going LIFT supported projects ....................................................................... 16 Evaluations of selected NGO projects in the Dry Zone ............................................................. 17 Lessons from community development and the formation of CBOs ....................................... 18 Some agency plans for the Dry Zone ........................................................................................ 20 6 Conceivable activity options per subzone .................................................................................... 22 6.1 Activity options for the subzone 5 around Pakokku ............................................................. 22 6.1.1 Activity option 1 – A social protection activity responding to the needs of the poorest of the poor .................................................................................................................................... 23 6.1.2 Activity option 2 – Responding to the needs at village level through a CD approach .. 24 2 6.1.3 Activity option 3 – addressing water related constraints in farming............................ 24 Water and soil conservation ..................................................................................................... 24 Micro gravity irrigation ............................................................................................................. 25 Provision of improved seed ...................................................................................................... 26 6.1.4 Activity option 4 – Facilitate migration and provision of consumption credit ............. 27 6.1.5 Activity option 5 – livestock .......................................................................................... 28 6.2 Activity options for the subzone 3 around Myingyan ........................................................... 28 6.2.1 Activity option 1 - Responding to the needs at village level through a CD approach .. 29 6.2.2 Activity option 2 – Addressing water related problems ............................................... 29 Making improved seed available to farmers ............................................................................ 29 Water and soil conservation ..................................................................................................... 32 Micro gravity irrigation ............................................................................................................. 32 6.2.3 Activity option 3 – Provision of credit ........................................................................... 32 6.2.4 Activity option 4 – Livestock ......................................................................................... 33 Cattle ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Pigs ............................................................................................................................................ 34 Chicken ...................................................................................................................................... 34 6.2.5 Activity option 5 – Diversification of crop farming activities to high value commodities 35 6.2.6 Activity option 6 – Activities of particular relevance for landless................................. 37 Vocational training .................................................................................................................... 37 Cash for work schemes ............................................................................................................. 37 Transfer of productive resources .............................................................................................. 37 6.3 Activity options for the subzone 1 around Shwebo .............................................................. 38 6.3.1 Activity option 1 –Improve agriculture production on irrigated land .......................... 38 6.3.2 Activity option 2 - Making improved seed available to farmers ................................... 40 6.3.3 Activity option 3 – Financial services ............................................................................ 40 6.3.4 Activity option 4 – water and soil conservation ........................................................... 40 6.3.5 Activity option 5 – diversification to higher value commodities .................................. 40 6.3.6 Activity option 6 – livestock .......................................................................................... 41 6.3.7 Activity option 7 – Activities of particular relevance for landless................................. 41 7 Conclusion: How to Achieve Poverty Impact ................................................................................ 42 7.1 An overriding consideration on how to achieve poverty impact ......................................... 42 7.2 Geographical focus: subzone selection for a Dry Zone programme ..................................... 42 3 References ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Annexes ................................................................................................................................................. 45 Annex 1: Map of townships in the Dry Zone according to the JICA typology: .......................... 45 Annex 2: Strengths and limitations of the JICA study (2010) ................................................... 46 Annex 3: JICA study data per township / region and whole Dry Zone ..................................... 47 Annex 4: Analysis for selecting priority townships based on the data from IWMI study (2013) and annex 2 analysis ................................................................................................................. 48 Annex 5: FSWG members present in Dry Zone (MIMU, 2012) ................................................. 49 Annex 6: Basic data on LIFT IP projects in the Dry Zone ........................................................... 50 Annex 7: Tentative scoring of the activity options per subzone............................................... 52 4 1 Purpose of the report The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for a decision on the geographical focus of the proposed LIFT Dry Zone programme and to provide guidance on what the options might be for in- depth analyses and