Our JPC shares her Shan State (Yangon) Trip Experience

For my JPC placement, I was lucky to be placed with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Yangon, Myanmar. The UNODC works on a variety of global issues, such as transnational crime, environmental degradation, health and drug abuse, among many others. The main area I have worked on is the UNODC’s Alternative Development Program. The program works to create sustainable livelihood alternatives for opium farmers in Myanmar’s Shan State.

Myanmar is the world’s second largest producer of opium, with 57,600 hectares under cultivation. From this, 90% is concentrated in Shan State, and over 50% in southern Shan State. Along with the clear harm of supplying heroin to the national and international drug trade, there are many negative consequences stemming from opium production: it contributes to the cycle of poverty for local farmers, cultivation of land causes soil erosion and degradation and interferes with local water sources, and finally, the income from the poppies funds insurgents and other non-state armed groups, leading to increased violence and instability in the region.

In 2014, the UNODC started three Alternative Development (AD) project sites in Hopong, Loilin and Pinlon townships. The UNODC focuses on coffee, as the geographic locations for growing opium are the same as required for growing high-quality coffee and there is currently a huge global market for the product. The UNODC now has over 700 former opium producers farming coffee. The AD projects not only support individual farmers and communities, but work to create long-term structural changes to the local economy.

I have been able to work on many aspects of this project, from writing donor information brochures, developing a baseline assessment survey for the beneficiaries of the project, writing a business plan for the cooperative, looking into social and environmental certification processes and helping coordinate procurement. I now know a significant amount about growing coffee... right down to the exact amount of chicken manure per coffee seedling potting bag (200 grams, just in case you were wondering).

The highlight of my work with the UNODC so far however, was a field visit to the coffee farms in Shan State. I spent one week with my supervisor visiting our regional office and the three townships the UNODC works in. In the coffee villages we tracked how the shade tree nurseries were coming along, and how last year’s coffee plants were growing. It was really interesting to meet the farmers and see their dedication to their crops and the project.

While we were in Shan State we met with the coffee cooperatives Board of Directors to discuss future processing, marketing and selling of their first years coffee crops. We were also able to meet with the government’s Forest Department who is a partner on the project in repairing the environmental degradation caused by clear cutting for poppy farming.

The field trip was an amazing opportunity for me to see how the UNODC operates in its more technical capacity, and to see how they build relationships with local actors and stakeholders.

Living and working in Myanmar has been a truly exciting experience. With the recent opening of the country to international engagement and the democratic reforms taking place, there is significant development and activity within the country and it has been great to be a part of it.

Thanks!
Joelle Charbonneau