Introduction of Cash Crop Production into Dry Zone, Myanmar:

A Case Study of the Village in Chindwin River Basin, Sagaing Region

抄録

Farming systems in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, have gradually changed over the last decades, including the introduction of new cash crops. In order to examine how a new cash crop was introduced into an upland farming system and established in a selected village, land types and agricultural systems in the Song Chaung (SC) village in the Sagaing Region were analyzed, based on field observations and interviews. Although agriculture was generally conducted under rainfed conditions and most of the agricultural land was cultivated in the undulating upland area, the village was located near the Chindwin River with an easy access to underground water for irrigation. The distance to Monywa City was 16 km and the proximity to the market provided an advantageous location for the transportation. In addition to these conditions, careful management, such as the selection of good planting materials, proper irrigation and drainage, appropriate plant protection systems and soil management during the cultivation period may have resulted in the successful introduction of betel vine into the surveyed village.