Eastern States Agribusiness Project

The project's objectives are to:

• Promote commercialized smallholder agriculture linked to agribusiness
• Improve living standards in forest communities
• Reverse environmental degradation in sloping areas
• Generate substantial benefits for households belonging to the Intha, Karen, Mon, Paoh and Shan ethnic groups.

The target group consists of poor rural women and men in the project areas. These include farmers in irrigated lowlands, farmers in the rainfed uplands, and agroforestry households in mountainous areas of northern Kayin.

Landless households will have access to job opportunities as agricultural labourers or as workers in agribusiness. The project will also ensure that employment opportunities facilitate the economic reintegration of returning migrants, ex-combatants and displaced people.

The project's rationale is anchored in IFAD's mandate of poverty reduction and the Government of Myanmar's policies to reduce economic and social disparities in rural areas. Approximately 62,400 poor rural households are expected to benefit.