Have you ever wondered what happens when a new plant is added to a field?
In simple terms, the biodiversity of that place increases. A new plant joins the community above ground, while below the surface its roots and microbial partners begin forming new relationships too.
Broccoli is not rare in Myanmar because farmers cannot grow it. It is rare because Myanmar lacks the cold-chain infrastructure needed to protect delicate vegetables after harvest.
Every fresh broccoli on a Yangon table represents not only farming skill, but also timing, transport, temperature management, labor, infrastructure, and a little bit of luck.
Ei Ei Mar is a regenerative farmer from Magway who grows peanuts, mung beans, pigeon pea, and sesame on 8 acres.
In our stories on Healthy Soil, we have been showing lots of images of farmers looking into a tool in the field- a refractometer.
Here is a little story that introduces the tool and more importantly the important questions behind it.
U Thaung Wai is a regenerative farmer from Magway who grows groundnuts and sesame.
He began exploring organic compost and natural farm inputs in 2012 after noticing soil degradation and the rising cost of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
The early mornings of December in Magway are dry, dusty and crisp. We travelled there just before the New Year to visit the Roots Farmers Collective. The night bus from Yangon dropped us off in front of our hotel at four in the morning.
Malar Tun is part of the Roots Myanmar farmers’ collective in Magway region, where she grows sesame and peanuts. We visited her fields and the peanut butter and tahini production facility in Thae Pin Kan Pauk Village in December 2025.
U Khin Maung Htay is part of the Roots Producer Network. He grows mango, sesame, peanut and green gram in Myanmar’s dry zone. A retired teacher, he now focuses on building healthy soil through local inputs such as cow and goat manure.
Niko Family Farm is quite a famous farm in Myanmar. This is partly due to Sayar Peter’s books, translations, and writing on social media, but also because of the many visitors they have welcomed over the years. They are one of our oldest collaborators, and together we have survived through some very tumultuous times.
Many of the farmers in our pilot we have worked with for years but some are new, recommended to us through others. One of these new farmers is Thant Zaw and even without us, Thant Zaw could start a movement. His enthusiasm is infectious and even more importantly, he is seeing results.
Ma Hnin Nwe Soe is impressive. When she isn't farming, she works at Golden Ground, a local agriculture collective based in Pindaya, Shan State. In her work there she coordinates organic training to local farmers; manages crop sales from a farmer collective and supports aid to farmers recovering from natural disaster. Her work is a living example of soil and community regeneration.
Regenerative farming strategies are built on the understanding that soil biology is key to healthy crops. So finding worms is a good sign. They are the ultimate soil builders, with their castings acting as perfect fertiliser.
