Going Back to the Roots
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. The streets were still dark and quiet, and we were grateful that the hotel staff allowed us an early check-in so we could freshen up for the day ahead.
Magway sits in Myanmar’s Anyar region, the Central Dry Zone (CDZ). About a quarter of the country’s population lives here, and nearly 80% of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Sesame, groundnuts, pigeon pea and other legumes are the traditional crops that shape both the landscape and the economy. But farming in the Anyar is not easy. The semi-arid climate, combined with decades of intensive cultivation, has led to soil fertility depletion, wind and water erosion, and deforestation. Today, the CDZ is considered one of the regions most vulnerable to food insecurity and climate change in Myanmar.
When we analysed soil samples sent by the Magway farmers through the Soil Health Project, they showed some of the lowest organic matter readings among all the farms we work with. Yet despite these challenges, the farmers here are among the most enthusiastic and determined we have met when it comes to restoring soil health.
Farmers Experimenting with Change
In Than Bo Lay village, about fifteen miles outside Magway town, we met two neighbours and long-time friends: U Thaung Wai and U Khin Maung Htay. U Thaung Wai grows sesame and peanuts on several acres of land outside the village. He is one of the most active participants in the Soil Health Project. Despite his age, he experiments eagerly with homemade compost, natural bio-inputs, and keeps a herd of oxen that provide both farm labour and valuable manure.
His friend U Khin Maung Htay, a retired schoolteacher, has taken a slightly different path. In his backyard he grows mushrooms, while mango trees slowly take root on his farm.
Both uncles began noticing the degradation of their soil years ago after long periods of chemical input use and topsoil erosion. Around 2012, U Thaung Wai began his personal journey into organic farming, attending as many organic farming trainings and classes as he could.
Changing long-held farming practices, however, is never simple.
For a while, U Thaung Wai was seen by some neighbours as “the crazy old man trying strange methods.” Many farmers worry that switching away from chemical inputs might reduce yields, especially during the transition period. At the same time, market prices for crops like sesame and peanuts fluctuate widely because so many farmers in the region grow the same crop. Without stable markets, taking risks becomes difficult.
Building Markets for Organic Farmers
This is where the social enterprise Organic Roots Myanmar plays an important role.
Since 2018, Roots has been producing peanut butter and tahini in Magway, sourcing sesame and peanuts directly from local farmers. By creating value-added products and connecting farmers to wider markets in Yangon and beyond, they are helping farmers receive better and more stable prices for their crops.
The initiative also creates employment opportunities for local women. Mar Lar Tun and Ei Ei Mar were among the first women farmers to join the Roots production team. Mar Lar Tun, a single mother raising two boys, farms sesame and peanuts herself. Ei Ei Mar comes from Minbu, across the Ayeyarwady River, where her family grows peanuts, sesame and other legumes. Both women are active members of their local farmer associations and often support community initiatives in their villages.
For farmers like them, selling organic sesame and peanuts to Roots means that the effort invested in improving soil health is also recognised economically.
Landscapes of the Anyar
During our visit we took a tuk-tuk (they are called 'oway' here) across the Ayeyarwady Bridge to Minbu, where Ei Ei Mar lives. Along the banks of the river we saw chickpea fields spreading across the sandy soil, even appearing on small islands in the middle of the river. This cultivation only happens during the dry season. Once the monsoon arrives, the water rises high enough to cover these temporary fields.
In the villages, ox carts remain a common sight. With the mini-grant provided by the Healthy Soil Project, Ei Ei Mar’s family recently purchased an ox that has quickly become both the main workforce on their farm and part of the family. The manure it produces is also an important resource for improving soil fertility.
The Anyar landscape has its own quiet rhythm: hot, dry winds moving across the open sandy fields, oxen resting under scattered tree shade, and palm trees standing tall across the horizon. The climate may be harsh, but the people here are warm and genuine, just like the weather.
Soil, Security and Courage
What we observed during this visit reminded us of an important truth. Farmers are far more willing to adopt regenerative and organic practices when they have some level of economic security. Without reliable markets or fair prices, experimenting with new practices can feel too risky.
Roots is playing a meaningful role in this transition by supporting hardworking farmers in the Magway region, offering better-than-average crop prices and helping bring their products to wider markets.
Farmers like U Thaung Wai, U Khin Maung Htay, Mar Lar Tun and Ei Ei Mar show that change is possible. Their experiments, persistence and collaboration are small but important steps toward restoring life to the soils of the Anyar.
And perhaps, step by step, these efforts will inspire more farmers to go back to the roots.
