N65 Slash and Burn agriculture  (Part 2 )

   

  After hearing her explanation I came to know that we cannot think people ignorant even if they are common folks. They know about it because it concerns their livelihood.

   

  Come to think about it . Who is to blame for this wrong way of agriculture? Who is responsible for it ? Beside deforestation there  are also other negative aspects of slash and burn method such as erosion, nutrient loss, biodiversity loss, among others. And because the place used is shifting every year the unusable land is growing bigger until all our land will be exhausted and become barren. Then what  will become of our people ? What will they do for their livelihood ? How will they earn their living ?

  

  If people have more knowledge, they may find some way to replace the method. But the land they are working are not their own and the people who use this method are poor common people with little or no knowledge at all. So in my opinion I think the government should do something about it .

      

I have heard that Chaing Mai was a place notorious for its practice of slash and burn agriculture. But when I was there some years ago , while we were climbing Loi Inthanon, the highest point, I saw no sign of slash and burn agriculture and heard someone explained to me that the government imposed strict laws concerning tree cutting and take actions about it. All other countries including China, who let illegal logs from our country flows freely into theirs is making sure that their country remains green and taking measures to prevent desertification.

    

But what is our government doing? I’ve never heard about people being educated or new method of agriculture introduced or so into our state. Some people for their livelihood grow opium but they don’t enjoy much profit from this cultivation either. Only the druglords get the most profit, and as for the people many become drug addicts and our country’s image is stained as a drug producing country.Many people had left our state to work in low paying, lowly jobs in neighboring countries.

     

An efficient government should take into account the country people’s welfare and do something to help them. There are many developed countries who are willing to come and help our people with technology, advice or financially like some NGOs are doing around Taunggyi,  but this kind of help does not reach far flung places.

    

  So it is not strange that people are wishing to have a new government who will do their utmost for the people including to save the country from becoming desertland  and heighten the country’s image.