Kantarawaddy Times
Scattered among the farms, small bamboo huts with thatched roofs dot the landscape here and there. As the writer looks towards one of those huts, a woman, about 40 years old, with dark skin and standing around 5 feet 3 inches tall, steps out from one of them.
When she sees me, she smiles warmly. I respond with a “Mingalaba” (hello) while quickly making my way towards her, camera and tripod in hand.
I soon learn through conversation that she is Daw Pheh Myar, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Dawkalokhu village, Loikaw Township.
Daw Pheh Myar has a family of five with her husband and three children. Her eldest son, who is 16 years old, helps with housework alongside his parents, while the younger two are currently studying in Grade 8 and Grade 4.
Karenni State largely depends on farming, and Daw Pheh Myar’s family is also one of them. However, due to displacement by conflict, they can no longer work their own farmland.
“We’ve been running for about three or four years now,” Daw Pheh Myar says. Although it’s been four years since they first fled, they have had to relocate multiple times.
Her former village, Dawkalokhu, is located near the main Loikaw-Shadaw road at the foot of the mountains. It is an area where battles between revolutionary forces and the junta army often occur.
Whenever there were fightings, they had to flee to other upland fields or villages. During planting seasons, they would return to work even under dangerous conditions, but they again have to flee if battles resumed.
“We replanted the rice, but we couldn’t fully harvest it. We managed to harvest just a little because we planted only in a single field. However, we couldn’t harvest peanuts. We fled again because of the fighting,” she says.
Due to ongoing battles, they had to flee from place to place. They had even spent over a year in Sisai Township before moving again. Now, they live at Kholiso IDP Camp No. 2 in Loikaw Township.
There, Daw Pheh Myar supports her family by working as a daily laborer in local farms where she makes around 12,000 kyat per day. For Daw Pheh Myar who have grown up by working in farm, this job is not a big deal.
But since they don’t have their own farmland and need stable food supplies for long term, Daw Pheh Myar seeks opportunities to rent and cultivate unused land from local farmers.
Since aid from donor organizations is irregular and unstable, wherever they settle, Daw Pheh Myar and others search for places where they can farm to support themselves. Currently, she rents farmland from local villagers near the camp.
During their time in displacement, they received rice donations three times. While the amount wasn’t enough for the whole family, it did help reduce kitchen expenses. However, Daw Pheh Myar says farming remains their main livelihood.
Last year, Daw Pheh Myar’s family had harvested 20 bags of rice. However, due to poor soil and pest infestations, the yield was low, and much of the rice turned reddish and inferior after milling. Although the amount wasn’t enough for the whole year for them, they manage it carefully.
“The rice turned reddish because of pests. Good or bad, as long as it’s rice, we eat it. Milling doesn’t yield much,” she says.
In the IDP camp area, most local villagers primarily grow corn for food. In addition to corn, they grow small amounts of rice, sesame, and peanuts.
During the corn harvest season, they sell it to brokers and buy rice in return. For sesame and peanuts, some sell the produce, while others press it for cooking oil. But, Daw Pheh Myar mainly grows rice for her family’s consumption.
Farmers in the region usually prepare their farms by burning and clearing in April before the rainy season. The typical planting season starts around May or June, and the work includes preparing the soil and gathering seeds. Planting usually begins in July.
Now, it’s the season for clearing new fields again. However, this year Daw Pheh Myar faces a tougher situation. Instead of renting, she has to find and clear her own land.
“This year will be harder. Last year, we were allowed to plant on someone else’s land. This year, the landowners want to work their fields themselves,” she explains.
According to a camp officer, authorities have allowed IDPs to clear and cultivate new fields, although these areas are quite far from the camp.
“Right now, there’s enough land to grow rice, but it’s new, uncleared land, and it’s far away,” says U Ngar Reh, the camp officer.
The allocated land is untouched forest and bushland, making it physically impossible for small families to clear alone. Daw Pheh Myar is worried not only about the labor required but also about transportation difficulties.
Her biggest concern is that the new field might not yield good crops. If the rice plants die or fail to thrive, all their investment of time, money, and labor will be wasted. Because of this, she and her husband must carefully consider whether to proceed.
“We’ve started clearing a little over there, but we haven’t managed much yet. It’s too bushy, mostly big bamboo thickets, so it’s hard,” she says.
Like Daw Pheh Myar, many other displaced farmers in Kholiso Camp rely on renting land or clearing new fields to farm and survive.
Despite the hardships, Daw Pheh Myar maintains hope: “No matter how hard it is, if we have farmland to cultivate, we won’t starve.”
To better support their farming, she and her husband have bought two young calves, hoping they will eventually help plow the fields. Looking at her two calves gives Daw Pheh Myar renewed strength.
Daw Pheh Myar dreams that one day, by working rented fields or clearing new ones, she will be able to return to her own village and resume farming on her family’s land.
“If the situation gets better, I want to go back and live in my own village,” she says.
