(Luận văn) role of social enterprises in agricultural and rural community development in myanmar challenges and opportunities

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY PHYO THIHA HTUN ROLE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN MYANMAR: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES MASTER'S THESIS VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY PHYO THIHA HTUN ROLE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN MYANMAR: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES MAJOR: PUBLIC POLICY CODE: 8340402.01 RESEARCH SUPERVISOR: Dr TRUONG THI THU TRANG Hanoi, 2023 STATEMENT OF COMMITTMENT I sincerely assure that the result of this study are solely my own and not contravene the regulations established to prevent plagiarism in academic and scientific research endeavors at Vietnam Japan University This study is submitted as a fulfillment of the requirements for the master's degree in Public Policy, with utmost personal integrity and in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Decision No 700/QĐ-ĐHVN, issued by the Rector of Vietnam Japan University on September 30, 2021 Signature Phyo Thiha Htun Date: June, 2023 ACKNOWLEDGE I would like to acknowledge the various individuals who provided invaluable support, without whom this study would not have been possible I am truly grateful to those who assisted and aided me in multiple ways throughout the completion of this thesis First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my supervisor, Dr Truong Thi Thu Trang, for her invaluable suggestions, guidance, and supervision I also want to extend my special thanks to Dr Nguyen Thuy Anh, the Program Director, and all the professors who provided encouragement, insightful comments, and inspiration during my two-year master's degree program Furthermore, I am grateful to the Japan ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) organization for granting me a full scholarship, as well as to my Master of Public Policy family and classmates for their continuous support during my time at VietnamJapan University (VJU) Additionally, I would like to convey my deep gratitude to the responsible individuals at Proximity Designs (PD) and Farmers' Bridge - Taungthutada (TTTD) for allowing me to collect data for my thesis I am also eternally thankful to all the participants who took part in the interview processes Lastly, I must acknowledge that none of my achievements would have been possible without the unconditional love, endless support, and encouragement from my family and friends I am sincerely grateful to all the individuals who have supported me throughout my academic journey i i ABSTRACT This thesis investigates the role of social enterprises (SEs) in supporting the agricultural and rural communities during a challenging period characterized by the Covid-19 pandemic and a military coup in Myanmar With farmers facing difficulties sustaining their farming practices, Social Enterprises have emerged as a suitable pathway for providing assistance and support to rural areas Consequently, Social Enterprises have become integral to the fabric of rural life in Myanmar The study explores the experiences of farmers with Social Enterprise, including the challenges and opportunities encountered, as well as strategies for improving Social Enterprises in agricultural and rural development By employing a qualitative research approach, the study conducts a case study of two Social Enterprises, Proximity Designs (PD) and Farmers’ Bridge - Taungthutada (TTTD), utilizing document analysis and in-depth interviews to address the research questions Moreover, this thesis explores the contribution of social enterprises to the agricultural and rural community in Myanmar, specifically focusing on their role in supporting farmers The research question and conceptual framework center around understanding the current challenges and opportunities faced by social enterprises in Myanmar, and how they contribute to the development of the rural community and agriculture sector The data analysis reveals that inflation, funding availability, security concerns, electricity access, and volatile political and social conditions pose significant challenges for Social Enterprises, the agricultural sector, and farmers Nevertheless, the study finds that a majority of Social Enterprise participants demonstrate a high level of motivation to contribute to rural community development despite these challenges The research also explores current and potential solutions and pathways for agricultural and rural development, taking into account the perspectives of key actors involved Keywords: Social Enterprise, Farmer, Challenges, Opportunities, Rural i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGE ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.1.1 Social Enterprise 1.1.2 Smallholder Farmer 1.1.3 Legal framework of Social Enterprise in Myanmar……………………………………5 1.2 Problem Statement………………………………………………………………………….8 1.3 Research Gap……………………………………………………………………………… 1.4 Research objectives 1.5 Research questions 1.6 Organization of the study 10 1.7 Scope of the Study 11 1.7.1 Context of Proximity Designs 11 1.7.2 Context of Taungthutada, TTTD - Farmers' Bridge 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 16 2.1 Agriculture and Rural Community Development in Myanmar 16 2.2 Social Enterprise 17 2.3 Rural Community Development………………………………………………………… 18 2.4 Social Enterprise in Agricultural and rural community development 19 2.5 Social Enterprise in Myanmar 20 2.5.1 Challenges 23 2.5.2 Opportunities 24 2.6 Social Enterprise in Viet Nam 25 2.6.1 Challenges 25 2.6.2 Opportunities 26 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 28 i v 3.1 Research Design 28 3.1.1 Conceptual Framework 28 3.1.2 Significance of the study 29 Research Methodology 29 3.2 3.2.1 Ethical Consideration.……………………………………………………………… 31 3.2.2 Reason for choosing the case studies 31 3.2.3 Data collection instruments and analysis procedure 32 3.3 Limitation of the Study 33 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 34 4.1 The role of Proximity Designs and Taungthutada in the agricultural sector and rural community 31 4.1.1 Overall Assessment 34 4.1.2 Cost efficient and income generating 38 4.1.3 Community contribution 39 4.1.4 Booster for the rural small business 40 4.1.5 Environmental sustainability 41 4.1.6 Digital transformation 42 4.1.7 Problem Solving 43 4.1.8 Suggestion to improve the role of Social Enterprise 45 Challenges 46 External challenges 46 4.2 4.2.1 4.2.2 Internal challenges 4.3 48 Opportunities 49 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 5.1 52 Summary and Conclusion 5.2 Recommendations toward improving the role of social enterprises in rural community development in Myanmar 52 agricultural and 53 5.2.1 Recommendation for SEs…………………………………………………………… 53 5.2.2 Recommendation for government…………………………………………………….54 5.2.3 Recommendation for Business and INGO……………………………………………55 5.3 Recommendations for further research 57 References: 58 APPENDIX: INTERVIEW GUIDE 62 v List of Interviewees………………………………………………………………………………65 v i LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Data of smallholder farmers in Myanmar Source: 2014 Myanmar Census…………3 Table 1.2 Legal framework adopted by SEs………………………………………………………8 Table 1.3 Profile of Proximity Designs Source: Proximity Designs………………………….11 Table 1.4 Profile of Taungthutada Source: Taungthutada……………………………… 13 Table 4.1 Total youth and women employed in Kayah Chili farming Source: TTTD .36 Table 4.2 Total farmers have been introduced with new technology (farmer meeting, demonstration event, other activities) (Source: TTTD) 36 Table 4.3 Total farmers engaged for solar Irrigation service (Source: TTTD) 37 Table 4.4 Total youth and women employed in Kayah Chili farming (Source: TTTD) 37 Table 4.5 Challenges of agricultural social enterprises in Myanmar to play their role 49 Table 4.6 Opportunities of agricultural social enterprises in Myanmar to play their role 51 v ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Conceptual framework of the study 29 v iii