Zaw Min Naing is passionate about making a real difference in Myanmar’s communities. As the Program Director of the Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID), he leads a team dedicated to tackling some of the country’s toughest challenges – whether it’s helping farmers rebuild their livelihoods, supporting ethnic minority groups, or finding ways to protect Myanmar’s natural resources.
MIID is all about sustainable development that actually works for the people it’s meant to help. The organization partners with international donors and local institutions to run projects that focus on rural development, agriculture, environmental conservation, and climate change adaptation.
At its core, MIID believes that real change happens when local people are given the tools and opportunities to shape their own futures.
In this conversation, Zaw shares more about MIID’s work – especially how it’s supporting young people and ethnic communities in Myanmar. This conversation sheds light on what it takes to create lasting change in a rapidly-developing country; and why grassroots, community-led initiatives continue to play an outsize role.
Image courtesy of MIID
What are some of the biggest challenges MIID faces when working in rural and upland regions of Myanmar?
MIID faces several significant challenges when implementing projects in Southern Shan State, the upland region of Myanmar, mainly because of the ongoing instability in these areas.
One of the biggest issues is the displacement of young farmers. Many young farmers have had to leave their communities, affecting agricultural continuity. This has disrupted agricultural activities, reduced the local workforce, and made it harder to engage communities in our projects.
Another challenge is restricted access. Security checkpoints along the routes to project villages make travel slow and unpredictable. Our teams, resources, and even the people benefiting from the projects face delays and restrictions, making project implementation much harder.
And then there’s constant instability. Some project villages experienced security concerns in 2024, creating a challenging environment for both residents and our teams. The risk of violence and displacement forces us to constantly reassess security conditions and adjust our plans.
Despite these obstacles, we remain committed to supporting local communities. We adapt our approaches, strengthen partnerships with local stakeholders, and prioritize safety so that we can keep delivering meaningful change.
Image courtesy of MIID
What are MIID’s priority projects right now? Where are they happening, and what are they aiming to achieve?
Right now, we’re focused on livelihood and agricultural development projects, along with humanitarian response initiatives, all in Southern Shan State.
One of our key projects is “Organic Agriculture for Livelihood Improvement for the Pa-O Ethnic Group in Myanmar (ORGAP-2)”, funded by CISU (Civil Society in Development, Denmark). This project aims to improve local farmers’ position in the agricultural value chain and strengthening the role of women in civil society.
We’re also providing support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable communities through agricultural in-kind distribution.
This humanitarian intervention helps IDPs in conflict-affected areas regain food security and self-sufficiency by providing access to essential agricultural inputs, enabling them to cultivate available land, produce food, and generate income.
Image courtesy of MIID
MIID takes a bottom-up approach to development. How do you ensure that communities are truly involved in shaping the projects that affect them?
MIID ensures active community involvement in shaping projects through a bottom-up approach that prioritizes local participation, ownership, and decision-making.
First, we start with community-led needs assessments. Before we launch any project, we conduct participatory needs assessments to understand their priorities, challenges, and aspirations. This ensures that whatever we implement is actually useful to them.
Then, we focus on inclusive stakeholder engagement. Farmers, women’s groups, local leaders, and civil society organizations all have a say in how projects are planned and executed. This makes sure that everyone’s voice is heard and that they feel ownership over the work being done.
Capacity building is another big part of our approach. Through initiatives like ORGAP-2, we help farmers take a stronger role in the local agricultural value chain and empower women to become leaders in their communities.
In all our projects, we encourage community members to take part in key decisions, ensuring that projects reflect their priorities.
Finally, we’re constantly adapting and responding. By maintaining close communication with the people we serve, we adjust our strategies based on feedback. This ensures that our projects remain relevant and effective over time – ultimately fostering stronger, self-reliant communities.
Image courtesy of MIID
What role do local and national institutions play in scaling up the outcomes of your projects?
Given the current political context, MIID primarily collaborates with local institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), agricultural cooperatives, and community-based networks like the Village Extension Officers (VEO) Group to ensure sustainability and direct community impact.
Local institutions are key to making sure our work has a lasting impact. For example, VEOs help spread knowledge about organic farming, value chain development, and sustainable agriculture. Farmers’ associations and women’s groups strengthen peer-to-peer learning, ensuring that best practices continue long after the project officially ends.
By embedding our projects within these local structures, we’re creating long-term sustainability. This way, communities can reap the rewards from improved agricultural techniques, better market access, and stronger food security.
What are MIID’s proudest success stories? Have communities been able to sustain any projects beyond MIID’s involvement?
One of our proudest success stories is the establishment of community-managed seed banks for ginger, turmeric, and garlic.
These seed banks, set up with donor support over the past decade, were designed to improve farmers’ access to high-quality seeds, improve post-harvest management, and strengthen local agricultural value chains.
Even after the projects officially ended, the communities continued to run and maintain these seed banks on their own. Farmers now have a reliable seed supply for future planting, which means they don’t have to depend on expensive external suppliers. This has helped them cut costs, improve productivity, and become more resilient to market fluctuations.
This project highlights the long-term impact of MIID’s interventions, where local communities have taken ownership and integrated the initiative into their traditional farming systems. It’s a perfect example of how MIID’s work gives communities the tools to sustain themselves in the long run.
Image courtesy of MIID
What lessons from MIID’s projects could be applied to other rural development initiatives in Myanmar and beyond?
A big lesson from our work is the power of community-driven financial empowerment, particularly through Women’s Savings Groups (WSGs).
Over the past five years, we’ve set up WSGs at the village level, each with 15 to 30 members. At the start, we provided financial literacy training, covering savings management, monthly contributions, and interest calculations. This enabled women to take control of their finances, build collective savings, and access small loans to support household and livelihood needs.
Now, more than 25 WSGs are running independently. These groups have evolved into self-sustaining financial networks, where experienced members share their knowledge and best practices with newly formed WSGs, expanding the model organically.
With initial training, community ownership, and peer-to-peer learning, financial inclusion efforts can continue thriving long after the initial project timeline finishes. This model can help guide other rural development initiatives aiming to enhance economic resilience, women’s empowerment, and local financial sustainability in resource-limited settings.
Which MIID projects are involved in the tourism industry, or help improve capacity for those involved in tourism?
While we don’t work directly in tourism, we’ve supported sustainable tourism and environmental conservation efforts—especially around Inle Lake, a major tourist destination.
One notable initiative there is the Young Lake Ambassadors Program, launched in 2019 with support from the Royal Embassy of Norway and UNDP. This program trained young people from different ethnic backgrounds to tackle critical environmental challenges affecting Inle Lake – developing a network of passionate young residents who actively promoted sustainable and participatory development in the region.
These Young Ambassadors worked alongside respected community members to raise awareness about the lake’s ecological decline and promote sustainable practices. Their outreach campaigns engaged local communities and visitors alike, encouraging responsible tourism and conservation efforts.
By raising awareness and engaging communities in conservation efforts, the program contributed to responsible tourism practices, ensuring that both local residents and visitors play a role in preserving Inle Lake’s unique environment.
Image courtesy of MIID
Looking ahead, what are MIID’s priorities and key focus areas for the next five years?
Looking ahead, MIID will continue to focus on sustainable livelihoods, agricultural development, humanitarian assistance, and environmental conservation to support vulnerable communities in Myanmar.
One of the top priorities is strengthening food security and self-sufficiency for internally displaced persons IDPs and rural communities by expanding access to agricultural inputs, climate-smart farming techniques, and value chain development.
MIID will also enhance women’s empowerment and financial inclusion by scaling up Women’s Savings Groups (WSGs), and providing capacity-building programs to improve economic resilience.
Additionally, MIID aims to deepen its humanitarian response efforts: addressing the urgent needs of conflict-affected populations through livelihood restoration, cash-for-work programs, and in-kind agricultural assistance.
Another key area of focus is climate resilience and natural resource management, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas such as Inle Lake, where conservation efforts will promote sustainable agriculture and responsible tourism. MIID will also invest in youth leadership development through initiatives like the Young Lake Ambassadors Programme, encouraging active community participation in environmental conservation.
Furthermore, MIID will strengthen regional partnerships by working closely with organizations and agencies in agriculture, tourism, and environmental conservation, to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.
MIID will continue to operate through bottom-up, community-led approaches that empower local stakeholders to drive their own development.
Over the next five years, we will follow through on our commitment to enhancing livelihoods, fostering resilience, and promoting inclusive, community-driven development in collaboration with other partner organizations across the Mekong region.
