Solar Power and Regenerative Agriculture in Burma

Earlier this year, we were invited to travel to Tachileik, which is the principal city in the Golden Triangle. We were both excited and a little daunted by the prospect, as opium production and ethnic strife are both still alive and well in that infamous area. Indeed, we had to fly there, as crossing eastern Shan State overland is still not possible for foreigners, because the journey involves passing through conflict areas.

            However, we arrived safely and we got a warm-hearted welcome from our host community – the Akha people. In eastern Shan State, they comprise a significant minority and with larger groupings in China, Laos and Thailand they represent one of larger and more dispersed minorities in the region. I had promised to give a solar training back in 2014, but life got in the way, and thus I was doubly happy to be able to eventually visit the fabled Golden Triangle, and fulfill an outstanding commitment.

            The training was held about 45 minutes by car outside the city, in an area of paddy fields and rubber tree plantations. We had an enthusiastic group waiting for us composed of both Akha and Lahu people, two related groups that often intermarry. The training site was quite special, being a 100-acre community farm, picturesquely situated on a rise, with a commanding view of the surrounding fields. Most of the 30 participants were from the two adjacent villages, but some had come from the Kyiang Tung area, about four hours away, and some actually had to drive their motorcycles for over an hour each day to make it on time.

            Most participants already lived with solar systems, so they were interested in a more in-depth course and I adjusted the topics to align with that. As usual, I came up against some deeply held, but erroneous, notions about solar, and batteries in particular. The group politely listened as I shot down their mistaken beliefs, one by one. In a sense, homeowners in Myanmar have had to learn about solar systems by themselves, since the equipment vendors know very little about the products they sell. Thus, a “folk wisdom” has evolved regarding batteries, that is often misguided. Nowadays in Myanmar, the quality of solar products is gradually improving, prices are falling and warranties are even being offered on certain brands of solar panels. So I have great hope that in the near future, new battery technology and improved solar electronics will come to Myanmar, but that will require government participation, regarding equipment standards and importation control.

            During the last two days of training, we showed the class how to make Biochar and how to inoculate it, by adding it to a Hot Compost pile. This is a new area of activity for us and we were passing on experience that we ourselves had only recently gained, by experimenting at home in Pyin Oo Lwin. I’ll leave it for another report to go into the technicalities of Biochar, but suffice to say here that is used as a soil additive to foster microbial life, increase water retention and remove carbon from the atmosphere by sequestering it in the soil. We first pyrolysed short sections of wood and bamboo in a shallow pit, that was constructed so that the flame on top excluded oxygen from the material being heated below. The process is much like the traditional way of making charcoal, but with Biochar, one is aiming for higher temperatures and more control over the pyrolization process. The participants were very excited about learning this new technique that can bring increased fertility to their soils.

            Another first for Solar Roots at this training was the presence of a writer friend of mine from Chiang Mai, Thailand, who had offered to write an article on our work, and try to place it in a magazine. My friend, Ron Emmons, joined us for 3 out of the 6 days of training, where he shot hundreds of photos and interviewed many of the participants. Please click on the link below to see the article, which appeared in the magazine Frontier, published in Yangon.

            Thank you for your ongoing support of Solar Roots and if our work inspires you, please consider making another donation to further our program.

Thank you,

Bruce Gardiner

Links:

• Solar Roots article in Frontier magazine