Assessment on land use changes and livelihood transition under the hydropower dam construction in Paunglaung Township, Southern Shan Highlands, Myanmar

Abstract

We examined agricultural land use changes and their impacts on the local livelihoods of upstream farmers after the Paunglaung hydropower dam construction in Myanmar. Landsat and GeoEye images, acquired in 2011 and 2018, were used to detect agricultural land use changes. A marked decrease in agricultural land (5.77% of farmland and 9.64% of swidden) was observed, whereas orchards and plantations were introduced as new farming practices. Using the household survey, the income strategies were categorized by different wealth groups, and the socioeconomic condition was compared among the groups. We also compared the annual household income before and after dam construction. A significant change in income strategies after the dam construction were observed in low‐income households, but not in medium and high‐income households. Local people engaged in diversified livelihood strategies after the dam construction, mainly in relocated villages. Besides, farmland lost due to dam construction caused the significant insufficiency of rice self‐consumption and consequently resulted in greater dependency on the market of rice and their products. This study highlighted land use changes due to dam construction and its impacts on the livelihood of local farmers, contributing to planning the land use and livelihood strategies for affected farmers to ensure their livelihood security.

The Analisis Perubahan Tutupan Lahan Pertanian dan Perkebunan di Bendungan Gondang, Kabupaten Karanganyar menggunakan Google Earth

“…Pembangunan infrastruktur merupakan salah satu indikator pertumbuhan ekonomi yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan laju pengembangan wilayah dan memberi dampak bagi kehidupan masyarakat yang ditunjukan dengan membangun sarana dan prasarana (Ihsan, 2021;Ridayani et al, 2023;Wildan Pratama, 2023). terhadap banjir, hingga sebagai sarana pariwisata (Woldemichael et al, 2012;Bonansea et al, 2021;Shrestha et al, 2021;Handayani & Wibowo, 2023; Dibalik berbagai kebermanfaatan dari pembangunan waduk dan bendungan membawa implikasi terhadap aspek sosial ekonomi yang ditunjukan dengan penurunan produksi hasil pertanian dan hilangnya mata pencaharian petani, kerusakan lingkungan seperti degradasi lahan, hingga perubahan tutupan lahan atau alih fungsi lahan (Woldemichael et al, 2012;Wiejaczka et al, 2017;Fitriatul 'ulya et al, 2023;Lucchetta et al, 2023;Swe et al,2023;Sang et al, 2023). Hasil penelitian terdahulu yang dilakukan oleh…”