In January 2016, ALARM provided financial and technical supports to a student, who is doing a master’s degree at the Asian Institute of Technology to conduct her research on the gender impacts of rubber plantation in Lashio township, the Norther Shan State. The objectives of the research are to study the impacts of rubber plantations on local livelihoods, the effects of livelihood changes on the gender roles within household and to identify the policy gaps for foreign investments and rural development.

The household survey for 228 respondents from five villages namely Naung Mo, Kaung-lin,Maine Paine, Mine Par and Ho Li were conducted and the mixed methods including in depth interview and key informant interviews, focus group discussion were used for this study. Generally, it was found that the proliferation of rubber plantations has diversified income sources resulting in increased household cash income in both areas. However, many local people now eat less, because they have lost access to forest resources and upland plots.

They now rely more on cash crops, which require considerable investments. Farmers use wage labor and migration as a coping strategy. More men than women (nearly twice the number of women) are migrating, leading to labor shortage in households and increased de-facto female-headed households. More women are taking up daily wage jobs near their villages and have to bear an increased burden, managing both productive and reproductive activities. However, they are also now more visible in decision-making although less visible than men because cultural practices still dictate authority within households. Women are also unhappier because of the diminished access to food, loss of land, and greater workload following the increase in rubber plantations.