Shan State Farmers Network has been actively operating in Nam Kham northern Shan State since 2010. We are a community-centered non-governmental organization dedicated to advocating for the safeguarding of both the environment and human rights.
Our core commitment lies in standing united with local communities and offering them support. We address the challenges posed by large-scale projects that detrimentally affect farmers and the environment, such as dam construction and coal mining. Our focus extends to providing assistance to indigenous populations negatively impacted by mining and highway development.
Our overarching goals are as follows:
- To enable local residents to cultivate their own lands without constraints.
- To facilitate unhindered trading opportunities.
- To uphold the rights of ethnic communities residing in Shan State as the original custodians, bestowing them with the authority to manage and make decisions pertaining to the natural resources within Shan State.
We employ a range of activities to achieve these aims. These include organizing press conferences, conducting capacity-building workshops, facilitating prayer gatherings, offering training to enhance the skills of local inhabitants, aiding in the coordination of local events, spreading awareness about the prevailing political landscape, and disseminating information through published reports and video recordings. Additionally, we foster interfaith connections and engage in collaborative endeavors with civil society organizations that center on ethnicity, all with the intention of fostering harmonious coexistence among diverse ethnic groups.