Ko Aung Cho has been farming for 30 years. Only three of those years changed his life (Ep.5 MyoeSae)

Episode 5: Ko Aung Cho When Ko Aung Cho’s friends asked him if he’d discovered treasure buried beneath his land, he knew his newfound success was obvious for all to see. A resident of Pin Lon village in Myanmar, 40-year-old Ko Aung Cho has been farming for 30 years. But only three of those years have involved using the new farming techniques that have transformed his operations--and his life. “I used traditional methods and didn’t get much profit regardless of how hard I worked”, Ko Aung Cho says.”I could barely survive.” Now that he’s learned proven techniques from East-West Seed’s Knowledge-Transfer program, his life has been transformed. “I’m able to extend my work and get a good income so now my family can have enough. I’ve even built my own house.” Ko Aung Cho first met EWS when they came to his village to share growing advice. “I asked to meet Ko Zin and from him, I learned new techniques for growing crops. After that, I was able to grow crops systematically.” Before that, Ko Aung Cho says, he had no idea about growing plants from seeds, but now he even knows how to select the best soil in which to grow the seedlings. He can also choose the best seeds, knows when and how to transplant, and understands how to take care of the crops, including when and how to add fertiliser and pesticides--knowledge, he says, “that has brought me many benefits.” Ko Aung Cho advocates strongly for EWS to continue with their mission to help smallholder farmers. He was sad when the Knowledge-Transfer course he was attending finished because he felt his education was still at a basic level. “I want to join future courses because I need to learn many things. I want to learn everything I don’t know about farming.” He also wants to help other farmers who don’t yet know about the new farming techniques that have changed his life. When his friends asked him if he’d discovered treasure under his house, he replied: “I told them it was just that I took the right path and that I’ve found my profession and a new way of farming.” The treasure, it seems, was in the land all along, and the newfound knowledge was its alchemy.