EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "The Government of the Union of Myanmar (GOUM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly conducted the 2010 Opium Survey in Myanmar. Through satellite imagery and village and field surveys, information was gathered to determine the extent of opium poppy cultivation and production, as well as the socio-economic status of farmers. While current levels of opium cultivation remain below the alarming levels of the mid-90s and increases measured in the last three years are still modest, there are two worrying changes: farmers? incomes remain distressingly low and food security has worsened. Given the high price of opium in Myanmar, this situation makes the growing of opium more attractive. In fact, as a proportion of total income, opium income has increased among opium growing farmers. Between 2003 and 2009, the income generated by opium had a diminishing impact on opium-growing farmers? total cash income (i.e. the proportion of their income that came from opium fell from 70% to about 20%). In 2010, this trend reversed. Opium poppy is now by far the most lucrative crop for farmers that illicitly cultivate it. With the cultivation of one hectare of opium earning 6.5 times more than that earned from rice cultivation in low lands, and 13 times more than rice cultivated in uplands, the income proportion from opium increased to more than 43%. This makes it difficult to convince farmers to abandon opium and switch to other crops. Nonetheless, this survey provides important information to target alternative livelihood programmes and identifies what crops farmers would be willing to cultivate instead of opium. Opium farmers in Myanmar remain poorer than non-opium farmers. The great majority of farmers who cultivate opium do so to buy food. For them, opium cultivation remains a subsistence exercise. Tellingly, many farmers who stopped cultivating opium, had to purchase food on credit or borrow food and rely on relatives and friends. The pattern of opium poppy cultivation is also changing: some areas became opium-free while others increased their level of cultivation. In South Shan State, farmers introduced new practices such as multi-cropping. Generally, opium fields moved further away from villages and, in certain regions, were subject to eradication. In addition, cultivation shifted to areas previously considered opium-free or to climatically less favourable regions. All these considerations, combined with reduced accessibility and the expected change in cropping pattern, influenced the 2010 survey methodology..."