Part of Burma’s breadbasket in the country’s center is fast deteriorating and the area may face greater food insecurity without immediate action, local NGOs are warning.

“If we [wait], it will be too late and too hard to rehabilitate,” said Aung Myint, general-secretary of the Renewable Energy Association Myanmar, which calls on residents in the dry zone to work with agencies to boost tree planting, soil conservation and water management.

Read more: Asia Sentinel