Super Pearl Fish Amino Acid Fertilizer

Impact Highlights

11,361

Farmers adopting in year one

15–20%

Net farm income gain

$46/acre

Net income increase

Summary

Practice snapshot

Practice

Fish amino acid (FAA)–based liquid fertilizer, sold under the brand name Super Pearl.

Implemention Organization

Proximity Designs

Geography

Myanmar

Crops / Value Chain

Grains & Cereals

Horticulture Crops

Legumes & Pulses

Other Crop

Adoption & outcomes

Farmers Adoption

11,361

over Super Pearl’s first year on the market

Core Outcomes

Increased Farmer Income

Land Tenure

Super Pearl is adopted by both landowners and renters.

Gender Participation

Not tracked as a formal metric, but Proximity Designs reports a growing share of women at farmer meetings and roadshows, a shift it links to the current geopolitical context in Myanmar.

Date Submitted

September 2026

How to Adopt

Secure a local supply first

Line up a fermented FAA source — an existing supplier, or fish waste fermented with molasses in vats — before any farmer-facing promotion begins.

Pilot with early-adopter farmers

Run field trials with 30–50 farmers over a season, tracking yields and gathering feedback.

Launch through in-person roadshows

Send field staff to village meetings to introduce the product, demonstrate dilution, and explain the cost-benefit case.

Reinforce with digital channels

Support the launch with short-form video (e.g., TikTok) and an always-on chatbot for ongoing questions.

Hand off to local dealers

Once demand stabilizes, shift repeat sales to a trusted network of local agricultural dealers to lower cost-to-serve.

Let word of mouth compound adoption

Support early "expert" farmers who are willing to be visible about their results in their villages.

Key Takeaways

Recommendations

Get the product into dealers' hands before promoting it — nothing kills trust faster than a customer who can't find what they were told about.
Build trust through visible early proof: run field trials with 30–50 farmers per season, and let farmers who see results become informal local "experts."
Lead with the season-one cost-benefit math versus the synthetic fertilizer farmers already use.
Layer distribution over time: use direct field staff and roadshows to launch a new product, then hand off repeat sales to a local dealer network once demand is established.
Choose a practice built on a locally available, low-tech input (here, fish waste and molasses) so nascent local suppliers can meet demand without heavy capital investment.

Pitfalls to avoid

Promoting a product before its supply chain can reliably deliver it.
Underestimating how long a fermentation-based supply chain takes to mature — cottage suppliers here need a minimum of four months to reach consistent quality at scale.
Ignoring the pull of dealer credit from established synthetic-fertilizer companies, which slows adoption of new bio-inputs.
Assuming year-round demand for a foliar or topical bio-input — uptake can drop sharply during rainy seasons when application windows shrink.
Treating pending product registration as a hard blocker rather than planning routes to market that don't depend on it.

Economics Snapshot

Key financial metrics

Cost to implement

$14.83/ha

based on a $6 cost per acre

Farmer income gain

15–20%

net income gain over baseline (about $46/acre)

Farmer Perspective

“

It is so convenient now that I can easily buy ready-made Super Pearl fish amino acid bio-fertilizer from Proximity. I used to make it myself at home, but the process is not pleasant for me and my neighbours due to its strong odor.

Daw Kyi Kyi Myint, vegetable farmer, Tatkone Township

“

I saw results quickly on my chili after applying Super Pearl. After spraying one season, what I noticed was that the flowering stage came earlier than in other farmers' fields. I have also used ready-made fish amino fertilizers from other brands before. Super Pearl costs me less, and the results are just as good. Input costs keep rising, and it is not easy for us to get out of the debt cycle. Some other products work well, but they cost too much to keep using season after season. We manage our investment carefully so there is still a small profit at the end. That's why I chose Super Pearl.

Daw Thuzar Myint, paddy, chili and gram farmer, Yamethin Township

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The complete, detailed story behind this practice

Full Case Study

Read the full case study

Problem & Baseline

Targeted Agricultural Problem

Proximity Designs developed Super Pearl to give smallholder farmers in Myanmar an affordable, biological alternative for chemical Nitrogen fertilizer. In Myanmar, urea is known as ‘pearl’ in Burmese. Proximity Designs markets its fish amino acid fertilizer as ‘Super Pearl’. Fertilizer prices in Myanmar nearly doubled after the Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupted the country's long, import-dependent supply chains, pushing synthetic inputs out of reach for many smallholders. Proximity Designs reports that the practice addresses farm income, soil health, and supply chain resilience together: a lower-cost input that is also better for the soil and sourced locally rather than imported.

Baseline Farm Conditions and Practices

Myanmar's farm soils carry decades of extractive, synthetic-chemical-driven agriculture. Proximity Designs reports that its farmer customers generally know their soils are degraded—even if they don't know how to restore them. They report spending more each year on fertilizer without seeing any gains in yields. Before Super Pearl, farmers relied on imported synthetic fertilizer, typically known as urea.

Historical System Barriers to Adoption

Proximity Designs reports that an entrenched, well-financed conventional agriculture system was the main barrier: synthetic fertilizer companies extended credit through dealer networks and had little incentive to promote biological alternatives to smallholders. Before Super Pearl, fish amino fertilizer production existed only at a cottage-industry scale in Myanmar, without the scale, quality assurance, or promotion needed to reach a broad farmer base. A market shock (the Strait of Hormuz-driven price spike) created an opening, and an organization willing to act as a market orchestrator—stimulating both supply and demand—filled the gap.

Regen Practice Design & Delivery

Practice Design

Practice Overview and Implementation Method

Super Pearl is a liquid fish amino acid (FAA) concentrate made by fermenting fish waste with molasses over several weeks to months. Farmers dilute the concentrate and apply it to the soil around their crops (Proximity Designs notes it is fine if some also reaches the leaves) using a knapsack sprayer.

Fish waste and molasses are combined in large vats and left to ferment for at least four months.

The fermented liquid is sifted and bottled as a concentrate.

Proximity Designs orders the concentrate in bulk from local suppliers and distributes it through its own logistics team.

Farmers dilute the concentrate: per Proximity Designs' recommendation, 50cc of Super Pearl per 4-gallon spray tank, five tanks per one-time application per acre — one liter of Super Pearl covers four spray applications on one acre.

Farmers apply the diluted mixture to the soil around their crops using a knapsack sprayer.

Required Implementation Resources

Fish waste and molasses (fermentation inputs)
Fermentation vats and basic sifting/bottling equipment
A knapsack sprayer for field application
Labor, both for production at the supplier level and application at the farm level
Unrestricted grant funding to underwrite market orchestration and initial promotion, since local suppliers lack marketing budgets of their own

Practice Delivery

Organizational Role

Proximity Designs acts as a market orchestrator rather than a manufacturer. It is not directly involved in producing Super Pearl — local suppliers ferment and bottle the concentrate. Proximity Designs's role is to guarantee suppliers bulk demand so they can justify scaling production, to set quality standards, and to connect the product to smallholder farmers through its own distribution channels. It orders the product in bulk, brands it domestically as Super Pearl, and distributes it through a network of roughly 250 mom-and-pop agricultural dealers, alongside its own direct field sales team and logistics operation.

Farmer Engagement and Training Strategy

In-person roadshows and village meetings run by direct field staff, used to introduce the product and demonstrate its use
TikTok (previously Facebook) for broad promotion and advertising
"RegenChat," an AI-powered chatbot with roughly 630,000 subscribers, for ongoing product knowledge and support across all of Proximity Designs's regenerative practices
A network of roughly 250 local agricultural dealers for repeat purchases once a product is established
Informal peer-to-peer sharing: farmers who see results often become recognized local "experts," a status Proximity Designs reports is embraced openly in Myanmar's farming culture

Proximity Designs reports that the intensive, in-person phase of engagement (roadshows, direct sales staff) is used mainly to launch a new product, after which repeat business shifts to the cheaper dealer-shop channel once demand is established.

Gender and Social Equity Integration

Gender equity is not described as a formal program design feature, but Proximity Designs reports that women now make up a growing share of attendees at farmer meetings and roadshows, a shift the organization links to the current geopolitical context in Myanmar (men avoiding large public gatherings due to conscription risk). Proximity Designs reports that this shift has also increased women farmers' confidence, particularly when they are managing farms independently.

Enabling Conditions

Key Enabling Conditions

Immediate, convenient market availability of the product — Proximity Designs reports that promoting a product farmers can't easily buy erodes trust right away
An organization able to act as a market orchestrator: working with suppliers, stimulating both supply and demand, setting quality standards, and managing distribution
Unrestricted grant funding, which Proximity Designs credits with letting it operate flexibly, "like a business," rather than being constrained to narrowly defined donor line items
A local, low-cost supply of the core input (fish waste) and simple, low-tech production methods

Land Tenure Dynamics and Impact on Adoption

Not covered. Proximity Designs has not directly assessed farmers’ land tenure status for this practice, or how tenure may influence adoption, willingness to invest, or expected time horizons for returns. However, Proximity Designs expects land tenure to be a relatively limited barrier to adoption. The practice is highly affordable, costing approximately $6 per hectare, and generates an estimated 7x return within a single season. Because the upfront investment is low and farmers can realize benefits within the same cropping cycle, adoption does not depend on long-term land investments.

Results of Intervention

Environmental

Not measured for Super Pearl specifically. For other practices (e.g., no-burn), Proximity Designs tracks soil health via biodiversity, organic matter, and compactness/density, and treats yield as a general proxy for soil fertility, but has not yet applied this measurement to Super Pearl.

Social

Proximity Designs reports 11,361 farmers adopted Super Pearl over its first year on the market. Reported income effects: a $46/acre net income increase versus a synthetic-fertilizer baseline, representing a 15–20% net income gain, and about $230 per farm assuming a 5-acre average farm. Proximity Designs reports income gains persist after the first season. Proximity Designs also reports increased confidence among women farmers attending trainings (see Practice Delivery).

Climate

Super Pearl substitutes for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Proximity Designs sees potential for reduced nitrous oxide emissions as a result, but has not yet calculated this.

Results Timeline

Proximity Designs reports that results are realized within a single ~6-month growing season. Its economic model currently covers one crop, one season, per year; whether gains persist or compound across seasons or crops has not yet been measured.

Outcome Variations

Proximity Designs reports that results are broadly consistent across contexts, which it credits to the practice's broad applicability across crop types, though this has not been independently verified.

Formal Documentation of Outcomes

Not yet for Super Pearl. Proximity Designs' income-gain figures come from internal team modeling, a customer survey, and cost-benefit analysis rather than a formal impact evaluation; a large-sample impact evaluation is planned within the next 12 months (Super Pearl launched September 1, 2025). Proximity Designs points to published academic literature on fish amino acid fertilizer generally, including "Utilization of Fish Waste Extraction as Organic Fertilizer for Crop Growth and Yield Improvement" (https://cjs.sljol.info/articles/10.4038/cjs.v55i1.8729). Proximity Designs has run a formal randomized controlled trial for a different practice (no-burn, with Michigan State University's Department of Agricultural Economics, covering 2,000 farmers), currently in peer review, but has not run an equivalent trial for Super Pearl.

What worked, and what changed

What Worked Well

Regen Practice Implementation Successes

Proximity Designs reports that the simplicity of application was the single biggest factor: farmers dilute a concentrate and apply it, with faster, more visible results than other biological products the organization sells. The main things farmers need to learn are not to over-apply it (it can burn young plants) and not to apply it too late in the growing cycle, since its high nitrogen content pushes foliage growth over flowering and fruiting if timed wrong.

Supply Chain and Systems-Level Successes

Proximity Designs reports that the supply chain required almost no new infrastructure: fish waste and the tradition of processing it were already present locally, so the practice only needed connecting existing pieces — a supplier willing to scale, and Proximity Designs's own dealer and field-sales network — rather than building a new system from scratch.

Primary Drivers of Farmer Adoption

Proximity Designs points to two factors together: fast, visible results within a single season, and the financial shock of synthetic fertilizer prices roughly doubling during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which made a cheaper local alternative immediately attractive.

Effective Operational and Partnership Models

Proximity Designs reports that dealing directly with the suppliers and dealers most exposed to the fertilizer price shock—offering them a viable alternative when they were most motivated to find one—was more effective than a general market approach. It also set up direct order-and-ship arrangements: bulk orders placed with suppliers ahead of demand, and a logistics team shipping product to dealer shops that order and pay on their own terms.

Challenges & Pivots

Implementation Challenges

Not directly addressed for farmer-side implementation beyond the over-application and late-application risks noted under What Worked Well; Proximity Designs' account of challenges centers on its own supply chain and regulatory experience (below).

Programmatic Pivots and Modifications

Proximity Designs shifted Super Pearl sales primarily to its private dealer-shop partners and its own direct-sales channels while the product's formal registration remains pending (see below), rather than waiting on regulatory approval to scale distribution.

Emerging Implementation Barriers

Supply chain: fermenting a good-quality batch takes at least four months, and Proximity Designs's cottage-industry suppliers are still working to produce consistent, high-quality output at the required volumes.
Product registration: Myanmar's government committee that approves product registrations meets only every six months. Proximity Designs was originally told a decision would come in late 2025, but elections and the installation of a new government delayed the process.
Seasonality: Pearl is a foliar/topical application that needs at least two hours of dry weather to avoid being washed away, making it a poor fit for Myanmar's roughly five-month monsoon season. Proximity Designs' sales team continues to promote it during the rainy season but reports limited traction.

Economics & Financing

Implementation Organization Economics

Key financial metrics

Cost Per Hectare

$14.83

Here is the unit cost breakdown for 1 liter (1 bottle) of Super Pearl in local currency: Myanmar kyats. This is also the per acre cost. The market exchange rate per 1 USD = 4,000 kyats.

Entity	Role in Cost Structure	Amount (MMK)	% of Total Cost per acre	% of Selling Price per acre
Supplier	Material Cost (Liquid + Bottles + Sticker)	USD 2.5	79%	56%
Proximity	Overhead Cost (Supply Chain)	USD .68	21%	15%
Total Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)	Cost of goods 1 unit	USD 3.18	100%	71%
Farmer (Purchase Price)	Selling Price (in Direct Channel)	USD 4.50	—	—

Intervention Financing and Capital Structure

Proximity Designs reports funding this work through unrestricted grants, which it says lets it allocate resources flexibly for design, innovation, and market orchestration, rather than through working capital loans or donor funding tied to narrow line items.

Farmer Economics

Net Income Impact and Percentage Gains Over Baseline

Yes. Proximity Designs models a 15–20% net income gain over baseline farm income, based on an average net income increase of $46/acre versus a synthetic-fertilizer baseline.

Drivers and Realization Timeline of Farmer Income Gains

Proximity Designs models the gain by comparing an average farm using Super Pearl against the same farm under real (non-adopting) practice, across three crop types (sesame, groundnut, and grams): the model combines the bio-product's cost and labor to apply, savings from a 100% reduction in synthetic foliar fertilizer, and a modeled yield gain (+12.5% in the sesame model). Gains are realized within a single ~6-month season; most farmers apply the practice over about 5 acres, for a modeled total gain of about $230/farm per season.

Price Premiums, Yield Increases and/or Input Cost Reductions

Reduced input costs, not higher sale prices: the gain comes from replacing synthetic foliar fertilizer entirely, not from a price premium on the harvest.

Reasons for Absence of Farmer Income Gains

Not applicable — Proximity Designs reports farmers see income gains under its model (see above).

Scalability & Replicability

Enabling Conditions for Smallholder Scaling

A farmer-facing organization with existing trust among smallholders, operating at meaningful scale
Experience and capability orchestrating markets and supply chains: stimulating supplier capacity, setting quality standards, and managing distribution and logistics
Local suppliers willing and able to scale production to meet demand
Immediate, consistent product availability through retail channels
A multi-channel promotion and distribution model (direct sales, digital, dealer network)

Scaling Constraints

Proximity Designs reports that supplier production capacity is the binding constraint: the organization can typically ramp up demand faster than its cottage-industry suppliers can ramp up supply, so orders are set to each supplier's maximum capacity rather than to farmer demand.

Scaling Partnerships

Local suppliers capable of meeting volume and quality requirements
A dealer network aligned with a shift toward regenerative/bio-input practices
An orchestrating organization (like Proximity Designs) that can provide market orchestration, demand generation, and supply chain support

Key Risks

Primary Implementation Risks

Supply chain instability, though Proximity Designs notes that sourcing locally (versus importing synthetic fertilizer) reduces this risk relative to the conventional alternative
Loss of farmer trust if supply is inconsistent or results fall short of what was promised
Resistance from incumbent industrial agriculture players, who may work to defend existing dealer-credit relationships
The high cost of rigorous, independent evidence (e.g. randomized controlled trials), which can limit organizations' ability to verify outcomes for every practice they promote

Data Gaps and Information Limitations

A formal impact evaluation specific to Super Pearl (planned within the next 12 months); environmental outcome data (soil health, biodiversity) specific to this practice; whether income gains persist or compound beyond a single season; and a cost-per-hectare figure for Proximity Designs' own implementation costs.

Priorities for Testing and Validation for Replication

Proximity Designs suggests validating supplier production capacity and lead time (fermentation alone takes a minimum of four months) before committing to a launch timeline, and testing local regulatory requirements early given how slow Myanmar's registration process has been.

Farmer Perspective

“

I learned regenerative practices from Proximity's AI-powered digital extension, RegenChat. One of them was how to make fish amino at home. I tried it for my chili farm, but it was hard to keep up with. I'm busy with other farm work, and preparing it takes time. When Proximity launched Super Pearl ready-made fish amino-based fertilizer, my brother applied it first. His field was more resilient to pests and diseases compared to other nearby fields. He encouraged other neighbors and me to try it, and I applied it straight away. My chili plants were greener and had much less pest and disease pressure than the year before, which saved me 33 percent of pesticide costs, about US$46 per acre. At first, there were only three to four of us using it, including my brother. Now half the farmers in the village do, because they can see the results in our fields.

Daw Khin Mar Htay, paddy and chili farmer, Pyawbwe Township

“

Daw Khin Mar Htay, paddy and chili farmer, Pyawbwe Township

“

Daw Khin Mar Htay, paddy and chili farmer, Pyawbwe Township

All three farmers describe continuing and recommending the practice rather than discontinuing it. Daw Khin Mar Htay's account in particular describes the practice spreading from a single early adopter (her brother) to roughly half the farmers in her village.

Resources & Media

Utilization of Fish Waste Extraction as Organic Fertilizer for Crop Growth and Yield Improvement: A Review

PDF · Ceylon Journal of Science · Vol. 55, Issue 1

Download PDF

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