Norwegian Peoples Aid - Cambodia
Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and the National IPM Program of
the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have joined forces to
improve the living circumstances of resettled refugees in the Northwest of Cambodia.
Technical support for these efforts is being provided by the FAO Programme for Community
IPM in Asia.
In the north-west province of Banteay Meanchey, NPA is
focusing on different community development issues concerning the resettlement of refugees
and their newly established villages. The province was once one of the most productive in
Cambodia, but years of conflict have decimated the rural infrastructure and society. The activities of the NPA programme include: mine
clearance, renovation of roads, ponds and wells, establishment of clinics, health services
and community banks, the formation of Village Development Committees, and agricultural
training. Together, these activities help to
create a sustainable livelihood for the families which are being resettled.
Most of these
families were once farmers, but for some years they have had a poor hand-to-mouth
existence, making a living - for example - as push-cart couriers in border towns. Now that
they own some land again they are eager to grow rice, or vegetables in their backyard
garden.
IPM training will give them the opportunity to grow their
crops without dependence on expensive inputs. Their skills in using inputs in the most
efficient manner will be enhanced once they discover the rice/vegetable ecosystem and the
interaction of the ecosystem components during the Farmer Field Schools.
Both NPA and the FAO IPM Programme see human resource
development as the keystone to their program. Farmers who become expert organizers,
researchers and/or trainers will be able to help their community grow in many directions. IPM training motivates farmers to accept shared
responsibility and carry out experiments; these are values and skills which can be applied
in a wide range of situations, not just in agriculture.
For this strategy to
work, Cambodian provincial IPM teams and NPA staff members
