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90% of Cambodia’s cropped area is covered
with rice. To Cambodians ‘rice’ is more than just a grain; it is the basis
of many cultural practices, belief about the organisation of the universe, and
self-identification. National rice self-sufficiency goals are not just national
economic goals, but also a statement about the socio-cultural importance of rice
production.
Cambodia is a special case within the Community IPM program due to its post-conflict circumstances. More than three decades of conflict have devastated infrastructure, both social and physical. The gender balance and age structure of the population has also been severely distorted: the population is skewed towards women (52.6%) and younger age groups (44% under 15 years). The government has little capacity to provide adequate health and education services. And while 85% of the population depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, it is classed as 'low productivity' as a result of poor soils, dependence on rain and lack of infrastructure. Agricultural extension services have been limited or absent.
Cambodia is inundated by pesticides from its neighbours Vietnam and Thailand. Most of the pesticides that eventually get into the hands of farmers are categorised by WHO as 1a. These are extremely hazardous to human health. Folidol is one of the most popular pesticides on the market even though it is formally banned in Cambodia and contains the highly toxic chemical methyl parathion, which kills a wide range of organisms not just pests. These pesticides are:
 | Poisoning farmers and their families |
| Adversely effecting the bio-diversity of an otherwise healthy agro-ecosystem |
| Creating pest resurgence |
| Creating a dependency on external inputs |
In light of these of these problems, the Royal Government of Cambodia, with help from the FAO, initiated an IPM programme in 1993. This programme now has the capacity to implement a large number of IPM Farmer Field Schools (FFSs), funded by a range of donors like DANIDA, World Bank, UNDP, AusAID, EU and other NGOs. The national IPM Programme of the MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) has been coordinating these activities. The results have been very successful:
| 30,000 farmers have attended rice IPM FFSs, of which, over 10,000 have been female farmers |
| In at least 6 provinces, IPM farmers have grouped together to carry out field studies and experiments to further improve their understanding of production constraints |
| 330 IPM farmers have also completed additional training as trainers themselves (farmer trainers), and are now organising FFSs in their own areas |
Many of the participants of FFSs are young farmers and a significant proportion - up to 50% in some areas, but more usually 20-30% - are women. The formation of farmers' groups in many locations is an indication that these farmers consider the benefits of IPM to be tangible and worth building upon.
While the initial emphasis of the IPM programme in Cambodia has been rice, IPM is relevant to all crops. IPM training activities and FFSs have started for vegetable farmers, and it is hoped that other crops, like fruit, will be included in the programme in the future. Vegetable Field Schools are now a part of the National IPM Programme.
| 2500 farmers (half have been female) have been trained |
| 250 trainers have attended vegetable IPM trainer courses. |
There was also a great urgency to do Vegetable IPM, as increasing evidence has emerged of widespread uninformed use of highly toxic pesticides in vegetable production. The high frequency of spraying - up to 20 times a season in some cases - has serious implications for farmers' health and the environment. Consumers are also at risk as in some cases vegetables are sprayed just before harvesting, thus reaching the marketplace soaked with chemicals.
IPM in Cambodia is also developing training approaches and activities for farmers who are often neglected in development programs.
Women: Among the farming population, over 65% are women. Women play essential roles in crop cultivation and decision- making as a result of the civil war leaving many households headed by women. The severely depleted agricultural labour force has left many women with the responsibility of farming as well as household management.
The Cambodian IPM programme has taken steps to target woman and increase their involvement in the FFSs and as trainers.
Handicapped Farmers: The war and a poor health system has resulted in a large number of farmers who suffer disabilities. The IPM program with assistance from the NGO, Handicap International, has taken steps to include farmers marginalised by injury or
disability in the IPM training. Some of them have gone on to become farmer trainers.
Refugees/Displaced people: Almost the whole population was displaced during the civil war as people were sent out of cities to the collectivised farms in the hope of forming a classless, agrarian society. This has left many farmers and families without land and few land rights. Under these circumstances, IPM field schools can play a role in assisting farming communities to organise the use of available agricultural resources.
IPM in Schools: In light of the extremely young population in Cambodia, and the importance of rice, World Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education runs IPM for school children. IPM is now in the schoolbooks and curriculum of rural schools. (See Fact Sheet: Ecological Literacy in Rural Schools)
As 100% of the population rely on rice for survival, farmers' skills become crucial for the survival of the country, its people and its culture. Cambodians have lived through many hardships, including wars and natural calamities. Now they face a new threat to their way of life: HIV/AIDS.
Up until 1991, Cambodia's isolation as a result of war had left it untouched by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Route 5, linking Thailand, through Cambodia, to Vietnam, is opening Cambodia to the outside world. By 1999 there were 250,000 reported cases and an estimated growth of nearly 4%
annually among
the 15-49 year old age group. Route 5 forms the perfect conduit for the spread of HIV into poor communities. The IPM training approach prepares the ground for the farmers to take an active role in HIV prevention. IPM brings new ways to spread knowledge about HIV in rural areas; ways that respect existing knowledge, local networks and the strengths of the farmers' own life experiences.
The innovative pilot project uses 'Farmer Life Schools' (FLS) to assist farmers in recognising and analysing the inter-related elements in their lives, in much the same was as they apply their mastery of ecological concepts to their fields. They examine problems that threaten their livelihoods, weigh available options and make decisions about what actions they should take. Issues addressed in FLSs range from poverty, loss of land, occupational health associated with pesticide use, family planning, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, school attendance, to specific health problems concerned with diseases such as malaria, dengue and HIV/AIDS. It creates opportunities for farmers to take charge of their futures, rather than waiting passively for help from outsiders once a threat has arrived.
The core process within FLSs is the linking of ecology, group organization and student centered learning applied through what is termed 'Human Ecosystem Analysis'. The HESA involves groups of farmers investigating various threats to their lives, in the same way that pests are looked at in their fields.
FLSs are being organised and run, not by outsiders, but by IPM farmers themselves.
Website of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS: http://www.unaids.org/
UNDP South East Asia HIV and Development Project http://www.hivundp.apdip.net/old/sea.htm
'Local Heroes': Farmers and IPM in Cambodia, produced by the FAO IPM Rice and Vegetable Programme, Cambodia. Available on request in DVD and VHS format.
Sitha, M, and Sodavy, P, Murphy, H, Nugent, R, , Farmers' Awareness and Perceptions of the Effect of Pesticides on their Health (in Cambodia), FAO Field Document, April 2000. (Click on the title to download this document)
Yech Polo at 'Srer Khmer' (NGO)
E-mail: ipm.cambodia@bigpond.com.kh