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CAMBODIA / ORGANIC FARMING
STORY: CAMBODIA / ORGANIC FARMING
TRT: 3:59
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: KHMER /NATS
DATELINE: OCTOBER 2017, BAREN LOER VILLAGE, KANDAL PROVINCE, CAMBODIA
1. Various shots, Keo Mrs and Mr Keo picking vegetables in their farm
2. Various shots, Keos preparing and distributing compost
3. Wide shot, Keo farm
4. SOUNDBITE (Khmer) Nov Keo, Farmer:
“Each year, we change from 20 to 21 different vegetable types, change always, cannot grow the same crop because growing the same crop make the soil unfertile and [vegetables] tasteless.”
5. Various shots, PGS inspecting farm
6. Various shots, loading vegetables in truck
7. Pan left, truck leaving
8. SOUNDBITE (Khmer) Nov Keo, Farmer:
“Now I have no more worries about debt due to pesticide expenses, I have paid all since a long time and have been saving money for my new house construction materials and timbers. I also bought insurance for my son to continue his studies, so he can continue my work and reach the goal. My son is also interested in the work.”
9. Various shots, costumers inside Bung Sieng shop
10. Various shots, produce
11. SOUNDBITE (Khmer) Bung Sieng, Local Entrepreneur and PGS Trainer:
“What I have done with farmers about PGS, first I did analyze the location to see whether we could apply PGS, if appropriate for the PGS guidelines. Second, if there weren’t problems with the location, I set up their group. Next, I trained them about PGS and monitored whether they properly recorded, filed enough documents, participated in the quality controls. We also informed relevant stakeholders, so they could join us to control quality, as well as sharing knowledge from one farmer to another and between growers and consumers.”
12. Wide shot, Mrs Keo cooking
13. Close up, pot on fire
14. SOUNDBITE (Khmer) Mrs Keo, Farmer:
“It is better than before that we used only chemicals vegetables, now we eat only our vegetables, so our health is good. Moreover, it is different, one is good taste, while other one is not taste at all and smell pesticide; our vegetables have no smell at all.”
15. Various shots, family eating
Thanks to a programme implemented by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), a Cambodian was able to escape from poverty by growing organic produce in a sustainable way.
In Cambodia, about one third of the population lives below or only slightly above the poverty line and is vulnerable to food system shocks, such as price fluctuation and natural hazards.
About 90 percent of the poor live in rural areas and poverty prevalence is high among households practicing agriculture as the only income generation activity. Many rural households are stuck in debt cycles: they borrow money to be able to send their children to school, to buy farming inputs or for food daily expenditures.
Keo family, who live in Sa Ang District of Kandal Province in Cambodia with their four children, ages ranging from 8 to 16 years old, know how it is to live in a debt cycle. For many years, they grew vegetables the conventional way like most other farmers in the district. Sustainable practices and technology adoption changed the fate of the family in 2014, when they were approached by Bung Sieng, who had just started a small business to facilitate market access for small farmers producing organic vegetables.
Keos did not only stop using chemicals: they changed their practices to follow organic standards, designed rotations and mixed cropping with more than 20 kinds of vegetables on 1,200 m2 of land. Low and fluctuating prices were not the only reason for the couple to change their practices, chemical farming affected their health as well.
In 2016, Bung Sieng, who is also a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) trainer suggested to them to join the PGS.
In PGS, a programme implemented by the FAO, farmers meet on a regular basis to make sure they comply with the organic standards, while improving their farming practices through knowledge sharing. Through PGS, other stakeholders like consumers and local government representatives also participate in guaranteeing the organic practices. Through farm visits, trust is built and values are shared. Consumers are willing to pay more for PGS-certified organic products, as they trust the food they put on their plates has been produced sustainably and free of harmful inputs.
Being part of the PGS initiative offers stable market access to Keo family. The production plan is made jointly by Sieng and the farmers and she sells most of the vegetables in Phnom Penh through her own organic shops and wholesale. She pays farmers a fixed price much higher than the price set by market intermediaries. For example, for Choi Sum, Sieng pays KHR 2 000 - 3 000 (USD 0.50-0.74) per kg, while the others paid only KHR 500 (USD 0.12) per kg.
The livelihood of the Keo family improved significantly since they started selling PGS-certified organic vegetables. They now have an annual income as high as USD 5 600. They were not only able to pay back all their debt, but they can send their children to school and will build a new family home. The nutrition of the family has improved, they can afford all the food they like, but more importantly have plenty of healthy organic vegetables all year round from their own farm.
Their success also influenced their neighbors: the group expanded from 9 to 20 farmers and more are asking to join.
This FAO project was implemented 2015-2017 together with the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (Cambodia). Key partners: IFOAM – Organics International, Asian Development Bank and Earth Net Foundation. Facilitating organizations: Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), Center for Organic Development (COD), Caritas Cambodia and Natural Agriculture Village (NAV)
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