Agriculture supports an estimated 70% of Cambodia's labour force, with increases in productivity having the potential to reduce poverty among the 56% of the rural population living below the poverty line. Crop diversification beyond rice is increasing productivity, partly in response to demand from Thailand. The relative inexperience of Cambodian farmers in growing new crops, especially maize, does present challenges, for example in declining soil fertility. Appropriate agricultural management techniques and technologies will alleviate this decline, but must be delivered with appropriate socio-economic considerations that cater for the whole-of-value chain, from farms to postharvest management. A sustainable model for maize, and farmer-ready technological packages will be developed and delivered to farmers through participatory methods that address relevant social and economic factors, across the whole value chain. In Australia the approach will be adapted to address conservation farming practices and their adoption in north-western NSW.
Links:
[1] http://www.aciar.gov.au/country/Cambodia
[2] http://www.aciar.gov.au/programarea/Agricultural Systems Management