Project final report

Uptake of agricultural technologies and best practices amongst farmers in Battambang and Pailin provinces, Cambodia - Final Report

Date released
22 April 2024
ISBN
978-1-922983-92-3
Publication Code
FR2024-011
Authors

Brian Cook

Overview

The project aimed to address the low farmer uptake of agricultural technologies (FUAT) in Northwest Cambodia and explore a more humanised and supportive model of extension.

The project involved 4 objectives: 

  • Engaging with farmer perceptions and values.
  • Engaging with elites who structure farmer practices.
  • Testing and analysing existing and best cassava farming practices.
  • Developing and measuring the impact of a 'humanised model of extension' on pest and disease management.

The project found that farmers' decision-making was influenced by a concept of ngeay sruol, which means 'enough to live' and reflects a loss and risk aversion attitude. The project also found that a humanised approach to extension involving knowledge exchange, co-design, theatre production, and social network analysis resulted in significant learning, behaviour change, and spillover effects among farmers.

The project has informed the NextGen research, which aims to replicate and expand the analysis of a humanised approach to agricultural extension at a larger scale and with more diverse extension activities.

View the project page