Workshop on Drip Irrigation

Today on 10 October 2008, I have participated in the workshop on Drip Irrigation in Phnom Penh. The workshop organized by IDE with 40 participants from different 25 NGOs. The agenda is presented as follows:

-Summary of drip irrigation pilot project
-Result of drip irrigation trial
-Supplay chain and partnership strategies
-Presentation of experienced drip farmers
-Open discussion and feedback

In summary, based on the information i got from the workshop, i could learn that:

-The yield of vegetable which adopted drip irrigation is higher than non-drip irrigation, but i could see that it is not quite different. Additionally, I could learn that it save 50% of water comparing to traditional practice, so it is good if we introduce drip irrigation in the dry season. Farmers will be able to prolong their cropping season and it is a profitable time.

-IDE has some cooperating farmers who have already adopted drip irrigation technique so that it is available if we would like to organize the field visit to see the experienced farmers.

-In the concept of CEDAC, we can introduce the idea of drip irrigation to farmers, but we will not introduce chemical fertilize as IDE has been doing. The liquid compost and solid compost will be trained in stead of promoting chemical fertilizer.

-The price of one set of drip irrigation is about 50$, so it may be expensive to the poorest families, but the medium farmers are probably possible if they really want to try. I have noticed that drip irrigation is suitable for fruit crops, but not leaf crops.

Coordinating Team Meeting of Field Program

22-24 September 2008, CEDAC has organized a monthly coordinating team meeting of field program (FNP) with the participation of 20 staff, among them 3 are women, the meeting venue was held at the office of ILFARM-Kagn Chreach in the provincial town of Prey Veng. The purpose of the meeting was to share the progress of the development projects have been implementing by FNP, preparation of specific action plan for the next month, and consultation on cooperation among the relevant projects of FNP and other CEDAC’s components such as CILD and CC, etc.

Definitely, the field visit was included in the meeting program, totally 5 farmers in Baphnom district were met and interviewed in term of livelihood impact after cooperation with CEDAC’s projects, the interviewees are included 2 people living with HIV/AIDS in Prey Phdao village of Sdao Koang commune, 2 women farmers of vegetable farmer producer group in Tuol Phpuos village, Chheu Kach commune, another one farmer is the seller of the farmer’s community shop in Chheu Kach market.
As the result of the meeting, the participants have learned effectively the practical experience from different development projects belong to FNP and they have discussed actively the strategic approach of SRI extension which included the attention to the participatory action research on System of Rice Intensification (SRI), and the participants have finally discussed on setting up of internal Monitoring and Evaluation for FNP as it is strongly needed.

Field Mission to Ratanakiri province

It is totally 588 km from Phnom Penh to Ratanakiri province on the national road 7 and 13, and this is a part of the road to Ratanakiri province, which situated near the provincial town. Some parts along the road are difficult for traveling, especially in Kon Mom district. It was lucky to see the rainbow while travelling.

We are among the project's staff of ALDI travelling to Taveng and Andong Meas districts of Ratanakiri province, both districts are the project's targeted area. The purpose of our travel was to see the progress of agricultural technical innovations adopted/adapted by the cooperating farmers under the project's extension activities.

Rice transplanting in Kompong Ror district, Svay Rieng province

From 10-12 September 2008, I went to Chantrea and Kompong Ror districts of svay rieng provicne, i observed that there are much raining water in the rice field and farmers are busy for rice transplanting. In this year, farmers in Svay Rieng seemed to be late in transplanting the rice due to have no enough raining water at the beginning of the season. Along the road within the villages of Thnot commune, some farmers asked me to borrow some money because they considered as the MFI staff, they just wanted to borrow some money to spend for the payment of chemical fertilizer and pesticide. It is to note farmers in the area use much chemical pesticide and fertilizer for the rice production, so the production cost is so high and the benefit is less and they confront to disease effected by chemical pesticide to their health and environment contamination.

Sharing what i have learned from the book "Self-Discipline"

Today, on 13 September 2008, i presented what i have learned from a book, named "Self-Discipline" to the other colleagues who work for CEDAC, those are the project's staff of SfR (Saving for Self-Reliance). i think that it was a good opportunity for me to share what i have learned to the others. I feel to learn more after the presentation, i could know their feeling about the meaning of my presenation. I note that most of them are likely to be interested in Hyde (A part of ourselves that does not want self-discipline), and they also could learn and review the daily plan so that they can achieve more accomplishment and generate more extra free time for ding other things. I have shared the slide of my presenation to most of them and i hope that it will help them to learn well about this book.

Participated in the Training on PRISM

From 01-05 September 2008, I have participated in the training on PRISM (Poverty Reduction through Irrigation and Smallholder Markets), the training was organized by IDE (International Development Enterprises) in Phnom Penh. It is to note that i have learned about the process of PRISM, including:

- Situational analysis
- Intervention design
- Implementing and monitoring
- Evaluation and adaptation


The training enabled to learn more the concept and other main tools for business activity. it is helpful to my work with the project Linking Farmers with Market for Rural Prosperity. What i gained from the training will help me to work effectively to link the vegetable farmer producers to the local markets inside the project's targeted area.

Participated in the Training on PRISM

From 01-05 September 2008, I have participated in the training on PRISM (Poverty Reduction through Irrigation and Smallholder Markets), the training was organized by IDE (International Development Enterprises) in Phnom Penh. It is to note that i have learned about the process of PRISM, including:

- Situational analysis
- Intervention design
- Implementing and monitoring
- Evaluation and adaptation

The training enabled to learn more the concept and other main tools for business activity. it is helpful to my work with the project Linking Farmers with Market for Rural Prosperity. What i gained from the training will help me to work effectively to link the vegetable farmer producers to the local markets inside the project's targeted area.

National Conference on Livestock Production at Royal Academic of Cambodia

On 28-29 August 2008, I and Mr. Kin Mengse have attended the national conference on livestock production at Royal Academic of Cambodia. We were also invited to be the speakers among the others during conference. The topics we have presented as the ecological chicken raising (ECR) and the project that we are implementing, named Avian Influenza Behavior Change (AIBC). It is to note that the purpose of the conference is to find out the strategy of promoting livestock production in Cambodia. There were many different participants joint the conference such as small-scale farmers, commercial farmers, students, lecturers for universities, government officials, NGOs, etc participated actively in the conference. H.E.Dr. Chan Sarun, minister of ministry of agriculture, was presided the conference. 14 speakers were invited to present their topics one-by-one, those topics are involved of the issue of livestock in Cambodia, including the production process and market opportunity. Several highlighted topics are indicated as follows:

- General situation of livestock production in Cambodia, policy, constraints and strategy
- Nutrients composition in animal feed
- Ecological Chicken Raising (ECR)
- Avian Influenza -Experience of extension on Avian Influenza
- Bio-digester
- Problem faced by the pig association
- Experience of raising pig - Bio-security in pig farm and
- Etc

After participation of this conference for one day and a half, I could learn something new as follows:

- I could know that Cambodia in fact has good potential to increase the agricultural production for market supply meanwhile the exported agricultural products from Vietnam and Thailand are hugely imported, this is to indicate that the domestic products is not enough for the demand. However, we need to ensure that a good condition of agricultural production especially for the small-scale farmers should be enlarged. For example, Cambodian producers is facing to highly expense on external agricultural inputs so that they can not sell their product at lower price comparing to the products exported from neighboring countries that being sold at the lower price than domestic products. Can you guess why? Because the input supply for the production is not cost much in our country.

- I could note about the problems facing by the pig farmer association to say that they can produce pigs but there are nobody come to buy their pigs. To me, I think that this is because of they only play role as the pig producers by doing so that they are not able to control the whole process of market chain. For example, if they have their own slaughter house, they may be able to sell their pig, they can sell meat instead of live pigs, not the live pigs. The pig association should expand their marketing strategy to sell their products for the market.

- I understand that animal feed is a very big opportunity for business even though there are some companies are promoting their produced feed to consumers. Most of farmer producers need productive feed for the growth of their animals especially the commercial farms, but those feeds are the external inputs so that it is not good to serve the benefit of domestic feed producers. If we can train farmers to produce their own feed so that we can help to improve the family agriculture, or we can produce the additional animal feed that is fit to the condition of those families.

- One among 5 recommendations to the royal government of Cambodia is to recommend that the RGC should provide incentives support to farmers such as animal breeds, seeds, etc. I think that such recommendation is not good to make farmers to be self-reliant. I think that it is better if we don’t provide them the seed, breed but farmers themselves are affordable to buy those inputs. The importance is in fact the knowledge and spirit of changing from subsistence farmers to commercial farmers, if they really want to change, they really can do by them own.

- To me, think that it is really good if the problem of farmer producers is the common problem of the royal government of Cambodia. If so, it will help to speed up the solution effectively. Additionally, the extension government officials should be strengthened in term of the knowledge and capacity of sustainable agricultural extension with a better policy support to their work.

Project Introduction Workshop

From 22-25 August 2008, I went to organize to Svay Rieng for organizing 2 introduction workshops on the project, namely "Improvement of the most vulnerable Families for protection of human trafficking and unsafe migration". The commune chief, village chief, villagers and some representatives of IOM were invited to join the workshop. The workshop aimed to present the project's goal and objectives, expected output, strategy and activity...etc. especially, I have mainly concentrated on how to cooperate well among the project's stakeholders in order to ensure that the project will be able to achieve its main output effectively. We have totally achieved some main activities as follows:

- 120 families have been met for one-to-one conversation both Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces,
- 3 project introduction workshops were organized

For the last week of August, we will organize village general meetings and there will be a video show on SRI during that time as well, it is to note that most of farmers have not yet transplanted their rice seedling in the project's target area of Svay Rieng province,

Field Mission to Prey Veng and Svay Rieng Provinces,

From 12-15 August 2008, I had been working for the project, namely "Improvement of Livelihood of the most Vulnerable Families for Prevention of Human Trafficking and Unsafe Migration" in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces. I went to Svay Rieng on the first day of my visit and I have discussed with Mr. San Sorn about the project, I explained to him the rational background of the project, objectives, main outputs, methodologies and activities will be done by the project. Importantly, I wanted Mr. San Sorn who is the one to act the role of farmer community facilitator of this project can understands well about the general concept of this project and he can move forward to field implementation. Furthermore, I have met him for reflection on the activities and results that the project has achieved so far if compare to the project's plan at the beginning of this month. It is to note that 120 out of 140 families have been conducted the one-to-one conversation both in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces. Based on the collected information from the one-to-one conversation with the families in Prey Tung commune, Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng province, we could know that:

There are around 100-150 families in the villages produce sugar palm with the average quantity of 1000 kg per year, the maximum is 1500 kg/year and the minimum is 500 kg/year. The market price now is 2000 riel/kg. Remarkably, there are totally 5 villages of Prey Tung commune.

Most of the villagers in the target villages lack of rice for family consumption, in case of the poorest families, they lack of rice at least a half of the whole year. Most of the poorest are hired to make silk so that they can get some complementary income for the family's need.
The size of homestead area is small and the house settlement of the villagers is located in a close place among house to house, so farmers feel that they lack of land for vegetable cultivation as well as there were many big trees planted in the homestead that is unable them to grow vegetable because of competing of nutrient absorbing from the roots of big trees,
Additionally, I have discussed with Mr. San San to review the project's work plan to organize the introduction workshop, village general meeting at the village level, etc. Hope that there will be more activities accomplished at the end of this month.