Participated in Agribusiness Training

On 28-29 April 2008, I have participated in the trianing on agri-business trained by Dr. Yang Saing Koma, the CEDAC's president. Actually, I have understood well about the general concept of agri-business especailly its historical background, why we do it? The revolution of agri-business since the ancient time up to now, the differences of family agri-business and company agri-business and which one is socially responsible and have a good benefit to the community people. After the training, it also provided me the idea to distinguish the potential farmers for starting agri-business in our program, farmers who are really the commercial farmers, they do intend to produce agricultural product to supply for the market.

It means that we choose them as our partners in running agri-business in the community so that it is easier than we cooperate with farmers who don't want to do. Actually, we have other ways to work with normal farmers, to increase family's food consumption and to enhance the understanding on agricultural marketing strategy, while they understand well they will take effort to launch business. Finally, I would like to say that specialization and integration among local producer is a successful way in community supported agri-business. Gaining the knowledge from this training, I have provided the training on agri-business that I have learned in Phnom Penh to YCL (Young Community Leaders) in svay Rieng, the training was held on May 01, 2008. Based on my observation, they have learned to target the cooperating farmers in doing agri-business in the community.

Field monitoring to Modulkiri province

As CEDAC has been implementing a new agriculture project for creating sustainable livelihood for Sok San indigenous community from March 2008, the project is being implemented under cooperation with WWF and it covers on 4 villages of Sok San commune, Kho Ngek district, apart of this commune is situated in the protected areas, Phnom Prich wildlife sanctuary and community forestry. To launch the project, we have contacted with the local authority at district and commune level to inform them about our present and intervention activity in this commune. Addtionally, the baseline study of those target villages were already done and the report is already written. Our main intervention is to focus on agriculture technique in order to improve the livelihood of the indigenous people in the area. At the present, most of NGOs are working on natural resoure management (NRM). At the end of April, one exchange visit for the interested farmers from Modulkiri was conducted to visit agriculture practice of farmers in Takeo province. They actually have learned well about the ecological chicken rasing, vegetable growing technique, system of rice intensification, saving group and farmer association, etc. Based on what the visitors said "they will apply ecological chicken raising first of all"