New farming systems for upland cropping in Northwest Cambodia

Abstract

Northwest Cambodia has undergone rapid land use change over the last 20 years. Since the end of civil war in 1998, extensive areas of primary forest have been cleared for agriculture. The major agricultural enterprise in the region is upland cropping of cash crops which previously included a range of crops including maize, soybean, mungbean, sesame and peanut. However crop diversity has decreased over the last 10 years, to the extent that the farming system is now dominated by continuous cropping of maize or cassava. The region receives monsoonal rainfall, with the majority of rain falling between July to October, and has a climate of three distinct seasons. Farming methods are plough based on friable dermasol and vertosol soils, which results in visible soil erosion duirng the monsoon season. Crop yields are declining, the area is remote, farmers are poorly educated and there is a dearth of agricultural research and extension. The region is of particular significance to the wider catchment area as it contains the headwaters of the Sangker river system that supplies drinking and sanitation water for over one million people living in the Northwest Provinces of Battambang and Pailin. This thesis investigates new farming techniques for the areas of Pailin and Sala Krau Districts, Pailin Province, and Samlout District, Battambang Province in Northwest Cambodia.