CRDT’s Beneficiaries Happy with their Rice Yield

Rice harvesting season is coming in Cambodia as well as in Kratie province. While most farmers are happy with their good rice yield, some are worried that their yield might be lesser than last year as their rice paddies were hit by the recent flooding. At the beginning of the rice growing season this year, 87 households in O’Kreang commune, in Kratie province received high-quality rice seeds from CRDT’s project, what happened with their rice production?

Since 2011, with the funding support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), CRDT has been implementing a project entitled “Sustainable Livelihoods for Mekong Biodiversity and Critical Wetland Resource Conservation in Cambodia” with the local communities in Sambour district to improve their livelihood activities and income generation through trainings in agriculture techniques including rice growing. Traditionally, indigenous people in the North Eastern provinces of Cambodia clear forest to grow rice, and they use local traditional seeds which are not yielding enough even to supply their household consumption. To help them improve their rice production, CRDT has trained them in the new rice planting techniques (SRI) and provided them with new rice seeds.

Through a follow up meeting with the beneficiaries, we found out that they are very happy with their rice yield this year because they could witness the increased number of rice grains on each stem (compared to last year) when they planted rice using the new seeds provided by CRDT. With this good result, communities have committed themselves to saving the seeds which they will get this year for planting next year onward.

What impressed our project staff the most is that the other farmers in the village also intend to use the good seeds next year as they have seen the successful experiment of their neighbors. From this experience, we see how the knowledge was transferred among villagers and how important the model farmer is in our project sustainability.

By Bin Dim, Project Manager in Kratie Province