techniques for growing rice in the dry season.
Being a farmer, anywhere in the world, is risky business. The success of a crop is dependant on a variety of factors, many of which the farmer cannot control. For a poor farmer in Cambodia a failed crop means that their family will not have enough to eat. Alternatives to subsistence farming are few and far between.
In Pursat, Cambodia, rice growers rely on the abundance of surface water during the rainy season for their crops. During the rainy season enough rice must be produced to ensure there is food to last for the year. When there is not enough, families are forced to leave their village during the dry season to engage in poorly paid, often dangerous, labour jobs in a city or along the border with Thailand.
HOPE is working with Pursat farmers to try new farming approaches that will increase production, and allow families to remain in their communities throughout the year. A new rice variety is being introduced that allows farmers to grow rice during the dry season. New farming techniques need to be used with this new rice, so training is being provided. Water is needed, so a simple irrigation system is being set up. And finally, seed banks help farmers bridge the gap between growing cycles.
Seed banks are key to the success of this project because seed is necessary for farmers to plant their next cycle of rice, and in times of emergency, to provide food for their families. They work like any other bank - members make contributions in the form of seed that is stored in a rodent-free and secure hut. They may withdrawn this seed with interest at a later date. Farmers benefit by having a safe place to store their valuable seed, and by earning interest in the form of additional seed. Also, seed banks allow members to take a seed loan in times of need such as a drought, and repay this loan over a manageable period of time.
With relatively little investment from HOPE, the results of these activities have been life-changing for the families. Farming-dependent families are able to increase their overall food production and grow food year-round; they do not need to leave their homes to find work when the food runs out.
techniques in training sessions.
Accomplishments:
- HOPE has provided 75 families with the materials and training necessary to start cultivating dry season rice.
- In just two of a total of three annual harvests, 89,930 kilograms of rice has been harvested. This is equivalent to $14,736 of generated income.
- A Seed Bank, and associated local management committee, was established in each village to distribute the new seed and build a reserve of seed for the future. Seed banks have gone through two cycles of loan and repayment, and at the end of the second harvest, had stockpiled 4,300 kg of seed – an increase of 43% from the original input of 3,000 kg.
Based on the success of this new initiative, HOPE is expanding this work in 2006 to include more poor families. The cost per village is 3,000 CAD. To make a donation towards this project, click here.
