Story by Uon Bonnarith (WorldVeg) and Chhor Nonin (East-West Seed)

The Grow against the flow project is making vegetables more available, affordable and accessible in Cambodia and Lao PDR, implemented by East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer and WorldVeg. It trains smallholder farmers to increase year-round production, improving incomes and nutritional security and more than 70,000 households, and fostering women’s empowerment in more resilient communities. Here, we hear stories from three of those farmers.

Water availability and the need to reduce input costs are some problems that farmers face. The project introduced drip irrigation to Kean Phearun, Ou Reang Ov district, Tboung Khmum province, which he started to use on a 500 m² plot. He explained that “Drip irrigation system is a real salvation for me because it enhances water and fertilizer use efficiency and reduces weeds”. It used to take him 1-2 hours to water the plot; now it takes only 10-15 minutes, and he uses less fertilizer and herbicides, saving time and money. “The drip irrigation system gives me much higher yields and better profit, that provides me more money to improve my livelihood, support my children, invest in more farm equipment, and save for the future”. And he said that after this success, he has expanded his cropping area, and has fully embraced modern farming techniques.

Farmers also have problems with pests and diseases, and Spodoptera shoot borer is a particular constraint to tomato production. Hang Pros from Preyvhherngeang village in Chhuk district, Kampot province, was shown how to use pheromone lures and traps as part of integrated pest management. He installed it during the flowering stage, and was amazed at how many shoot borer butterflies were caught. He was so happy because it effectively reduced pest numbers and the need for pesticides, that he acknowledged was better for his health and food safety. He will share his new knowledge and experience with other farmers, and he has also started to use pheromone lures and traps to control shoot borer on his yard long bean.

The final story comes from Krohoung village, Chhuk district, Kampot province. Chem Mok explained that he had been a migrant in Thailand for many years to support his family, but he decided to come home and try vegetable farming. “But due to a lack of technical knowledge I was not getting a desirable output. Thanks to the project, I learned about tomato grafting, pest and disease control, and now I understand how to use plastic mulch, irrigation and fertilizers in the correct way. I saw higher yields and profits in yard long bean and caisim [mustard greens], and I will try tomato grafting next.”

He concluded that “I now get enough profit from vegetable farming to support my family, pay school fees, and buy farm equipment and other inputs to increase the area I plant. I can live in my homeland and do not need to migrate for work anymore. I thank East West Seed Knowledge Transfer that came to work with me and other farmers in the area and provided training on vegetable farming. Now I have much more knowledge, especially in off season production when I can sell at a higher price.”

The Grow against the flow project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and implemented by WorldVeg and East-West Seed-Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT). Other partners include the General Directorate of Agriculture in Cambodia, iDE, and the Clean Agriculture Standards Center of the Lao PDR Department of Agriculture.