Siem Reap, KH – Organic Gardening Techniques Help Family Promote Good Health – 5 Jun 2015

A growing trend in Cambodia is for outside investors, often rich Cambodians from Phnom Penh, to give a rural farmer a loan for chemical fertilizers, pest-resistant seed, and pesticides. Often the farmer signs on without completely understanding the terms of the loan, specifically the high interest rate. The farmer is put under tremendous pressure to have a successful crop but with the rising costs of chemical inputs and the low prices being offered for produce, the farmer is often forced to loan from another source just to pay off the first loan. This unfortunately starts a terrible cycle which often ends up with people in debt losing their homes (which is usually collateral on the loan) or fleeing to the border with Thailand. Modern agriculture is focused on maximizing yields, which they will do but the costs of the technology often outweigh the revenue from the crop. SS is one of the farmers who is affected by this trend. For the last couple of seasons she has taken out loans to purchase chemical and hybrid seeds.

Things changed for SS when she heard and saw some families which are supported by the Peaksneng Thormacheat Garden Shop. The shop teaches Food Always In The Home (FAITH) organic vegetable gardening which emphasizes the use of natural materials and timely relay planting. Since joining the garden program, SS finds that the techniques help her garden be productive, so much so that she has become recognized in her community. Many neighbors come to buy vegetables like; gourds, morning glory, eggplants, long beans, basil and lemon grass. She uses the income she earn to save money for her family’s future. “Before we used to garden using chemically grown vegetables, “she recalls “Now that I know organic techniques to grow healthier vegetables, I probably won’t go back.”

SS and her family are now planning the best way to expand their garden and farm using the organic techniques they have learned. She also dreams of having some livestock, “I want to save some money to build a pen for pigs.” SS thinks that organic farming methods such as FAITH can help and offer a solution for the farmers to avoid getting involved with bad loans.