Sokunthea, San. Farming system development base on conservation of traditional rice varieties in takeo province, the kingdom of cambodia. ปริญญาโท(Community Resarch and Development). Surindra Rajabhat University. : มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏสุรินทร์, 2004.
Farming system development base on conservation of traditional rice varieties in takeo province, the kingdom of cambodia
Abstract:
The objectives of this research. Were to indicate the existing agricultural development strategies and improved seed support services, to study the interaction of traditional rice varieties towards the relationship between eco-nature system and farm household economy, to study the constraints and opportunities in rice production especially the traditional rice varieties, and to study the possibilities for increasing the agricultural productivities through cultivating traditional rice varieties. The sample size of 297 farm households was determined and selected from population of 155,030 households by using both random and purposive sampling technique. Purposive sampling technique was used for district selection. Random sampling technique was used for communal, village, and household selection. The collected data were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation. The SPSS/FW program was used for the date evaluation processes.
The Study results showed that:
1. Background information of farm households indicated that male household heads accounted for 83.50 percent; they are generally (35.00%) at the age of 40 to 49. About 51.40 percent of them were educated at the elementary school.
2. General status of Takeo Agriculture.
The average of total family members in Takeo province is 6.01 persons. The average of active labor force is 3.37 persons. The average of total production land area is 1.34 hectares. The average of traditional rice land area is 1.08 hectares. The average of modern rice land area is 0.48 hectares. The farmers mostly (90.10%) grew traditional and modern rice varieties. Only 9.90 percent grew traditional rice varieties only. The farmers mostly (81.90%) hired additional man labor for their rice production. They mostly (96.30%) used their own draft animal for plowing and harrowing their rice fields; they do not hire draft animal for their working. They mostly (92.20%) used their own land for their rice production; they did not hire additional land for their rice production. They mostly (81.50%) used their own seed for their own seed for their rice production; they do not buy the seed for using in their rice production. They mostly (87.70%) hired machine to pump water for their rice production. They mostly (60.90%) used pesticide in their rice production.
3. Farmers, participation in the conservation of traditional rice varieties
The farmers in the study area do want to request support from RGC and some institution to increase their rice production, especially the yields of the traditional rice varieties and re-purified seed as well. In rice production, traditional rice varieties do reduce expenditures and incomes of the farmers. It means that if the farmers grow traditional rice varieties they can get higher profit than the modern rice varieties. The farmers confirmed that the traditional rice varieties are much more advantageous than the modern rice varieties so they participated in the conservation of traditional rice varieties because they realized that it is one of the factors that can be shared in farming system development in the Kingdom of Cambodia in order to sustain farming system for the future. Due to high advantages of traditional rice varieties, the farmers in the study area do want to grow more traditional rice varieties, they still need more traditional rice varieties, and they said that the traditional rice varieties are the most important for their farm household economy. They were strongly determined to participate in the conservation of traditional rice varieties even though it produced low yield; it has delicious taste, good quality, and high price so they still continue to grow it forever even if they grow modern rice varieties.
4. Opportunities in Rice Production
Takeo province there is only one seed support service called AQIP that was established in 2000. AQIP has provided service in 4 districts; namely, Bati, Daun Keo. Sam Roang, and Treang. The farmers in the study area mostly (54.70%) have Sufficient cash to operate their farm so they do not need to borrow money for their family consumption so they do not need to borrow rice for their family requirement. They mostly (83.10%) have better living standard after growing traditional rice varieties. They generally (74.10%) have better living standard after growing modern rice varieties. They generally (91.80%) said that the traditional rice varieties have higher demand in the market. The farmers deliver their products to the market by various transports such as truck, motorcycle, cart, motor taxi or motor trailer, and bike. Water sources for home consumption can be obtained from pond, well, lake, natural pond, and other sources. Water sources for irrigation can be obtained from canal, lake, pond, natural pond, well, and other sources.
5. Constraints in Rice Production
Factors considered to be constraints in rice production are low soil fertility, lack of water, lack of land for cultivation, lack of manpower for cultivation, lack of marketing and price policy of rice products, lack of assistance and incentives from RGC to the farmers, lack of rice research station, lack of farmers, association, lack of agricultural extension activity, lack of infrastructure (roads, water supply, irrigation systems, and and so on), frequent natural disasters (flood and drought), low rice price, and higher price of fuel oil and chemical fertilizer.
6. Ways to Solve the Water Shortage Problem
When farmers had no enough water for their rice production, they had two ways to solve the problems. First way, they pumped water from well, pond, lake, natural pond, canal, and so on by themselves for their home consumption and irrigation (for home consumption, they did not pump water from canal). Second way, they requested RGC to pump water from lake, or other water sources to the main canal for them after that they pumped water from the main canal to their rice field by themselves.