Cambodia is divided into a populated central zone, and a less populated peripheral zone. The central zone is occupied by 12 million inhabitants, has a population density of 250 people/sq. km., and farming occupies 55% of the entire area. The "empty" peripheral zone contains less than 2 million people, has a population density of less than 15 people/sq. km., and less than 5% of this zone is used for farming. (Map by Cambodge Soir)Friday, March 23, 2007
By Lorraine de Foucher
Cambodge Soir
Unofficial Translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original Cambodge Soir's article in French
"One tenth of the population owns almost half of the lands in Cambodia. This unequal distribution of lands constitutes the second slowdown to all development for long term stability in the farming sector in the kingdom. "
Hun Sen asserted recently that before the end of his career, he wants to oversee rice production reaching 4 to 5 tons per hectare. The objective is still farfetched, as explained in this first part of our story dedicated to rice.
At the beginning of January, Hun Sen declared that he wanted to present his candidacy to the position of prime minister up until he reaches the age of 90-year-old. “I am not able to fulfill my objective yet. Cambodia currently obtains a rice yield of 2.4 tons per hectare, but I want this yield to reach 4 to 5 tons per hectare. Right now, the annual income of one person [in Cambodia] is $300, and I will end my candidacy when the annual income increases to $500,” Hun Sen explained during an inauguration of a branch office of the Cambodia Agricultural Development and Research Institute (CADRI). In fact, at an average rice production yield increase of 2% during the last decade, it would take 30 years to reach a crop yield of 4 tons per hectare.
In a country where 80% of the population depends on the agriculture and where rice farming is considered the less productive in Asia, a major agricultural challenge is waiting around the corner.
In this first part of the series, we are presenting herein a Cambodian rice farming which lacks water and lands, the land issue is currently subjected to a difficult institutional context. Economically, the rice farming sector is losing steam, even though too many people still depend on it for their daily survival. With this week presentation of the diagnostic on the difficulties encountered by rice farming, next week, we will tour the existing initiatives to try to pull the farming sector out of this crisis. We will look at the various improvements to the irrigation system, as well as the rice farming intensification system (RFIS), we will look at what is being proposed by the different players involved, to improve the performance of rice farming.
Cambodian farmers are first and foremost a “Neak Srè,” a man of the rice field. To eat in Cambodian is “pissa bay” or “nham bay” which literally mean eating rice. The planting of the rice crop is thus of utmost importance in this country of land and water.
First paradox: lack of water in a country submerged by water during half of the year
The different type of lands found in Cambodia shows that water is in fact the first problem of the country. Stéphane Boulakia, a researcher at the center for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for the Development (ICARD), proposed a classification of the type of lands in Cambodia. The cultivated areas in the kingdom can be divided into three major types.
The first type, “the highest step of the central plain,” corresponds to the sandy plains located in the provinces of Siem Reap, Kompong Tham, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Speu and in the western part of the province of Takeo. This are is limiting in its nature because the soils are not fertile and the presence of water is directly linked to rainfall. In these areas, the production depends in major part to the capriciousness of the skies. An early end to the rainy season, say before 15 October for example – as it happened in 2004, when the rice plants have not yet bloomed, would take a major toll on rice farming. This type of fragile rice farming occupies more than half of the cultivable rice fields in Cambodia.
The second type of lands extend over the hydromorphic (soils characterized with the excess of water) plains located in the lower part of the sandy plains. However, unlike the sandy plains, the rise of water level in the rivers reaches this land area which is watered by both the rainfall and the rise of the Tonle Sap water level. Furthermore, in addition to the fact that the presence of water is less random, better soils – such as those encountered in Prey Veng and the great agricultural plains of Battambang and Banteay Meanchey – can be found there as well.
The important difference in the crop yield between two contrasting provinces such as Kompong Speu (sandy plains) and Battambang (hydromorphic plains) clearly shows the extreme variability of these types of rice farming from one year to the next, locally it also generates severe food crisis among the poorest farmers. One can then understand better the difficulties faced by the agro-industry down the chain that must depend on a very fluctuating production at the source. It is also difficult to turn the farmers’ attention towards other crop varieties for export when they are having difficulties understanding their crop production, and the potential that crop left over from their consumption could be sold.
The third type of lands corresponds to the “lowest step” of the Cambodian plain, the shores of the Mekong river and the Tonle Sap lake. The height of the water rise is a crucial factor here since these alluvial areas cannot be traditionally planted [with rice] during rainy seasons, except for the variety of rice crop called “floating kinds” – a crop which is now disappearing. Henceforth, in these areas, more modern cultivation techniques are put to use to develop the lands. The basic principle of rice farming in these areas consists of delaying the planting season to the out-of-season period, when the lands are again freed once the water level drops. The type of rice farming put into practice in these areas, depends on channel systems (prek) to store water during the water level rise period, or to irrigate the rice fields. In these high crop yield areas (4 to 5 tons per hectare), the techniques of the green revolution could be partially adopted thanks to the control of water. Unfortunately, these areas are very limited in size and they are subjected to strong pressures from land issues. The production gains obtained on these lands where water is controlled, logically lead the Cambodian government to focus its attention to the development of the irrigation system. However, putting in practice the irrigation policy cannot hide another essential problem faced by the rice farming sector: the distribution of lands.
Second paradox: “lack of lands” in a country with low population density
If water can be considered as the source of the rice farming crisis in Cambodia, land disputes can also be considered as another catalyst. The “lack of lands” can be better understood by looking into the history of the populating of Cambodia. In 1870, during the colonization era, the kingdom had only 1 million inhabitants, and they are not packed together [as they are now]. The populating [of the lands] was conducted in place, with little development of empty lands. Framing implies that large amount of land is available nearby: the extent of land cultivated is determined by the capacity each family can work on, i.e. 2 to 3 hectares per family. Nearby important resources are also needed for rice farming. 137 years and 13 million inhabitants later, the situation is far from being as easy as it was. The agricultural space in the central plain is now saturated. The access to land is reduced – to an average of less than 1 hectare per family currently. There are no longer other resources to complement rice farming, lower income caused by inclement weather force the farmers to supplement their earnings through non farming labor. Thus, two distinct images of Cambodia can be discerned.
On one hand, there is the “rice farming” and populated Cambodia, which counts 11 million inhabitants, living in areas where the population density is about 250 inhabitants per square kilometer. In these areas, cultivated lands occupy 55% of the total area. In this zone, the farmers live on subsistence farming. One the other hand, the “forest area” of Cambodia, located along the periphery, is empty. These areas are populated by only 2 million inhabitants, thus the population density there amounts to 15 inhabitants per square kilometer. 5% of the entire area in this zone is dedicated to farming – mostly cash crop farming and exploitation of natural resources. When these two zones of Cambodia are combined together, only 20% of the country’s area is cultivated, a very low percentage compared to the areas that are potentially cultivable. We can see here 2 conjoined movements of the land capital. The land size are getting smaller and smaller, three fourth of farms sit on less than 1 hectare of land.
At the same time, the concentration of the population keeps on increasing, the situation can be qualified as explosive when the percentage of farmers without lands is accounted for. One tenth of the population owns almost half of the lands in Cambodia. This unequal distribution of lands constitutes the second slowdown to all development for long term stability in the farming sector in the kingdom. What farmers would be interested in investing to increase the crop yield on a field size that is less than one hectare? Even if farmers use all their savings, and all the technology available, they would never surpass a crop yield of 5 tons per hectare – a rice production which is not sufficient for an acceptable return on investment (ROI). The problems of lack of lands will become more acute, especially in view of the demographic explosion that the country is undergoing. A family of 5 that barely survives on 1 hectare of land, will only be able to pass on 2,000-square-meter to each one of the children as inheritance. This lack of lands implies that the land crisis could put on the roads million of farmers who do not have the minimum amount of lands for them to work on.
Rice and the Cambodian economy
Talking about farming in Cambodia is tantamount to talking almost exclusively about rice farming because of the lack of diversification of this sector. In fact, 2.5 million hectares of land is exclusively dedicated to rice farming. In second rank, comes the soybean production which occupies an area of only 118,000-hectare. The dominance of rice farming is dwarfing all other types of farming. Almost 2 million households (each family consisting of 2 parents and 3 children in the average, based on national statistics) are planting rice, and 80% of the country’s poor are depending on it. The number of people who depend on rice farming remains important whereas the economic dependency of the country on rice farming is steadily decreasing in the last few years. In 1998, the 3 million tons of rice produced represent 45% of the gross domestic product (GDP), whereas in 2006, the 6 million tons of rice produced account for lass than 30% of the GDP. National self-sufficiency is reached but during bad years, several regions must confront food crisis. In short, Cambodia’s rice farming is still too unstable: irregular surplus, weak diversification, and the limitation of the internal market prevent this sector from becoming a major economic sector.
As a result, the agro-industrial sector which could be developed, is so far nonexistent, even though this sector could bring in a strong value-added sector to complement rice production.
Improving the productivity of rice farming is becoming a priority in the government rectangular strategy for 2006-2010. This strategy recognizes the “vulnerability of the Cambodian economy caused by external impacts, in spite of the development of the garment and the tourism industries … Thus, the necessity to use the country high farming potential in the agro-industrial sectors.” The agricultural intensification is one of the sides of the rectangle which would bring growth, jobs, equity and efficiency to Cambodia. But the government’s willingness could be impeded by the multiplicity of the characters involved in the rice sector. Several ministries are working on this topic: the Ministry of Agriculture, of course, but also the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Rural Development, of Land Management, of Environment, etc… To that one must also add the foreign fund lenders, who make their presence felt in this domain, as well as the numerous NGOs. Coordination thus becomes very difficult, and the setup of a common strategy is still in its infancy. Finally, the funds dedicated to this endeavor still remain weak in comparison to the task in hand.
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