Rainfed lowland rice in Cambodia : a baseline survey

Data for this baseline survey of RLR production in Cambodia were drawn from interviews with 45 farmers in three provinces who produce rice exclusively through RLR cultivation. The report describes: (1) the place of RLR in Cambodian rice culture; (2) farmers" family composition, farm assets, access to labor, and income sources; (3) factors influencing farmers" crop management and varietal choices, including size of landholding, field levels and related soil and water problems, farmers" classification of rice by maturity, and local varietal preferences based on cooking and eating quality and agronomic performance; and (4) crop management and cropping systems from nursery establishment to harvest and storage. Constraints to intensifying RLR cultivation in Cambodia are also discussed. Some can be addressed by further research, such as concerns over rainfall, soils, pests and diseases, traditional vs. improved varieties, and cash cropping. Other constraints, however, cannot be addressed by research but must be taken into account as recommendations for changes in RLR cultivation are developed. The most important of these is an inadequate supply of agricultural labor, though lack of access to draft power is also significant. Farmers are too cash poor to hire labor for most cropping operations, especially in light of the rapid rise in wages between the 1989-90 and 1990-91 cropping seasons. Recommendations for the first set of constraints are presented in conclusion.