Rubber Farmers’ Perception of Rubber Technologies in Dambae and Peam Cheang, Kampong Cham

Abstract

The main objectives of the study were to 1) determine the level of the farmers’ awareness of recommended technologies related to rubber tapping and 2) identify the farmers’ perceptions of rubber technologies. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select the sample of 92 rubber smallholders from Dambae, a non traditional rubber region, and Peam Cheang, a traditional rubber region. Data were collected through pocket voting and preference ranking which are the tools of participatory methodology. Friedman’s test and multiple comparisons were used to analyze the data. The study showed that rubber farmers were not well aware of recommended technologies related to rubber tapping, for instance required girth (23%), height of measurement (34%), cup hanging (46%), thickness of tapping (21%) and tapping angle (21%). However, the awareness of tapping panel marking was high (97%). It was discovered that there were significant differences in the participants’ rank ordered preferences for techniques, during immature and mature stages, related to rubber collection works and dissemination media (p<0.001). Establishment of cover crop, land preparation, correct tapping method and latex preservation methods were considered by the rubber smallholders as the most important techniques (p<0.05) that they need the extension officers to address in designing extension activity programs for these regions. Workshop was the most preferred area (p<0.05) of dissemination media through which the rubber farmers need the researchers and extension officers to transfer information and knowledge.