Comparative Study on 3 Rice Farming Systems: Conventional, Partially Organic, and Organic Farming, Case Study in Prey Kabbas District, Takeo, Cambodia

抄録

Sustainable agriculture is an integrated farming system of plant and animal production practices with site-specific applications that can maintain over the long term. It is both environmentally sustainable and also can generate several impacts on rural society. Unfortunately, the development of sustainable farming in Cambodia is still limited, and in its early stages. Despite sustainably farming has the potential for targeting niche markets and ensure higher incomes, it is reported that the number of farmers choose to do or revert to produce conventional rice farming instead. The application of chemicals in conventional agriculture can generate high productivity; however, the intensive use of the chemical has led to the destruction of soil and water resources. By observing these matters, this study aims to examine the differences in characteristics and profitability between 3 farming systems: conventional, partially organic, and organic rice farming, and to identify impacts from sustainable farming to rice farmers. The present study is based on the survey conducted in Prey Kabbas District, Takeo province, in 2018. In this study, a random sampling method was applied, and 75 rice farmers were interviewed. Among the samples, 30 farmers practiced conventional rice farming, and others 45 farmers practiced sustainable rice farming (25 adopted partially organic, and 20 farmers adopted organic rice farming). The findings showed that despite the production costs of organic rice farming is higher, organic farmers still ensure higher yield and generate better profit. Both of sustainable rice farming systems also found to benefit farmers with both social and human impacts. Nevertheless, there are some constraints inhered these rice farming in this study area, such as labor shortage, lack of organic materials, and market instability. There are needs for farmers, supported institutes, consumers to work together to promote organic rice farming in the study area.