Assessment on Local Awareness of Organic Farming Practices in Kampong Cham of Cambodia

抄録

In rural areas of Cambodia, more than 70% of the total population is in the agricultural and related sectors, which are the important sectors of the Cambodian national economy. Rapid development of agricultural technologies depending on agricultural chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers, herbicide or pesticide has significantly increased agricultural production since 1990 (MAFF, 2009). However, overuse of agricultural chemicals is damaging the long-term soil fertility and productivity of farmlands. Also, agricultural chemicals released from farmlands to downstream cause the degradation of water environment. So, attention has been paid to promote sustainable agriculture through organic farming practices. Taking into account the conventional farming practices of rice and vegetable cultivations that have been done by local farmers, various workshops and trainings were conducted to promote organic farming practices. This paper dealt with the discussion on sustainability of organic farming practices introduced on the basis of local awareness. In addition, various workshops and trainings on organic farming practices were assessed in this study.