Child health problems in agricultural areas of Thailand are still a problem and must be addressed urgently. This study used a research and development (R&D) design consisting of two phases. Phase 1 aimed to understand parental behavior regarding pesticide exposure among children in agricultural areas. Data were collected by key informants with purposive sampling that used focus group discussion (8 informants/group) from 5 groups of parents of 1-3 years old children living in agricultural areas in Sakon Nakhon Province, totaling 40 people. Data were collected by multiple parent focus group in Sakon Nakhon Province. Data collected was then analyzed using content analysis. Phase 2 aimed to develop and study the quality of a parental behavior modification program for pesticide exposure prevention among children in agricultural areas. The results in phase 1 were used as input factors to develop the foreside program by the Intervention Mapping ( IM) . The developed program was then tests and reviewed by nine experts. Data were analyzed with mean and standard deviation. We found that parent’s behavior in preventing pesticide exposure in their children was influenced by a least three factors, namely: attitudes toward pesticide exposure in their children, social norms and perceived behavioral control about pesticides exposure in their children. This meets the basic structure of Theory of Planned Behavior. The second phase involved developing a parental behavior modification program for pesticide exposure prevention in children in agricultural areas for a Sub-District Health Promotion Hospital. The components of the developed program were:1) background and significance; 2) objective; 3) organization; 4) role of involved people; 5) guidelines for organizing four learning activities for the parent behavior modification program; 6) monitoring and evaluation and 7) program management. The results of the program’s quality assessment found that the overall quality of the program is in a very good level. When considered each aspect, it was found that all aspects; accuracy standard, utility standard, appropriateness standard, feasibility standard and generalizability standard were in very good quality as well. The findings of this study suggest that the developed program should be implemented with parents who had desirable pesticide exposure prevention behaviors.

Myanmar is the second most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change, with agriculture highly vulnerable. This study was conducted to determine farmers’ knowledge on how to respond to the impacts of climate change, to identify climate- resilient adaptation technologies in rice farming, to also identify the desired characteristics of chosen rice varieties, and to estimate the cost and benefits for different rice production systems for the chosen varieties. The study was carried out in Myittha Township, a major rice-growing area in the middle of Myanmar. Most of the rice areas are irrigated. Primary data were collected by conducting a socio-economic survey. Descriptive analysis and cost benefit analysis were applied. More than 95 percent of the farmers adopted an adaptation strategy of using quality seeds. A change to the time of sowing, was favored by only 27% of respondents. About 41% of farmers grew Manaw Thukha rice variety, followed in popularity by Ayeyar Min (33.62%), and Shwe Manaw (20.49%) varieties. The traits of rice variety most desired were high yield and high marketability. The farmers practiced two different methods of rice establishment: direct seeding and transplanting, and grew in both monsoon and summer seasons. In monsoon, direct-seeded Ayeyarmin achieved the highest BCR (1.75) whereas the Manaw Thukha variety yielded the highest BCR in summer (1.70). The study area is an irrigated rice-growing area and has not yet suffered much from climate change impacts on rice production. This is despite a trend to scarcity of rainfall, which implies that improved irrigation facilities will comprise an essential adaptation strategy.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has an important role as a key indicator for soil health due to its contributions on mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Tropical areas cover with Red-yellow soil (Udults) such as Amazon represents the highest amount of soil carbon sources in the earth. Although it is affected by human impacts due to deforestation, it is important to maintain and increase SOC of tropical Red-yellow soil toward an optimal level for meeting challenges such as mitigating climate change effects. The aim of this study is to analyze the stabilization of soil organic carbon from Red-yellow soil under different temperatures conditions. A detailed comparison was made between forested and deforested conditions of Red-yellow soil. In order to analyze the temperature sensitivity, each treatment was kept under 25ºC and 35ºC, and the soil respiration ratio (SRR) was measured as well as SOC content by spectrophotometry method. Lastly, a treatment of biochar at 5% was added as part of stabilization mechanisms of carbon. The experimental results showed that there were significant differences in SOC content between forested conditions in contrast to deforested conditions, where 7.25 mg C/g was found in forest conditions while deforested conditions was 5.68 mg C/g. Although it was not found significant change in SOC under different temperature, SRR increased at 39% from 8.87 μL CO₂/h/g to 11.90 μL CO₂/h/g with temperature changes from 25ºC to 35ºC. Additionally, biochar application contributes to increase the value of SOC at more than 2.66 mg C/g in all treatments, however, it did not make a significant difference in SRR by temperature changes. Thus, biochar works as carbon sources to maintain and increase SOC content, but stabilization effects on Soil Respiration Ratio (SRR) should be observed in long term.

Rice is one of the most important staple food crops in the world that grown extensively under irrigation. Salinity is an important physical factor influencing rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. To assess this limiting factor, YAU developed 100 breeding lines of rice. After screening at seedling and vegetative stages at different salinity levels (0.2, 6.0, and 8.0 dS m^-1), seven rice lines were selected as moderately saline-tolerant genotypes. These seven lines (V1: YAU- 1211-14-1-1; V2: YAU1201-90-2-4; V3: YAU-1211-18-1-1; V4: YAU1211-195-1-1; V5: YAU-1201-26-1-1; V6: YAU1201-26-1-3; and V7: YAU-1211-82-1-1) along with three local control varieties (Yatanatoe, Superhnankaut and Theehtatyin), one salt tolerance check (Pokkali) and one susceptible check (IR 29) were used in this study. Seven Saltol QTL associated SSR markers (RM5, RM9, RM140, RM472, RM493, RM1287 and RM3412) were used to check the usefulness of microsatellite (SSR) markers associated with Saltol QTL. The number of alleles on the SSR markers ranged from 2 for RM140 to 4 for RM3412. Polymorphic information content (PIC) value varied from 0.00 for RM140 to 0.62 for RM3412, with an average of 0.36. The SSR marker, RM3412, was found to be superior for analysis as an indicator of genetic diversity in this study. Cluster analysis of the rice genotypes based on SSR data divided the genotypes into three groups, each of which include Yatanatoe, Theehtatyn, Superhnankaut and susceptible check IR29 (cluster 1), V1, V2 and V3 (cluster 2), V4, V5, V6, V7 including salt tolerance genotypes Pokkali (cluster 3), respectively. Of the seven lines, four SSR markers (RM5, RM493, RM1287 and RM3412) could discriminate Pokkali (saltol) from the IR29 (susceptible) genotype. Two specific alleles were found by RM5 (170) and RM493 (220) for Pokkali. At locus RM140, almost all genotypes possessed the same allele as Pokkali (260) except Theehtatyin and IR29 (null allele). RM1285 indicated four YAU rice lines (V4, V5, V6 and V7) as salt tolerance lines. The study revealed V4: YAU1211-195-1-1 as a tolerance genotype. The RM5, RM493, RM1287 and RM3412 markers were able to discriminate the tolerant genotypes and hence could be useful for marker-assisted selection of Saltol QTL.

Current research on school gardens is primarily focused on improving student nutrition. Less examined is their potential to be agents of knowledge transfer to the wider community. This paper seeks to determine the potential of school gardens as a pathway to scaling agricultural innovations. Literature is reviewed for best practices and recommendations conducive to scaling up agricultural technologies using school gardens. Findings indicated that school gardens have the potential to play a key role in scaling sustainable intensification (SI) technologies. They provide opportunities for knowledge transfer through teacher-student-parent communication. Best practices for scaling through school gardens comprised: including parents in the learning process and upkeep of school gardens; collaboration and commitment among all stakeholders; establishment of hands-on, research-based agricultural curriculum in schools; financial assistance from government or outside organization for startup and upkeep; and establishment of home gardens alongside school gardens. Primary barriers to scaling included: focusing on the ’what’ and not the ’how’; social mores and the relationship between parent/child; capacity building for and involvement of school heads, teachers, and parents; lack of social, human, and/or economic capital; and unintegrated commitment and partnership among stakeholders. Identified best practices and barriers are then applied to a case study analysis of a USAID-funded project in Cambodia: Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies (S3-Cambodia) project. S3-Cambodia targets youth as an entry point to extend target SI technologies to farm families. The project engages students in experiential learning opportunities by establishing "green labs" at secondary schools. S3-Cambodia is found to already be implementing many of the best practices listed above. Suggestions are made to increase parent involvement in the project and to increase awareness of the challenges that come with a transnational project.

The fisheries policy reforms on co-management in Cambodia have been implemented for almost two decades, starting its first reform in 2000 and its second reform in 2012. These reforms had promoted the organization of 516 Community Fisheries (CFis) around the country. After two decades of the CFis operation, it is noteworthy to identify the driving factors that brought the functionality and effective operation of the CFi on comanagement of the fisheries resources in Cambodia. The study aims to identify the different driving factors that led to the functionality and effective operation of the CFis comanagement of the fisheries resources development and sustainability resulting in the improvement of food security and socio-economic status of the CFi members. To identify those factors, the study purposely selected 16 CFis among the 516 CFis and randomly interviewed 527 CFi members from these CFis. To support the quantitative information from the interviews, the study conducted 16 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in the 16 selected CFis for validation and qualitative information. The results show that there are two key main factors influencing the functionality and effective operation of the CFis. First, according to 96% of the CFis members respondents and all FGDs respond, the legal framework that supports the process of CFi establishment and co-management of the fisheries resources have given them the legal rights and opportunity to use and sustain the fisheries resources. The legal frameworks supporting the CFis establishment includes the Royal Decree on the Establishment of CFi, the Sub-decree on CFi Management, and the amendments of Fisheries Law immediately after the reforms and the declaration on CFi Guideline. The second factor according to 93% of the total respondents and all 16 FGDs is the benefit of being a member of the CFi. Being a CFi member and small-scale fisher, they were given more access to the fishing ground, harvesting more fish for consumption and income that improve their socioeconomic status, recognition of their value in participating in a co-management concept of governance, capacity building and working together as one and trusting each other. Aside from these influencing factors, challenges and lessons learnt were also documented for a brighter future of CFi co-management. These include the actions on the amendment of CFi legal framework particularly on the CFi economic creation and financial support for a functional and effective CFi co-management. This should include the expansion of CFi rights and roles on economic activities and benefits of being CFi member, which needs to be clearly defined in the Fisheries Law and CFi sub-decree amendment followed by the development of the CFi Guideline. The government, development partners and the private sector should financially and technically support the CFis to function and operate effectively in comanaging the fisheries resources development and sustainability.

Cassava is expected to become a major industrial crop in Cambodia, but most studies on its cultivation only discuss the potential for improving its production scale, productivity, and suitable cultivation techniques, including ways to protect the crop from diseases and pests. However, sustainability of its cultivation as the country’s main industrial crop cannot be achieved only by introducing agronomically suitable cultivation methods. The cultivation must be economically viable, socially beneficial, and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze the characteristics of cassava cultivators and their business activities, the current distribution channel and the challenges and prospects for sustainable cassava cultivation in Cambodia. Semi-structured interviews of 24 cassava cultivators were conducted in two major cassava-growing provinces in Cambodia-Battambang and Pailin-to understand the series of production events, including the way they sell their produce. In addition, owners of six consolidating points that collect and process cassava root to sell domestically or for export were interviewed about their sales partners and destinations to identify the distribution channel. As a result, three different distribution types, from producers to collecting points, were identified, and their selection criteria appeared to be the distance between the producers and the collection points. The direct and indirect destination of the produce from the collecting points was identified as Thailand. The identified distribution channel, including collection points, comprised only cassava cultivators and exporters to Thailand, and no production specialization was observed. This reveals that building an efficient and viable distribution mechanism and strategy by utilizing the existing system will be one of the most important challenges in making cassava cultivation a major industrial crop and thus expanding the revenue source for the country.

In the most developing countries like Tanzania, poor farmers have limited access to agricultural inputs. One of the proposed solutions is to link farmers with the private sector through contract farming. In Tanzania, sunflower oil has been preferred as edible cooking oil for many households since it has a low cholesterol level for human consumption. Moreover, sunflower-contract farming was adopted as part of the new agricultural policy in 2009-2010 cropping season, majoring in providing triangular benefits to the stakeholders, including sunflower-farmers, private companies, and the Government of Tanzania. Despite the government of Tanzania’s efforts to link the sunflower farmers with the private sector, contract farming has been facing some challenges in coordination such as pricing, production services and credit services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the contract farming program among sunflower farmers. Specifically, the study aims to: (i) determine the socio-economic characteristics of the sample farmers; (ii) identify private firms providing contract farming to the sunflower farmers; and (iii) evaluate the relationship of the negotiation attributes in income growth among sunflower farmers. The field survey was conducted in March 2020, targeting 40 contracted farmers and 40 non-contracted farmers in the two regions of Central Tanzania. In relationship of the negotiation attributes the paper points out the credit access and production services were significant with farmers’ income. Besides, the results show that there was no statistically significant relationship between advance pricing and income growth among sunflower farmers. This was because in contract terms price is not set in advance.

Rice liquor is one of the traditional alcoholic beverages produced by small-scale farmers in rural areas. However, rice liquor production faced deficits and low profitability due to low sales price and productivity, frequent production failure, and low quality. It was hypothesized that improving the quality could increase the product value and the profitability of rice liquor production. The key modifications of production techniques to improve rice liquor quality include sanitary control of the working place, equipment, and raw material, and production process and quality management. However, it remains unclear if improving the product quality may result in value addition on traditional rice liquor in Cambodian markets. This study aimed to assess the possibility of value addition on the traditional rice liquor in Cambodian markets. First, consumers had structured interviews with questionnaires to identify consumption trends and preferences on rice liquor and other alcoholic beverages. Second, liquor produced with the modified techniques underwent consumer tests on its quality and sales price in 2009. Finally, quality liquor with the required registration for commercialization was trialed to identify the possibility of adding value to the products in Phnom Penh markets from 2010 to 2011. The survey results found that traditional rice liquor was consumed more in rural areas than the urban areas. More males consumed rice liquor than females, who mostly consumed medicinal and fruit liquor. A consumer test was conducted with tasting, observing bottled products, and labeling after a quality check. Both Cambodians and foreigners’ evaluated liquor produced with modified techniques and indicated the possibility of putting a higher price as commercialized products. After registering for commercialization, the quality rice liquor was trialed for marketing and sales. These activities attracted several supermarkets, restaurants, and souvenir shops, and a sales contract was agreed for more than ten times higher than the sales price at the local markets. These results showed that the traditional rice liquor with value addition might gain market shares by ensuring product quality and safety.

In most developing countries like Tanzania, poor farmers have limited access to agricultural inputs. In case of sunflower seed, one of the proposed solutions is through use of contract farming among the farmers. In the country, sunflower oil has been preferred as edible cooking oil for many households since it is much safer for human consumption. Despite the government’s new agricultural policy, contract farming has been facing some challenges in coordination such as pricing, trust, arrangement for the delivery of the inputs, procedures for paying farmers, poor credit (cash) services as agreed of the contract. The study aims to investigate the impact of contract farming program among sunflower farmers. Specifically, the study aims to (i) determine households’ background characteristics; (ii) examine contract arrangement of sunflower seeds in Tanzania; (iii) discuss the farmers’ perception in terms of trust, and personal relations play for their coordination. The field study was conducted in August and September 2019, selecting 80 farmers in two regions in Central Tanzania. Among them 40 farmers were sunflower producers with contract farming with Three Sisters Company Ltd and Ikungi Sunflower Edible Cooking Oil Company for eight (8) years; 40 farmers were sunflower producers without contract farming. Based on the field study, contract terms and conditions, hereafter called contract design attributes such as mode of payment and price setting of farmers’ crop produce can affect farmers’ decisions to participate in contract farming, varyingly affecting their expected level of utility from participation. On the other hand, in contract farming, farmers produce quality seeds with high cooking oil content. Surprisingly, in contract terms, prices are not set in advance, contract farmers sell their produce with similar price to the local sunflower seed. Finally, lack of education was the factor for non-contract farmers to participate in contract farming.

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, also known as K to 12 Program, primarily aims to bring the Philippine education system at par with international standards through preparing graduates for college education, employment, or entrepreneurship. The Philippines has a clearer model with four Senior High School tracks compared to other countries. As the new program puts focus on student-centered learning, the quality of agriculture teacher education seems to be left behind. Previous literatures show that majority of the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) still has not aligned their curriculum to the needs of the K to 12 Program while current high school agriculture teachers have insufficient relevant trainings or seminars that relates to teaching strategies and in-service specialization. Aside from the effect of TEIs, one of the factors that can affect the quality of teachers is their teaching attitude. Teaching attitude encompasses complex topics, but this study focused only on preferences and motivations of high school agriculture teachers as these can be reflected to the interventions done in concurrent challenges in the Philippine education and agriculture. This study employed a semi-structured questionnaire for preferences on teaching and teaching agriculture and motivations in teaching. A five-point Likert-type scale revealed that the median for both preferences was ’5’ which means most of the respondents have ’very high’ preferences. This is despite only one (1) among seven (7) respondents stated that the first choice of profession was teaching. Qualitative analysis revealed that respondents encountered challenges in school facilities, professional development focusing on content knowledge, and lack of teaching and non-teaching personnel. The recommendation of this study is to focus on improving the holistic skills of high school agriculture teachers not only in teaching strategies but in content knowledge as well since these relate to their professional development.

Black gram, a pulse, is one of the major export crops in Myanmar. Because of a decline in the maximum possible yield of this crop in farmers’ fields, a yield gap exists between potential and farmers’ actual yields. Reducing the gap between actual and potential yields is critical for increasing crop production. This study was carried out to generate yield gap mapping, and to investigate the reasons responsible for this yield gap in black gram production. An annual survey was carried out to determine farmers’ actual yield at Kyee Inn Village, Pyinmana Township during October 2017 and 2018. Drone photos were consolidated and prepared for digitizing and analyzed with Pix4D software. ArcGIS 10.7 software was used to map the spatial distribution of the yield gap of black gram in the selected area. Yield gaps of black gram with a range of 0.02 t ha^-1 to 2.70 t ha^-1 in the two consecutive years were observed. The yield gap between potential and farmers’ actual yields (Yield Gap I) was greater in 2018 compared to the 2017 season. The gap between the yield obtained through an organized farm trials and the yield harvested by the farmers (Yield Gap II) was also larger in 2018 than that for the 2017 crop season. A technology gap for the variety Yezin- 6 (0.68 t ha^-1) was observed in 2018 whereas there were no gaps for Yezin-2 and Yezin-5 in 2017 and non for these varieties in the 2018 post-monsoon season. The reasons these large yield gaps may exist, is probably due to differences in crop management practices used at the experimental stations and those by farmers. The results of this study should provide useful information for policymakers, researchers, extension agents, and other stakeholders to upgrade a location-specific package of practices and increase crop yield by supporting technological solutions and training for the farmers.

Two of the major problems worldwide are the decreasing number of new farmers and aging of existing ones. These problems correlate to the challenges of the increasing demand on safe food and food production of the growing population. Decreased number of new farmers can be associated with the perception of new generations towards agriculture as most of them do not see farming as a lucrative profession. In addition, farming is also known to be a back-breaking, underrated, and undervalued occupation which leads the current farmers to think twice about handing-over their farm to their successors. In order to change the discernment of the society towards farming and to boost the confidence of farmers to bequeath their farm to their children, this paper aimed to understand and interpret farmers’ attitude and behavior towards farm succession. Specifically, this clarified the farmers’ actual situation on the ground, their attitude and behavior, and their family’s perception about farming. Organic farmers in Laguna, Philippines, were interviewed and observed. Life History Approach (focused on analyzing of the farmers’ lives to farm succession) and Grounded Theory Approach (provided guidelines to identify categories and make links and establish relationships between categories) were utilized. Results showed that farmers had varied perceptions in transferring knowledge and motivations to their successors. Upon being acknowledged in the society, most of the farmers’ moral were uplifted. They displayed positive attitude and outlook towards agriculture that were reflected through their encouraging behavior to engage their children in farming. Their children were also proud of their farmer-parents. In general, farm succession is one way to ensure agricultural sustainability. In order to do so, situation of farmers on the real ground must be understood through proper interpretation of their attitude and behavior that greatly affect farm succession.

Although contributing only less than five percent to GDP, agriculture remains one of the top employers in Namibia, with livestock production being the top earner. The national agriculture policy has highlighted the lack of capacity as one of the constraints in the industry. Both private and public training institutions in Namibia have had numerous training such as rangeland management, farm infrastructure, and animal health, and seldom focus on the postproduction activities such as markets and marketing. This study aimed to assess the challenges of agribusiness training in Namibia as identified by livestock farmers. An in-depth literature review on Namibian agribusiness training looking at national policies that address agricultural training and farm survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted. The 33 respondents were from three regions of Namibia: Erongo, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions, and three land tenures: communal, commercial, and resettlement farms. Natural phenomena including drought and lack of water were crucial challenges identified by livestock farmers. Other challenges such as access to markets, few buyers in the market, and lack of coordination were among the critical agribusiness factors highlighted by most farmers. Commercial farmers were the main market of communal livestock which are considered of low quality. Communal livestock farmers lamented the lack of market options available. Thus, Namibia needs to implement a training policy that captures aspects of livestock marketing that integrates various levels of farmers from communal level to the commercial level.

With abundant natural and cultural resources, Indonesia has great potential in the tourism sector significantly contributing to GDP. To achieve its long-term benefits, there is a need to address tourism development, focusing mainly on how to create various types of tourism combined with education and the environment, such as agritourism. Mekarsari Fruit Garden (MFG) is Indonesia’s largest agritourism destination and education, research, and training center for horticultural plant germplasm. Although MFG experienced a 70% drastic decrease in visitors in 2013, visitors started to increase in 2014. However, MFG has not reached the same number of visitors as its peak years. This study aimed to determine visitor perception and agritourism economic value of MFG in Bogor Regency, West Java, towards finding sustainable and innovative ways to increase visitors and expand the business. Specifically, this study aimed to identify visitor characteristics and their perception of MFG using factor analysis, determine the frequency of visits and economic value using the travel cost method, and formulate the sustainable development plan for MFG. A questionnaire survey of 321 visitor-respondents and key-informant interviews of MFG executives were also conducted. Factor analysis on visitor perception identified three factors: (1) location, facilities, and agritourism operation characteristics, (2) agritourism attractiveness characteristics, and (3) agritourism support characteristics. Moreover, the travel cost method revealed that MFG had a high economic value amounting to Rp 107 billion per year. As a recommendation, MFG should continue its operations and improve its facilities and services offered due to prevailing high economic value and the willingness of its visitors to pay more, in addition to its significant role as the preservation and education center of tropical horticulture in Indonesia.

The addition of compost to the soil can increase the efficiency of chemical fertilizers, improve plant growth, and sustain the environment. This field experiment was conducted at Yezin Agricultural University Farm, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw, during the 2020 wet season, from July to November, to investigate sustainable rice production along with optimum farm productivity. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The treatments were as follows; T1 (control, no fertilizer), T2 (100-16-66-12 N, P, K, S) kgha^-1, T3 (4 ton ha^-1 Compost), and T4 (4 ton ha- 1Compost and 50-8-33-6 N, P, K, S) kgha^-1. Urea, Triple superphosphate, Muriate of potash, and Gypsum were used as sources of N, P, K, and S and the rice variety tested was Sinthukha. The plant growth characteristics were collected at biweekly intervals and yield and yield components were recorded at harvest time. Results showed yield and yield components responded to the application of different treatments. The number of panicles hill^-1, the number of spikelets panicle^-1, filled grain percent, and harvest index were superior in T4 than for other treatments. The maximum grain yield (7.93 ton ha^-1) was observed in T4, followed by (7.03 ton ha^-1) T2 and (6.36 ton ha^-1) T3 treatments and the minimum grain yield (5.71 ton ha^-1) was produced under T1 conditions. According to the results of this study, the application of compost reduces the number of unfilled grain per panicle compared to the control. Therefore, it is necessary to apply organic materials such as compost, which is cheaper than chemical fertilizers and which promotes the recovery soil nutrients. Application of compost increases the yield of rice grain from 11 to 39% compared to the control.

Rice is the main staple crop, followed by cassava and corn in Cambodia. Annually, million tons of these crops are produced with the particularly need is its grain or root. After harvesting, these crop residues are usually collected for various purposes. Some of them are burned (the easiest option for farmers), which leads to loss nutrients and air and environmental pollution. However, it is limited report on these crop wastes production and utilization, and the crop residues management remain a challenge in Cambodia. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess to what extent that crop residues are available for further processing in Cambodia manufacture. Two hundred eighty eight key informers, were selected purposively to be interviewed through structure-questionnaire interview. The results showed that the crop residues were produced annually approximately 8.6, 0.9, and 2.9 million ton for rice, corn and cassava, respectively. The rice straw was collected for supplementary feed to cattle, vegetable mulch-based and mushroom production. The cassava stem was collected for next year planting and selling to other farmers. In term of quantity, the crop residues collection was just to meet the household’s utilizations and the remaining are burned. For better crop waste management and practice, other alternative uses, for instance development of packaging products, construction materials, paper and renewable energy such as biogas and bio-energy using these residues, will change the open-field option and add value chains to the farm owners and rural people.

The unfavorable impacts of climate change are experienced all over the world. Afghanistan is among the countries that are severely affected by the impacts of climate change. The adverse effect on water resources constitutes one of the most negative effects. Currently, water management authorities and researchers look for improved water management techniques that will reduce the pressure on the already stressed water resources. Surface runoff harvesting is becoming more popular in regions with an arid-semi-arid climate, such as Afghanistan because of the increasing demand for scarce water resources. Therefore, a study was carried out to analyze the water harvesting potential in Qargha Reservoir Watershed, and to evaluate the effectiveness of clayey dressing application in maximizing surface runoff compared to control conditions. Rational method and sorptivity method were used to estimate the potential surface runoff and clayey dressing (silty clay loam and clay loam) was applied as a conservation strategy. A small area of 2 ha was selected in suitable areas of Qargha Reservoir Watershed. Based on 16 rainfall events, the volume of surface runoff estimated by the rational method was 509.40 m³, which was larger than the 478.34 m³, estimated by the sorptivity method. After clayey dressing application, the estimated volume of surface runoff based on the rational method increased to 1392.36 m³. Furthermore, the estimated volume of surface runoff after clayey dressing calculated with the sorptivity method increase to 1608.46 m³ based on 16 rainfall events. Proper soil surface treatment such as application of clayey dressing is highly recommended for achieving sustainable agriculture.

Canopy Cover (CC) is a significant indicator of crop development and estimation of the evapotranspiration volume of crop leaves within crop simulation models. During the last three decades, monitoring CC for crops using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained from satellite sensors has been studied worldwide. However, a few studies have estimated the CC of crops using NDVI by UAVs. One of UAV imagery’s crucial advantages is a high resolution of less than 0.10 m, while the resolution of satellite imagery is usually larger than 10 m. Now that the UAV has become a popular method in agriculture science, it is necessary to prove the interchangeability of UAV and satellite imagery of monitoring CC. In this study, small UAVs took RGB and multispectral images of the experimental peanuts field in Hokkaido. Orthomosaic and reflectance map of the field were constructed using the UAV imagery and then were obtained CC and NDVI values with GIS software. CC was calculated as the green canopy area ratio, extracted from the orthomosaic using a GIS supervised classification tool. CC was compared with NDVI values under various resolutions of 0.50 m, 1.0 m, 2.5 m, 5.0 m, and 10 m. The NDVI showed a highly correlated linear relationship with CC under each ground resolution from 0.10 m to 10 m (R² led a range of 0.88** to 0.94**). The shapes of NDVI and CC’s regression equations closely resembled each other, with the slopes of 1.06 to 1.11 and the intercepts of 0.247 to 0.250, respectively. From the result of ANCOVA, the UAV imagery resolution has no significant impact on NDVI and CC’s relationship. Although more irrelevant factors, such as soil and mulching seat, got included within one pixel of the images, the regression equations stayed the same with the increased ground resolution.

The equilibrium moisture contents of cooked milled rice in the desorption process were measured at several temperatures (20-60°C) and relative humidity levels (10-86%) by a static method. The equilibrium moisture content of the sample increased with increasing equilibrium relative humidity at a constant temperature and increased with a decrease in temperature at any given equilibrium relative humidity. The Chen-Clayton equation, which is a sorption isotherm, was used to express the relationship between the equilibrium moisture content of the sample, equilibrium relative humidity, and absolute temperature. The latent heat of vaporization of water for the cooked rice was calculated by using the Chen-Clayton equation and thermodynamic theory (Clapeyron equation). At a moisture content of 15-30% (d.b.) (d.b.: the amount of water per unit mass of dry matter present in the material), the latent heat of vaporization of the sample decreased almost exponentially with an increase in moisture content. For samples at a moisture content above 50% (d.b.), the values of latent heat of vaporization sufficiently approached that of free water.

The thin-layer drying characteristics of cooked milled rice during hot air drying were measured at four temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60 °C) and at a relative humidity of 40%. The hot air-drying process of the sample was composed of the first falling rate, and the exponential model was applied to predict the changes in moisture content of the sample at each temperature. The drying rate constant of the sample increased as temperature increased and was expressed as an Arrhenius-type equation. The water absorption characteristics of dried cooked milled rice when soaking in water were examined at four temperatures (70, 80, 90, and 98 °C). The ratios of the changes in moisture content from 8 to 150% (d.b.) were converted from the data of changes in moisture content. The first-order reaction rate equation could be applied to explain the water absorption process of samples. The water absorption rate constant had a tendency to increase with increasing soaking temperature and was expressed as a function of soaking temperature by an Arrhenius-type equation.

A decline in the demand for using bamboo products has led to abandoned bamboo forests in Japan. To reduce the area of abandoned bamboo forests, the use of bamboo as a construction material and bamboo charcoal as an absorbent have gained considerable attention in recent years. In the literature, many studies have described the formation of biofilms on biochar, leading bamboo charcoal to be considered as a microbial carrier. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of bamboo charcoal as the microbial carrier of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for phosphate removal. Bamboo charcoal was immersed in a LAB solution for 24 h for LAB to adhere to the bamboo charcoal. Then, the bamboo charcoal was placed in a bamboo fermented solution. Two types of bamboo charcoal, i.e., without pretreatment and dissolved in tap water, were used in the experiments. The experiments were also conducted with and without aeration to determine the effects of oxygenation. The bamboo charcoal without pretreatment displayed an increase in the phosphate concentration, indicating that phosphate was released from the bamboo charcoal. LAB-attached bamboo charcoal demonstrated a much smaller increase in phosphate concentration, suggesting phosphate was consumed by LAB. Experiments with dissolved bamboo charcoal also indicated a reduction in the phosphate concentration. The removal rate of phosphate decreased with an increase in the solution pH, suggesting that alkaline conditions limited the activity of the bacteria. Furthermore, the redox potential of the solution became negative in the solution without aeration. Overall, the results demonstrated that bamboo charcoal could be a LAB carrier; however, the bamboo charcoal must be dissolved prior to its use for phosphate removal. Furthermore, aeration and an acidic during phosphate removal are needed to obtain a higher removal rate when using LAB.

Sustainable rice cultivation is the goal of agricultural development in Thailand. With that in mind, the Thai rice department started the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) in Ubon Ratchathani Province, one of the most important jasmine rice production areas of Thailand. Previous studies have shown that most of the paddy fields were in the essential level or "working towards sustainable rice cultivation", the intermediate level of sustainability, while non-paddy fields achieved an overall Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) score that allowed them to claim to be sustainable rice farms. The purpose of this study was to identify the significant factors that affected sustainability in the group of practices called "SRP theme" and the constraints of rice cultivation development. The study was conducted on 85 farmers in Det Udom district, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were collected. The results showed that farm size had a significant effect on the Pre-planting theme (a group of pre-plating activities), water management and nutrient management for the SRP score; a larger farm can lead to higher scores. The integrated farming system had a significant effect on farm management, harvest and post- harvest theme. Paddy fields that used the integrated farming system accomplished higher scores. The certified rice program had a highly significant effect on farm management, pre- planting, harvest, and post-harvest theme, including the health and safety theme. Moreover, certified rice programs for farmers (Organic, Good Agricultural Practice - GAP and Sustainable Rice Platform- SRP farmers) enabled higher sustainability rice cultivation scores.

Many countries have controlled measures for imported agricultural commodities. The Department of Agriculture has taken responsibility for the organic agriculture certification, including the quality control of agricultural commodities within the Thai Agricultural Standards (TAS) in the upper-northeast region of Thailand (11 provinces). The objective of this study was to report the factors involved in obtaining and maintaining organic agriculture certification within the entire chain of production. Within our initial year in 2018, there were 73 farms with organic certification (21.92%) and 260 non-certified farms (78.08%) from a total population of 333 farms. The 100% organic certifications consisted of 32 certified farms (86.47%) and 5 non-certified farms (13.51%) from a population of 37 farms. A reassessment of 68 farms at the end of 2018 determined that 63 farms (92.65%) had obtained organic certification versus 5 non-certified farms (7.35%). In the transition period into 2019, 60 farms (28.17%) had obtained organic certification, whereas 153 farms were non-certified (71.83%) from 213 farms. The 100% organic certification was achieved by 56 farms (94.92%) with only 3 uncertified farms (5.09%) from a population of 59 farms. Our re- assessment produced 78 certified farms (98.73%) and only a single non-certified farm (1.27%) from 79 farms. The trend of certifications over two years (2018 and 2019) showed that certified organic agriculture production increased from 38.37 to 55.27%, whereas non- certifications decreased from 61.64 to 44.73%; from 438 to 351 farms, respectively. We determined that there were six main reasons for non-certification of farms: the inability to sustain organic agricultural production within TAS; the lack of a buffer zone to deter pollution from adjacent plantations; the lack of available recorded data for both traceability and verification; the use of chemicals that did not follow TAS protocols; planting areas within some environments caused the contamination of hazardous substances; and, several farms did not have the proper land-rights documents. Improvements and compliance within these areas will, therefore, result in an environmental ecological balance, as well as increased food safety.

Streamflow and sediment yield are important indicators to understand the alterations in hydrological processes as well as the supply and transformation of nutrients and biological productivity in the ecosystem. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and applicability of the APEX model in estimating streamflow, sediment yield, and quantifying the soil erosion in Stung Chinit Catchment. The result indicates that the APEX model performed well in accurately simulating the monthly streamflow and annual sediment yield in the watershed. The overall statistical indicators (NSE, R², and PBIAS) of streamflow calibration (1997-2015) were 0.60, 0.62, and 2.50%, respectively. The validation statistical indicators (NSE, R², and PBIAS) for streamflow were 0.71, 0.80, and 28.22%, respectively. The mean annual surface runoff was 212.03 mm; varied from 72.56 mm to 435.59 mm. The average annual sediment yield varied from 10.21 tons/ha/year in the lowlands of the Stung Chinit catchment main river channel to 68.2 tons/ha/year in the highlands, with an annual average of 29.2 tons/ha/year. Most of the sediment yield came from the eastern part and near the outlet of the Stung Chinit catchment.

Chitosan extraction methods have not been applied and optimized in Cambodia whose seafood industry produced tons of shrimp shell waste yearly. This study adopted the chemical extraction method and optimized the deacetylation step from chitin to chitosan using different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Shrimp waste (exoskeleton) was sequentially treated with NaOH (3.5%) for deproteination at 80oC; HCl (4%) for demineralization at 80oC; NaClO (0.315%) for decolorization at ambient temperature, and NaOH (40%, 50%, 60%) at 120oC for deacetylation. Chitosan yield, moisture content, total ash, lipid, fiber, solubility, nitrogen content, viscosity, and degree of deacetylation were determined. The commercial chitosan bought from a local market was included for comparison. NaOH at 50% was found to be the optimum concentration for deacetylation based on increased solubility (96.27%), reduced ash content (0.56%) and increased degree of deacetylation (83.23) as compared to that of 40% NaOH (93.61% solubility, 1.25% ash content, and 74.45 degree of deacetylation) though chitosan yield in the former (20.59%) was lower than that in the latter (25.23%). Increasing the NaOH level to 60% had no significant advantage. Lipid and fiber contents were not significantly affected. The characteristics of chitosan extracted with 50% NaOH at deacetylation stage were comparable to that of the commercial chitosan.

In Cambodia, organic farming under contract farming scheme is considered as one of the measures for better access to markets and poverty reduction since 2012. Previous literature revealed that organic rice farmers can generate more profit by engaging in contract farming. But only a few organic farming cases under contract farming succeeded. Since there was a lack of empirical study on current condition and issues of contract farming design and arrangement, this study clarified the effectiveness of organic rice contract farming arrangement and determined the most suitable contract farming model for small-scale farmers to maximize economic benefits. From a total of 5,053 organic rice contract farming households in Preah Vihear province, a total of 90 respondents were randomly selected. In the study area, two different organic rice contract farming models were found, namely intermediary model (Model A) and the multipartite model (Model B). Economic analysis approach revealed that even farmers in model A received a higher rice price than model B, but there were still model A farmers who did side-selling much more than model B farmers. Thus, third-party in model B seemed to play an essential role in contract farming to make proper arrangements as well as to balance the bargaining between farmers and contractors. In general, model B contract farming (also known as multi partite model) is recommended for organic rice farmers to maximize their economic benefits as well as profits.

Learning in the digital age of the 21^st century and globalization era, a knowledge- based society, expects students to master the 21^st century skills or global competencies rather than being excelled in their academic performance. The cross-cultural learning concept supports learning in this era that focuses on the learning of diverse people and cultural differences by organizing mutual learning on issues of mutual interests to create wide and varied learning in line with the needs of the learners and the current trend of global change. This learning is also in accordance with the needs of 4-H club members that has a variety of learning needs as well as having a variety of learning styles. The objectives of this research were to develop and evaluate a learning model on cross-cultural distance education in agriculture. The research and development model were used. The populations were 1) 162 4- H club members from Thailand and the United States. Quantitative data were collected from the sample size of 75 using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. 2) educational experts in Thailand and the United States. 15 experts was determined by using purposive sampling method. Qualitative data was collected using focus group and analyzed by content analysis. The results showed that developing a learning model according to the 4- H needs included learning interest, expectation, experiences, and knowledge. The development of a model of distance learning management in cross-cultural agriculture for 4- H is divided into 4 phases as follows: seminar defining the learning model, implementation of learning model, evaluation of learning Model, and conducting seminar and summarizing the learning model. From the evaluation of learning model regarding learning characteristics, learning methods, learning channels and tools, learning period, learning style and learning support, 4-H revealed that they were appropriate usefulness and satisfaction at high level and highest level.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most popular fruits in tropical countries. The postharvest losses of mango fruits in developing countries are still high and facing the economic loss. Myanmar mango is harvested only once a year, there is often an oversupply which leads to low prices and product losses at harvest time. This study was conducted to investigate the existing handling practices and to identify the losses concerned with the major problems facing the handling of mango in selected areas during mango season of May 2017. A total of 120 respondents from mango growers of Mandalay and Sagaing regions were randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires. The total loss of 32%- 52% of mango fruits were observed during postharvest handling and transportation due to poor transportation infrastructure and bad road conditions in production sites. The temporary transportation was used trailer which is driven by motorbike for local market and ten-wheeled truck without cooling system was used for export market. The loss in harvesting stage was 10-20% responded by the growers due to the harvesting tool and which was picking the fruit with a long bamboo-hook or ladder to reach the high plant. Thus, postharvest losses of mango fruit were the highest percent in study areas. Currently, mango growers were directly sent to local wholesale and China border markets by non-refrigerated truck. No collective bargaining takes place on the price and each farmer interacts individually with the brokers or buyers by receiving market price. The 79% of mango growers were commonly practiced for temporary bulk package of bamboo basket followed by the use of plastic crate of 15% from the farm site to destined markets All growers mostly and currently used the packaging style of individual fruit wrapping by paper in plastic crate for export market. One of the major constraints is the scarcity of labor in mango season by the results of 73% responded by the mango growers. Regarding the perception of growers, more than 50% of respondents have knowledge and experiences on postharvest handling managements, however, trainings on systematic handling practices among the stakeholders were still needed to reduce the losses.

Wastewater management in Phnom Penh is always a concern for the Royal Government of Cambodia as well as citizens of the capital. All wastewater and sewage from the households and the industries are untreated discharges into the city’s wetlands, such as Cheung Ek, Tompun, Trabek Lakes. Cheung Ek Lake is the biggest and terminal lake in the chain of water systems before discharging into Bassac and Mekong River. Apart from the purification of the wastewater, the lake ecosystem also has an important economic function. Local people use the lake for fishing and to cultivate aquatic plants such as water morning glory (Ipomoea aquatica) and water mimosa (Neptunia oleracea). Considering these aspects, the objectives of this study are to (i) analyze water quality in Cheung Ek Lake during the rainy season; (ii) study the economic balance and the price-chain of water morning glory production. The water samples were collected on three different days at three points in the lake (inlet, middle and outlet) and analyzed for pH, EC, Fe, DO, PO₄^3- and NO₃^-. Semi-structured questionnaires were designed for the economic analysis, and a total of 20 farmers were interviewed for social characteristics, input and output costs, and the water morning glory market channel of water morning glory production. Except for phosphate concentrations which was higher at the inlet site, the other nutrient content poses no threat to environmental pollution. Additionally, the lake’s chemical load were lower at the outlet than at the inlet. In terms of economic benefit, the net profit from the production was 23.77 USD per day/ha. Despite the fact that the farmers spent a lot of money on hiring the manpower, the profits from the sale was sufficient. The production’s economic efficiency was 1.80. The result of water quality and economic showed lake perform a role in removing pollutants and provide economic benefits to the farmers.

Land use-land cover changes (LULCC) brought by increasing population and food demand could affect not only the fluxes of water, sediment, contaminants and energy, but also ecological, physical and socioeconomic aspects in the environment. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to examine the effects of LULCC on hydrological processes of Stung Sangkae catchment in Tonle Sap Basin, Cambodia. The performance of the model was evaluated through uncertainty sensitivity analysis, calibration, and validation. The time series of LULCC were used to estimate the streamflow and the water balance in the catchment based on five interval years (1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018). From 1998 to 2018, the coverages of forest land, wetland, and the paddy rice decreased by 5.1%, 1.4%, and 1.2%, respectively. The forest land and wetland were converted into cultivated land with an increase of about 7.6% over the study periods. These changes resulted in significant variations of water balance (2000-2018) namely: i) an increase of average annual surface runoff (SURFQ) by 10 mm; ii) 3 mm reduction of the average annual lateral flow (LATQ); iii) 6.2 mm reduction of the average annual groundwater (GW); iv) reduction of the average annual evapotranspiration (ET) by 0.97 mm; and v) an increase of average annual water yield by 0.9 mm. On a monthly basis, the model results had shown a reasonable agreement with the observed values as shown by the coefficient of determination (R²) = 0.41, Nash Sutcliff efficiency (NSE) = 0.40, and percent of bias (PBIAS) = 0.34. Based on the validated water discharge and water balance results in 2018, LULCC have impacted the environmental sustainability, especially the streamflow that caused flooding at the downstream watershed due to decline in forest cover at the watershed.

This study discussed the possibility of producing and distributing healthy cassava seeds in Cambodia. Since 2015, there has been no official healthy seed certification and distribution system in Cambodia despite the rapid spread of the Sri Lankan Cassava Mosaic Disease in Southeast Asia. To improve cassava production and its sustainability, we conducted interviews using a structured questionnaire in Battambang and Pailin Provinces from April to November 2017 and received responses from 205 cassava producers. The results showed that most producers reused seeds from the previous years’ harvest and indicated considerable market interest for healthy cassava seeds in Cambodia. Finally, we found that training and information on healthy seed production combined with stringent pest and disease monitoring efforts are essential. This study suggests that a market-based, healthy cassava seed distribution system can be established in Cambodia.

This study discusses the current status of cassava producers in Vietnam, the demand for healthy cassava seeds, and the potential for a healthy seed production and distribution system. Owing to the recent spread of Sri Lankan Cassava Mosaic Disease in South East Asia, the government-led agricultural extension system and the informal cassava production and distribution system in Vietnam have sought a "health" seed production system. To improve the existing system and contribute to sustainable cassava production in Vietnam, we conducted interviews using a structured questionnaire in Dong Nai, Gia Lai, and Tay Ninh provinces from April to December 2017 and received responses from 182 cassava producers. The results show that the majority of cassava producers rely on this crop for their income. Therefore, they are interested in purchasing healthy seeds, and their willingness to pay is statistically significantly higher than the purchasing price in all three provinces. Based on the results and the existing cassava production and distribution system in Dong Nai, this project instituted a monitoring system, polymerase chain reaction testing, and a healthy seed certification system. This study found that seed producers face several difficulties, including implementing a monitoring and management system. Thus, there is potential for establishing a healthy cassava seed production and distribution system in Vietnam.

During a crop’s transition from farm to consumer, much of the crop is lost due to several factors, including improper handling, inefficient processing facilities, and biodegradation due to microorganisms and insects. This study was conducted with two objectives: to measure the extent of postharvest losses of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon sesame in field operations, i.e. in the harvesting, stacking, drying of stalks, threshing and winnowing processes, and also to determine the quantity lost with the use of different types of packaging materials used for storage. The research was conducted in Pwintphyu and Pakokku Townships, Magway Region, Myanmar in July and December 2016. The postharvest losses were measured at harvesting, stacking, stalk drying, threshing and the winnowing stages on the farms. When comparing postharvest losses, losses were higher in pre-monsoon sesame than post-monsoon sesame, except at the harvesting stage. The total losses were found to be more in the pre-monsoon crop (21.34%) compared to the post- monsoon crop (11.88%). In regard to contribution to total losses, the storage loss accounted for the major part (71.42%) of the total postharvest losses in pre-monsoon sesame. For the remaining losses, 22.35% occurred during stalks drying and threshing process, 3.47% when stacking, with 1.45% of loss during harvest and 1.31% at winnowing. For post-monsoon sesame, storage losses comprised 91.08% of total losses, followed by harvest loss (6.48%), stalks drying and threshing (1.68%), winnowing (0.59%) and stacking (0.17%). To assess the storage losses resulting from the use of different packaging materials, two types of packaging materials were tested. The harvested sesame seed was stored in pioneer superbags and woven polypropylene bag for eight months at farmers’ houses. At the end of this period, weight losses for the pre-monsoon sesame occurred in sesame stored in both superbags and woven polypropylene bags. However, losses for the post-monsoon sesame occurred only the woven polypropylene bag.