Cambodia, Social-ecological transformation

Pesticide and Herbicide Use: The Impacts on Small-Scale Farmers in the Romeas Haek, Romdoul, and Svay Chrum Districts of Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia

The transition from subsistence farming to follow the global push for the Green Revolution and market-ori- ented agricultural production methods promised to alleviate poverty and reduce pressure on land and natural resources. This change in agricultural practices has taken place since the early 1980s when the Vietnamese came to Cambodia and brought with them the concept of the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution saw the arrival both of new rice varieties and more modern agricultural technology for Cambo- dian farmers. Currently, the large and medium-scale farmers are motivated to adopt high-tech mechanical tools and methods of cultivation.

 

This study analyzed three significant aspects of small-scale farmers’ use of agrochemical inputs in their rice farming and other crop production methods. It documents the pressures of the green-revolution-in- spired innovations of agricultural production methods and small-scale farmers’ shift toward agrochemical inputs. This trend was vital to increase yields but ignored the severe impacts that agrochemical inputs have on human health, the environment, biodiversity, and livelihoods.

Information

Publisher: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

Author: Ang Cheatlom

Date: 2021-07-04

Pages: 40

Download: EN

Hashtags: #Pesticide #Herbicide #Farmers

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