http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/events/detail-events/en/c/1262/ Presentation of Sophal Chhong from Farmer and Nature Net (FNN) describing what FNN is doing to promote organic agriculture and ecological agriculture practices. The presentation was prepared and delivered in occasion of the Regional Symposium on Agroecology in Asia and the Pacific, held in Bangkok, Senegal on 24-26 November 2015. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. FARMER AND NATURE NET ( FNN)
FNN history
FNN was established be CEDAC, sponsored by FNF, in December
2003, and officially registered at the Ministry of interior (MoI) on
March 10, 2006. Main goals of FNN are to promote the family
economy of small scale farmers and develop equitable and
sustainable rural community through typical activities of
agricultural extension, saving and credit cooperatives and
business rice cooperatives. Besides that, FNN has also
supported rural farmer youth, poorest and women groups to
raise awareness on management of natural resources, climate
change and advocacy. Up to now FNN working in 16 provinces,
59 districts, 212 communes, 863 village with 1282 saving
group, 320 producer group have 53226 member.

2. ORGANIC AGRICULTURE AND ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE
PRACTICE BY FNN ( FARMER AND NATURE NET)
FNN promoting small scale farmer household
to applies ecological agriculture innovative to
improving their livelihood for sustainable
development in Cambodia, such as
Promoting farmer household to applies new
innovation, Systems of Rice Intensification ( SRI)
 Promoting farmer to growing organic vegetable
and home garden at their homeland for reducing
expenses and health.
Promoting ecological chicken raising ( ECR)

3.  Promoting farmer for using botanical
pesticide, and saving compost
 Promoting national resources
conservation, reforestation.
 Last one linking farmer small scal product
to the market

4. WHAT FNN DOING TO PROMOTE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
AND ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE PRACTICES
FNN promoting small scale farmer household for applying
organic agriculture, and encouraging farmer using local input
for agriculture production and linking all farmer products to
the market.
 Promoting farmer to applies SRI innovation

5.  Promoting farmer to growing organic vegetable

6.  Promoting farmer to applies ecological chicken raising ( ECR)
 Farmer feeding for chicken Separate small chicken

7.  Promoting farmer to using botanical pesticide and compost
 Botanical pesticide Compost manure

8.  Promoting natural resources conservation and tree planting
Community pond for fish conservation Farmer and monk dig community pond

9. FNN PROMOTE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION
General information in Cambodia
1.85% of 15 million Cambodian lives in the rural
area and depend directly and indirectly on
agriculture. The majority of rural poor are
subsistence rice farmers with small land holding
(1-2 ha/family).
2.There is increasing the number of farmers with
land holding less than 0.5ha/family.
3.Agricultural and food production of most farming
household does not reach the subsistence level,
especially mono-rice cropping.

10. According to its natural potential , rice
plants have:
• More profuse tillering, 50 tiller per plant,
with some having many more
• Larger and deeper root system
• Larger panicle
• Higher quality grain, and often higher
grain weight
• SRI methods create a conducive
environment for rice to grow

11. • Tillering potential of rice plant
• Tiller development and root
growth of rice with traditional
and SRI methods

12. For SRI, the best result or the optimal yield is
achieved only through the proper combination
of the improved practices to create synergy
effect. The more good practices farmer can
apply, the more yield they will get
For the first start, if farmers just select only
strong seedling for transplanting, reduce the
number of seedling per clump and shallow
rooted transplanting yield can be increased to
more than 30 % (no extra)

13. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND SRI PRACTICES
Traditional ( conventional)
• Rice field is continuously flooded
with high level of water during the
vegetative stage
• Seedling is raised with too much
water, and the seedling density is
high
• Transplanting too many seedlings
per clump, mixture of weak and
thick seedling
• Seedling age is too old, generally
more than one month
• Seedling is uprooted with
damage to root and stem, and is
kept for one to two days before
transplanting
• Seedlings are transplanted with
close spacing and no equal
SRI
• Only minimal water, preferably
keeping the soil only moist and
dry/wet condition
• Seedling is raised in bed like
vegetable bed, and the seed
density is very low
• Young seedling, preferably less
than 15 day
• Only 1 to 2, but preferably one
seedling per clump, only vigorous
seedling
• Young seedling is uprooted and
transplanted with care,
transplanted immediately after
uprooting
• Wide spacing and square pattern
or in line transplanting

14. HOW TO MAINSTREAM AND INCORPORATE SRI INTO THE
NATIONAL STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF THE
ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF CAMBODIA
• CEDAC’ s own experimentation (1999)
• On farm trial with interested farmers (2000)
• Field day,
• Farmer Exchange
• Regular monitoring and evaluation
• Workshop ( commune, district, province, and
national level)
• Media (Radio, TV, Newspaper)
• Farmer to farmer extension approach

15. • Mobilization of Development Partnership (28
Local 12 International Organization, and 19
Provincial Department of Agricultures)
• Internal and External Evaluation (CEDAC and
GTZ)
• Network of Ecological Agriculture Development
in Cambodia (NEDC)
• SRI Secretariat (CEDAC Representative and
Representative of the Department of
Agriculture and Land Improvement: DALI)

16. During 2014 and this year for promoting SRI, FNN and
CEDAC organizing SRI Award with farmers
• 2014 three farmer will get SRI award
• 2015 five farmer will get SRI award

17. LINKAGE FARMER PRODUCTS TO THE MARKET
Up to 2015, FNN and CEDAC , purchasing
organic paddy from farmer producer group
2000Tone for exportation and 1000Tone for
local market. For exportation we always hire
certification body from BCS ( from Germany) to
certified organic rice for export to USA,
Gemany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Viet
Name. For local market we use the paddy
certification by CEDAC and FNN ( use internal
control system). Up to now 11 markets opening
in the Phnom Penh for selling farmer organic
product, and we ready Installed milling rice five
places

18. CENTRAL MILLING MACHINE FOR EXPORT

19. DISTRICT LEVEL FOR LOCAL MARKET

20. SUCCESSES AND BEST PRACTICE
Farmer improving their livelihood through applies
ecology agriculture ( Increase yield every year )
Farmer have a power for negotiate with middle-man
and also selling agriculture produce in high price than
before ( selling and buying together and through rice
mill cooperative)
Farmer increase saving and have more capital in the
saving association
Farmer producer group easily to access the market
through Natural Agri-product Market

21. CHALLENGES AND LESSON LEARN
• Lack of capital for purchase organic rice
• Competition with exporter
• Paddy flow to border country ( VN and Thai)
• Low quality of paddy
• No dryer machine
LESSON LEARNT
• Working with district cooperative and make a
contract among of paddy for export and selling in
Phnom Penh.
• Creating new market channel for farmer ( niche
market)
• Development through agricultural cooperative

22. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION