ics factfolder cambodia organic fertilizer project hr def
TRANSCRIPT
Ronaldo Estera Regional Program Manager Asia ICS Asia head offi ceD-19 Angkor shopping arcadeSiem Reap, Cambodia
Offi ce: + (855) (0)63 763 528Mobile: + (855) 97 31 41 051E-mail: [email protected]: ics.ronaldo.estera
For more information:
Joyce RidderhofSocial Business Developer
Smallepad 323811 MG AmersfoortThe Netherlands
Offi ce:+ 31 33 303 0250Mobile:+ 316 43 19 71 28E-mail: [email protected] Skype: joyce.ridderhof
Check our website for all our activities: www.ics.nl
CAMBODIAORGANIC FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTOR
ICS-factfolder-Cambodia Organic Fertilizer Project-2.indd 1-2 07-03-13 16:32
CAMBODIA - ORGANIC FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTOR
ICS (Investing in Children and their Societies) strives towards a better future for children in rural Africa and Asia. Through its projects and programs, it builds
on a sustainable growth in welfare and wellbeing by simultaneously investing in economic and social opportunities and needs. The central building blocks of the work of ICS are social business, child protection and skillful parenting.
The issueIn Northern Cambodia, in Bantaey Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap province, rice farmers face serious constraints on increasing productivity and output quality. Farming systems are largely subsistence ori-ented. Most agricultural activity is based on low input and rain fed production systems centered on paddy rice production. In spite of Cambodia having achieved rice self-suffi ciency (?) and even an exportable surplus, the rice-based farming systems are characterized by low income. The typical farmer growing paddy in these three provinces gets net income per hectare ranging between $35 and $65 per year. The costs for the commercial production of rice, notably for seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and petrol for pumping irrigation water, are dramatically higher than the production costs of subsistence rice farming. With little diversifi cation into other crops and agricul-tural activities, poverty is pervasive. Food insecurity still remains a major concern in some parts of the country, especially in the Northern part of the country. This is also the part where droughts and fl oods have occurred frequently.
Organic Fertilizer DistributionICS is giving poor farmers in Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap provinces access to organic fertilizer. The farmers in these provinces have currently no access to organic fertilizer. They only make use of chemical fertilizer. Some of the disadvantages of chemi-cal fertilizer are: reduced rice yield after using chemical fertilizer for 3 to 4 years, harmful to human body, and decrease of useful insects in the farm. It is the intention of ICS, together with the Multi Purpose Banks (as some of the sub sellers of the organic fertilizer) to boost and strengthen farmers’ use of organic fertilizer
in the next coming years. And also to totally eliminate the use of chemical fertilizer. This will be done in combi-nation with access to quality seeds and training/applica-tion for better results with active technical and invest-ment support from ICS.
“In Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Siem
Reap provinces 85% of the people make a living out of
farming.”
ICS is planning to sell affordable organic fertilizer
to 2000 families in 2013. In a pilot (2012) ICS sold to 300
families within 3 months.
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