IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2016) 7-1

Invited article

Bridging Sustainable Agriculture and Education for
Sustainable Development
MARIO T. TABUCANON*United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, Japan
Email: mario.tabucanon@gmail.com

MACHITO MIHARA
Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
Received 12 January 2016

Accepted 12 February 2016(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract When multi-stakeholders in local communities come together to tackle sustainable
development problems, they not only offer solutions to local constituents, but also create impact
to the broader policymaking process at local, regional and national levels. A United Nations
University flagship project, namely a network of Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) indicates that local networking for sustainable
development, and in particular for sustainable agriculture, can be an effective approach for local
communities to employ learning tools in ESD to improve the situation and render positive
influence in policymaking. RCEs on ESD, as an innovative platform for multi-stakeholder
networking at the local and regional level, has proven to be an effective vehicle for promoting
sustainable agriculture, linking sustainable livelihood and ESD, involving farmers, school
teachers, students, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the community.
Keywords sustainable agriculture, Education for Sustainable Development, ESD,
Regional Centre of Expertise, sustainability, UNU, RCE

UNSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES – A CASE IN CAMBODIA
Kampong Cham is a rural province of Cambodia with an area of nearly 10,000 square kilometers. Due tothe rapid increase in population, the province faces food security concerns. Farmers have resorted to theuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and other unsustainable practices, to increase farm productivity.
These practices have not only affected the health of farmers and their families, but have contaminated thesoil, jeopardizing the environment and degrading the area as a whole. Specifically in the investigatedtarget areas, located in the Samroung commune of the Kampong Cham province, the use of agricultural
fertilizers and pesticides has rapidly increased over the past decade, contributing to a higher agricultural
productivity in the short term. Local farmers that suffered from several ailments such as throat pain ordermatitis have been eager to shift to a more sustainable farming system, based on natural resource
circulation. However, the lack of knowledge and resources has hampered the shift towards practicing
sustainable agriculture. Government policy to rectify unsustainable agricultural practices was deemedimperative.
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER NETWORKINGThe RCE network 1 in Cambodia known as RCE Greater Phnom Penh (GPP) initiated a project on1A Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) is a network of existing formal and non-formal education organizations mobilized to deliver
ESD in the region or locality where it is situated. It creates a platform for dialogue among regional and local ESD stakeholders andfor exchanging information, experience and good practices on ESD. It develops a regional and local knowledge base and assists inⒸ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2016) 7-1‘Promoting Sustainable Agriculture at Kampong Cham Province in Cambodia’, funded by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and executed by the stakeholders of RCE GPP led byERECON2 and the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) of Cambodia, with the cooperation of thelocal government. The aim of the project, which ran from April 2011 to March 2016, was to promotesustainable agriculture, based on natural resource circulation in 11 villages in the Samroung commune.
The project’s goals were to switch to sustainable farming practices and to increase public awareness on
how a region can achieve acceptable economic benefits together with high and sustained productionlevels, while concurrently conserving the environment. The project gave evidence of successfultransformative learning through sustainable agriculture, by teaching farmers about sustainable practices
without or the use of low chemicals, and integrating sustainable agriculture and ESD in school curriculain the region. Lessons learned from reformed farmers’ practices together with ESD general knowledge
and practices were used by the community schools in the area. The school students were themselves
mostly children of farmers, and so learning conversations and practices continued at home. Knowledge
on sustainable agriculture was also passed on from pupils to their non-farming parents. A number offarmers and farmers’ families as well as schools were identified as models, where other members of thecommunity could learn from on sustainable agriculture and ESD.
This project made a case of addressing national policy towards improving agricultural production,
both in terms of quantity and quality of produce in line with the principles of a Green Economy, resulting
in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks andecological scarcities.3 At the same time, the project addressed several Sustainable Development Goals
such as SDG-2 on Hunger, SDG-4 on Education, and SDG-12 on Sustainable Consumption andProduction and was implemented in line with the goals of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants.4 According to the Rector of the Royal University of Agriculture of Cambodia, theproject “supports the vision of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries towards
sustainable natural resource management and conservation, and in particular the Ministry’s policy onagricultural extension. The project has influenced policymaking in the Ministry and created a goodmodel case for promoting the policy of the Cambodian Government on organic agriculture and ESD
transformative learning”.
CAPACITY BUILDING OF FARMERSIn order to effectively change agricultural production practices, farmers’ groups were formed and aseries of workshops conducted, explaining the concept and benefits of sustainable agriculture,including technical aspects as well as how to manage farms and distribute their products. The principal
project proponents – RCE GPP stakeholders such as RUA, ERECON, and local government authorities– worked together to train farmers how to make organic fertilizer, organic pesticides, and utilize
techniques that render the use of chemicals unnecessary, including the use of nets to protect plants andvegetables from various insects. Farmers were also trained how to build and manage composts using
model composts. Learning by using real examples and demonstration models inside the farms proved
effective. In order to widen the participation of farmers across the region, sharing of experiencesamong the farming community was encouraged and ‘workshops-on-the-field’ together with farmers
already practicing agriculture sustainably were organised. A farmers’ committee was set up and acommon pellet compost center built. Training for pellet compost production was conducted for village

promoting vertical alignment of curricula from primary through university education and in linking formal and non-formal sectors of theeducation community.
2
Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with branch office in Phnom Penh,Cambodia.
3UNEP, 2011
4
Stockholm Convention, http://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/ThePOPs/TheNewPOPs/tabid/2511/Default.aspxⒸ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2016) 7-1

leaders and members of farmers’ groups. Transformative learning and real change hinged on capacity
building and in turn influenced the local government to adopt and promote sustainable practices.
PROMOTING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Food, agriculture and environmental education that focuses on sustainable agriculture based on natural
resource circulation was promoted in form of experiential learning using local schools as living
laboratories. With the support of the farmers’ groups, school teachers managed organic school gardensand compost boxes to teach students on the different practices of sustainable agriculture. Together withfarmers, workshops were conducted at selected schools and students demonstrated learning outcomesusing poems and songs pertaining to ESD. In addition, training activities on mixed cropping wereintroduced in schools where students shared their experience from a field visit to Thailand as part ofthe project ESD learning activities. The stakeholders of RCE GPP, mainly RUA, ERECON Cambodia,
school teachers and project advisers, developed teaching materials for the schools. The projecttransformed the schools in the region to adopt ESD in their curricula. It is important to underscore thefact that a majority of these elementary school students do not pursue secondary let alone tertiary
education, and a vast majority of them become farmers themselves. Thus there is a real need to ingrain
the moral imperative of ESD amongst the Youth, so that they create sustainable lifestyles andlivelihoods and carry these on into adult life.
PROMOTING DISTRIBUTION OF GREEN NO/LOW-CHEMICAL INPUT PRODUCTS
By improving the distribution of products with no or low chemical input, the number of farmers who
sold their products on the green market increased. Market surveys were conducted by RCE GPP
stakeholders and the results were shared with the farmers’ respective communities. Farmers wereencouraged to join the Cambodian Organic Agriculture Association (COrAA) to market chemical-freeand organic products with COrAA certification. Market research was carried out to develop a plan forsustainable agriculture product fairs. The Samroung Safe Agricultural Products (SSAP) Shop wasestablished to serve as the main outlet for green agricultural products. During regular meetings, thefarmers shared information on trends of sales of different types of vegetables sold at the SSAP Shop.
The shop has great potential to expand as more farmers come on board and consumers become moreaware of the benefits of healthy organic products. Local governments were advised to promote theseactivities considering the benefit of healthy communities, by drafting policies that encourage thepopulation to consume chemical-free and organic agricultural products.
POLICY RELEVANCE, IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY
Leading by example is an effective approach to policymaking. Stakeholders of the policy-relevant
initiative were not simply beneficiaries, but were also directly involved in project activities on theground. This project is a good example of a local-based network on ESD, RCE GPP assuming
leadership and demonstrating the important role of communities in shaping national and local policies
on sustainable development, specifically in the area of sustainable agriculture. Lessons learned fromthis project can be used to shape government policies that can be implemented in other regions acrossthe country and elsewhere. Farmers have become increasingly committed to sustainable agriculture andnow sell products through the SSAP outlet and other third party buyers. They have also pledged tocontinue the scheme, even beyond the official end of the project, believing wholeheartedly that organic
farming is a pathway to creating sustainable agriculture communities.
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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2016) 7-1

RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on experiences and lessons learned from this project, the following policy recommendations toimplement sustainable agriculture may be considered:・ The use of agricultural chemicals is damaging the soil and water environment of farmlands andhas direct impact on the health of not only of farmers and their families but also the consumers.
Effective policies to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of these chemicals need to beformulated. This would not only address the relevant goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development
Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, but also of the purpose of the Stockholm Convention
on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
・ Regional challenges need to be addressed in a broader context. This can be achieved by addressing
the issues in a triangular manner – sustainable farming, ESD and the social use of sustainable
lifestyle and livelihood.
・ To increase the adaptability of local farmers and the understanding of students to sustainableagriculture, the policy should reflect the need for a multi-stakeholder networking approach that
leads to a series of activities through awareness-raising and learning among farmers, curriculumtransformation in schools, and implementing the notion of sustainable livelihood.
・ For promoting sustainable agriculture practices through organic farming at primary schools, fieldpractices such as vegetable gardening are effective to supplement classroom teaching as life-skill
education. Training for primary school teachers are to be promoted.
・ To move towards ascertaining the quality of education with increasing teachers’ and students’
understanding, offering ESD knowledge and practices conjunctively and providing materials andequipment in an organized and coordinated fashion enhances motivation and learning.
・ On the local community level, workshops on sustainable agriculture, demonstrating how to makea compost box, the use of compost and pellet compost, liquid bio-fertilizer and liquid bio-pesticide,
establishing a model garden, organizing leadership training and study tours will increase theawareness and understanding of sustainable agriculture.
Overall, it is recommended that to aspire for sustainability at the local and regional (subnational)
level, national policy must embrace a type of multi-stakeholder approach, and have a strong evidencedbased, science-society-policy interface. Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD, a global network on
ESD at the local and regional level, can play an important role by bringing all concerned stakeholders
together and join community efforts to make transformative changes.
REFFERENCESERECON. 2015. Grass roots project on promoting sustainable agriculture at Kampong Cham Province inCambodia, Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture Newsletter,Vol. 4.
Fadeeva, Z., Payyappallimana, U. and Petry, R. (Eds.) 2012. Towards more sustainable consumption andproduction systems and sustainable livelihoods – Learning contributions of regional centres of expertise on
education for sustainable development. UNU-IAS, Yokohama, Japan.
Fadeeva, Z., Payyappallimana, U., Tabucanon, M.T. and Chhokar, K.B. (Eds.) 2014. Building a resilient future
through multistakeholder learning and action, Ten years of regional centres of expertise on education forsustainable development. United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability.
Tabucanon, M.T. 2010. Education for sustainable development, Challenges for transformative education andresearch, International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development, 1 (1), 1-6.
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UNEP. 2011. Towards a green economy, Pathways to sustainable development and poverty eradication. ASynthesis for Policy Makers, www.unep.org/greeneconomy.

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