IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2020) 11-1

Research article
erd

Vegetable Farming Practices in Cambodia: Case study ofSmall-scale Vegetable Farmers in Kandal, Kampong
Chhnang and Battambang Provinces
THIRA PINN*Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Email: pinnthira@rua.edu.kh

SYDEN REACH
Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

BORARIN BUNTONGRoyal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

ANTONIO ACEDO JR.
Mekong Institute, Thailand
Received 31 January 2020

Accepted 25 March 2020(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract Cambodia shifted from an agrarian-based to a service- and production-based
economy through its fast-economic growth. However, agriculture is still a backbone of theCambodian economy because 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, and around 37
percent of the total workforce remains directly engaged in the agricultural sector. Eventhough the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) considered the enhancement of theagricultural sector as a high priority in its national development agenda for 2014 to 2018,
Cambodia remains a net vegetable importer. Approximately USD 200 million of vegetableproducts are imported informally from Thailand and Vietnam each year. Several researchstudies have been conducted to identify farmers’ constraints. However, challenges faced bysmall-scale vegetable farmers have yet to be clearly characterized. This research aimed toidentify the farming practices and challenges of small-scale vegetable farmers in Cambodia.
There were 40 households, selected by homogeneous purposive sampling method, surveyedfrom the Kandal, Kampong Chhnang and Battambang Provinces. The results of the study aredivided into three parts, with the first component focused on farming practices. There were
12 types of vegetables that were identified as being grown in the studied areas. However,
only 5 types of vegetables were commonly grown by farmers. Chinese mustard (55%) was
the most popular vegetable being grown in the areas, followed by green mustard (50%), pakchoi (45%), leafy mustard (37.5%) and Chinese kale (27.5%). Due to small production size,
almost all interviewed farmers harvested their products by sickle, knife, and/or scissors, andmanual harvest is still in practice by some farmers. Post-harvest activities such as grading,sorting and cleaning products after harvesting and before selling are not commonly practiced
by farmers. Second, the majority of vegetable products are sold to collectors; a small quantityof remaining products is sold to retailers, farmers’ groups/cooperatives and direct consumers
in the areas. Third, the study revealed three main challenges faced by farmers. Insect pests
and disease infestation (87.5%) was the most prominent issue of vegetable farmers, followed
by climate change (e.g. flooding, drought) (77.5%). Low selling price and considerable
fluctuation in prices were equally problematic (both 57.5%). Other notable issues included
post-harvest losses especially in peak seasons of oversupply (45%), lack of power in themarket chain (42.5%), and lack of pest control information (40%), while lack of information
about market prices (37.5%) and poor market information systems (37.5%) were the minor
issues in vegetable production.
Keywords vegetable farming, marketing, post-harvest, value chainⒸ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2020) 11-1

INTRODUCTION
Cambodia has experienced rapid agricultural growth, among the fastest in the world. The annual
growth of agricultural gross production was 8.7 percent from 2004 to 2012. However, thecontribution of this sector in the Cambodian economy has been decreasing and is being replaced bymanufacturing and services (World Bank, 2015). Even though the Royal Government of Cambodia(RGC) considered the enhancement of the agricultural sector as a high priority in its national
development agenda (National Strategic Development Plan, 2014), the development of theCambodian agricultural sector has been slow. Cambodia is a net agricultural importer. Their imported
commodities include vegetables (about USD 200 million of vegetable products was informally
imported annually), agricultural inputs and finished products primarily from Thailand and Vietnam(USAID, 2019). Several issue which have been hampered the small-scale vegetable production arelack of agricultural techniques, unreliable supply and demand, and competition with informal
imported vegetables. Even though there have been various research studies conducted in thevegetable sector, the practices and challenges of small-scale vegetable farmers have remained
ambiguous.
OBJECTIVE
This research aimed to identify the farming practices and challenges of small-scale vegetable farmers
in Cambodia.
METHODOLOGY
Mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative, were used to conduct this study. The total sample was
40 households, selected by homogeneous purposive sampling method, from the Kandal, Kampong
Chhnang and Battambang provinces. The selection of study location based on two reasons. First,
these provinces are among Cambodian vegetable production’s zones. Second, characteristic ofsmallholders in these provinces represents the farmers in all location in the country. Ensuringaccuracy in sample selection, researchers reviewed literature, screened names in the list of vegetable
farmers provided by the local authority, and then discussed and finalized the selected sample withthe local authority. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 Household demographics
Items
Family members

N
40

Minimum
2

Maximum
9

Mean
4.85

Std. Deviation
1.545

Children ≤ 15 years old (male)Children ≤ 15 years old (female)
Adults 16 – 60 years old (male)
Adults 16 – 60 years old (female)
Elderly >60 years (male)
Elderly >60 years (female)
Valid N (listwise)

181436
39
9
110

111
111324
511

1.56
1.21
1.67
1.77
1.00
1.00

0.784
0.426
0.956
0.931
0.000
0.000

Source: Authors, *multiple answers will not add up with 100To understand the current practices and various challenges faced by small-scale vegetable farmers inCambodia, 40 smallholder vegetable farmers were interviewed in 18 villages in 5 districts of Kandal,
Kampong Chhnang and Battambang provinces. The household demographics are shown in Table 1.
The gender and age distribution as well as the family size between the villages surveyed were similar.
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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2020) 11-1

Of the respondents, 67.5% were male, 32.5% were female, and the average age of respondents was
47.30 years old. Ninety-five percent of respondents were able to read and write Cambodian language,
while 5% were illiterate. The majority of interviewed household (95%) were nuclear families1, while
5% were jointly family2. The average family size was 4.85 members.
Table 2 Household land use
Distribution of household land in hectares

KandalKampong Chhnang

Battambang

Main dwelling land
Other dwelling land
Agricultural land
Total owned cultivable area in 2018
Total rented cultivable area in 2018
Own areas under vegetable farming
Rented areas under vegetable farming
Total owned land

0.007
0.074
0.611
0.884
0.051
0.308
0.017
1.884

0.005
0.136
1.569
1.569
0.199
3.478

0.008
0.070
3.204
3.170
0.600
0.293
6.745

Source: Authors

The household land distribution is shown in Table 2. The household land size and agriculturalland size differed between provinces. Farmers in Battambang province owned on average 6.745
hectares, which was greater than Kampong Chhnang (3.478 hectares) and Kandal (1.884 hectares)
provinces. Similarly, farmers in Battambang had the most agricultural land (3.204 hectares),followed by 1.569 hectares in Kampong Chhnang province and 0.611 hectare in Kandal province. In
contrast, the average area under vegetable cultivation in Kandal province was 0.325 hectare, which
was higher than Battambang province (0.293 hectare) and Kampong Chhnang province (0.199hectare).
Table 3 Types of vegetables grown in the studied areas
No12345678
9101112Name of Vegetable
Pak choi
Leafy mustard
Chinese mustard
Cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Green mustard
Lettuce
Spring onion
Crown daisy / Chrysanthemum green
Chinese Kale
Gallic chives
Culantro

Frequency
1815
22
2
120
10
10
110
4Percent
45.00
37.50
55.00
5.00
2.50
50.00
25.00
2.50
27.50
10.00

*multiple answers will not add up with 100; ** N=40.
Source: Authors

There were 12 types of vegetable identified as being grown in the studied areas (Table 3).
However, only 5 types of vegetable were commonly grown by farmers. Chinese mustard (55%) was
the most popular vegetable being grown in the areas, followed by green mustard (50%), pak choi(45%) and leafy mustard (37.5%). Chinese kale and lettuce were grown by 27.5% and 25% of farmers,
1 ‘’A nuclear family, elementary family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of two parents and their children(one or more). It is in contrast to a single-parent family, the larger extended family, and a family with more than two parents.
Nuclear families typically center on a married couple; the nuclear family may have any number of children’’ (Wikipedia ‘’
Nuclear family’’ accessed by January 22, 2020: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_family).
2 ‘’A joint family or undivided family is an extended family arrangement prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent,
particularly in India, consisting of many generations living in the same household, all bound by the common relationship’’(Wikipedia ‘’ Hinu Joint Family’’ accessed by January 22, 2020: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_joint_family).

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respectively. Culantro, cabbage, spring onion and Chinese cabbage were not commonly grown byfarmers in the studied areas. Post-harvest activities such as grading, sorting and cleaning products
after harvesting and before selling were rarely implemented by farmers. There are three main reasonsencounter the postharvest practices of farmers: interviewed farmers do not have knowledge andexperiences on postharvest activities; the required materials are not accessible in the target, and norequirements for grading, sorting and cleaning products from collectors, retailers, agricultural
cooperative, and customers.
0.38
17.00

0.25
1.63

5.75
75.00

Commission agent/middlemen/collectors
Retailers
Farmer's group/ cooperatives
OthersWholesalers
Processors
Direct consumers

Fig. 1 Vegetable distribution channels
The produced vegetables were distributed to 6 channels: commission agents/middlemen/collectors, wholesalers, retailers, processors, farmers’ groups/cooperatives, and direct consumers(Fig. 1). The majority of products (75%) were sold to collectors in the area and retailers (17%) in
Phnom Penh, Battambang, Kampong Chhnang and Siem Reap provinces, while some vegetables(5.75%) were sold to wholesalers in the areas. Vegetables were less commonly sold to consumers,
farmers’ groups and other channels because the quantity of product was small and some producers
have supplied contracts with collectors and retailers.
Table 4 Challenges of vegetable producers
No12345678910

Challenges
Insect pests and disease infestation
Climate change (e.g. flooding, drought)
Low selling priceConsiderable fluctuation in prices
High price of inputs
Post-harvest losses, especially in peak seasons of oversupply
Lack of power in the market chain
Lack of pest control information
Lack of information about market prices
Poor market information systems

Frequency
35312323
21
18
17
16
15
15

Percent
87.5
77.5
57.5
57.5
52.5
45.0
42.5
40.0
37.5
37.5

*multiple answers will not add with 100; ** other challenges consisted of: lack of technical skills, poor shelf life ofvegetables, differentiated price based on quality difference, labor shortages during critical times, lack of access to cold
chain facilities, lack of storage facility, poor coverage and quality of extension services, lack of consumer preference for
quality vegetables, high temperature especially at night, insufficient and lack of quality seed, lack of incentive for grading,lack of packaging, long distance to market, poor transport network, lack of access to credit, difficulty finding a buyer, andlack of quality seed ** N=40.

There were 10 prominent challenges faced by vegetable producers in the studied areas (Table4). Insect pests and disease infestation (87.5%) were the key issue of vegetable farmers, followed byclimate change (e.g. flooding, drought) (77.5%). Low selling price and considerable fluctuation inprices were equally problematic (57.5%). Post-harvest losses, especially in peak seasons ofoversupply (45%), lack of power in the market chain (42.5%), and lack of pest control information(40%) were considered as important challenges; while, lack of information about market pricesⒸ ISERD60

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2020) 11-1(37.5%) and poor market information systems (37.5%) were the minor issues of vegetable farmers.
Sokhan et al. (2018), in their study on the effect of agricultural cooperatives on smallholders’incomes in Svay Chrum commune, Svay Rieng province, Cambodia, found that vegetable farmers
faced several similar challenges, including high production cost, disease infestation and prevention
techniques, and fluctuation of market price. More than half (59%) of interviewed vegetable farmers,
non-members of Svay Rieng Agro-Products Cooperative (SAC), did not know market information.
Therefore, price setting for their products depended on vegetable collectors. Ibeawuchi et al. (2015)
who conducted a study on Fruit and Vegetable Crop Production in Nigeria revealed that pest anddisease was one of important issues that affected fruit and vegetable in the field. More specifically,
it reduced shelf life and appearance of vegetable and fruits.
CONCLUSION
The study on current practices of small-scale vegetable famers was conducted in three provinces ofCambodia to identify the farming practices and challenges faced by small-scale vegetable farmers.
The results of study found that twelve types of vegetables (pak choi, leafy mustard, Chinese mustard,cabbage, Chinese cabbage, green mustard, lettuce, spring onion, crown daisy / chrysanthemum green,
Chinese kale, gallic chives and culantro) were being grown in the provinces. However, only fivetypes of vegetable were prominently grown, including Chinese mustard, green mustard, pak choi, leafy
mustard, and Chinese kale. As production size is small, the majority of farmers used sickle/knife/scissors
to harvest their products, and manual harvest is still being practiced by some farmers. Post-harvest
activities such as grading, sorting and cleaning products after harvesting and before selling are rarely
implemented by farmers. In terms of product marketing, majority of products are sold to collectors; while,a small quantity of remaining products is sold to retailers, farmers’ group/cooperatives and direct
consumers in the areas. The study also identified that three main challenges faced by farmers were insect
pests and disease infestation, climate change (e.g. flooding, drought), and considerable fluctuation inprices. Other issues e.g. high input price, low price of products and post-harvest losses, especially in peakseasons of oversupply, also hamper the vegetable production in the studied provinces. Introduction ofcontract farming model is the best option to tackle the current issues of farmers. First, vegetablesmallholders need to integrate into the agricultural cooperatives in the areas. These cooperatives collect
all farmers’ produce and then contract with retailers and other marketing actors in and outside Cambodia.
Second, producer’s group need to form in order to monitor the farming practices of members. Finally,vegetable hand-on trainings are required for producers to ensure that required quality and quantity ofvegetable are produced.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution made by Dr. Antonio L. Acedo Jr, and Dr. Borarin
Buntong as research co-supervisor, supporting team for data collection and Molly Webb, managing
director Feed the future Food Safety Innovation lab for thoroughly checked for both English language
and written technique. This research is made possible by the generous support of the American
People provided to the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition(CESAIN) of the Royal University of Agriculture through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab forCollaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification at Kansas State University funded by theUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No.
AID-OAA-L-14-00006. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarilyreflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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