Agricultural Extension Services in Cambodia Needs and Constraints

Agricultural Extension Services in Cambodia: Needs and Constraints 2014 Murari Suvedi Michigan State University Men Sarom Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia

Objectives of the study v To enlist the agricultural extension service providers. v To examine the major sources and channels of information used by farmers v To examine the level of adoption of new agricultural practices by farmers. v To assess farmers’ needs and wants in terms of learning and adoption of new agricultural technologies and techniques. v To understand the perceived barriers to adoption of new agricultural practices.

Methods v Study populations § Farmers § Extension professionals, commune council chairpersons (CCC) and other key informants (NGO/INGO/project staff and others) v Farmers sample § Random selection: 24 provinces, 48 districts, 95 communes, 192 villages, and about 16 HHs per village (Total: 3054 HHs) v Extension professionals, commune council chairpersons and other key informants § Convenience sample: District and commune level extension workers, commune council chairpersons, NGO/INGOs project staff

Results (Part A) Survey of Farmers

Demographics Gender (N=3, 054) Female 44% Male 56%

Demographics… N Mean (SD) Age (years) 3, 054 44. 67 (13. 14) HH Size 3, 054 5. 32 (2. 06) Schooling (years) 3, 054 4. 21 (3. 47)

Demographics… Gender Provinces Prey Veng Pursat Sihanuk Ville Siemreap Stengtrang Svay. Reang Takeo Pailin Presh Vihear Kandal Kompot Kratie Bonthea Meanchey Battambong Kompong Cham Kompong Chhang Kompong Speur Kompong Thom Oddar Meanchey Kep Mondulkiri Rathanakiri Kosh Kong Phnom Penh Male (%) 33. 6 47. 2 37. 5 53. 1 57. 8 50. 0 60. 2 78. 1 45. 7 63. 3 71. 1 69. 5 37. 0 75. 0 77. 3 66. 4 44. 5 52. 0 70. 3 33. 6 48. 4 60. 2 60. 9 50. 8 Female (%) 66. 4 52. 8 62. 5 46. 9 42. 2 50. 0 39. 8 21. 9 54. 3 36. 7 28. 9 30. 5 63. 0 25. 0 22. 7 33. 6 55. 5 48. 0 29. 7 66. 4 51. 6 39. 8 39. 1 49. 2 Age (years) 45. 8 42. 2 45. 9 44. 3 44. 0 46. 1 44. 2 42. 3 48. 9 42. 5 50. 0 44. 8 47. 8 43. 3 47. 3 41. 5 45. 4 43. 8 46. 4 37. 4 40. 6 43. 9 48. 2 HH size Mean 5. 3 5. 0 5. 4 5. 8 5. 1 5. 2 5. 1 5. 6 5. 1 5. 4 4. 7 5. 3 4. 7 5. 2 5. 0 5. 3 5. 4 6. 4 5. 3 6. 0 Schooling (years) 4. 5 4. 1 1. 9 3. 2 4. 3 4. 7 2. 9 5. 5 4. 0 5. 3 3. 8 5. 6 4. 4 4. 7 3. 6 4. 2 3. 9 5. 0 3. 7 4. 8 3. 5 5. 9 Can read and write? Yes (%) 76. 6 68. 5 76. 0 44. 5 59. 7 69. 5 76. 6 53. 2 80. 3 70. 3 90. 6 64. 3 89. 3 73. 4 80. 0 68. 8 66. 9 69. 6 66. 4 62. 5 50. 0 67. 2 84. 4

Crop production: Wet season v Low land rain fed rice dominant v Average plot size: § Low land rain fed: 2. 59 ha § Deep water/floating: 2. 14 ha v Three-fourth (76%)of paddy rice is covered by traditional varieties v Only one-fourth (27%) of maize is local/traditional maize v Seed source: v Rice: own harvest (82%) v Maize: purchased from market (62%)

Crop production: Dry season v Major crops : Dry season flood recession, low land irrigated rice, and maize v Farm size: § Floor recession rice: 1. 54 ha § Low land irrigated rice: 1. 43 ha § Maize: 1. 76 ha v Two-third (67%) of rice and three-fourth (74%) of maize farms covered by improved seeds v Seed source: half (50%) for rice comes from own-harvest and 56. 6% of rice seem is purchased from market.

Vegetable and fruit production area Vegetable Plot no Mean (sq. m) Fruit N Mean (sq. m) Cucumber 229 482. 52 Mango 1402 12. 37 Pumpkin 205 344. 20 Guava 272 5. 7 Chinese morning glory 320 119. 79 Banana 1101 42. 72 Egg plant 95 126. 86 Pineapple 165 31. 76 Gourd species 156 72. 68 Papaya 368 24. 62

Livestock and fish production Species Frequency Average herd/flock size SD Cattle 1280 3. 4 2. 8 Buffalo 427 3. 4 2. 5 Pig 954 3. 4 5. 2 Chicken 1985 13. 2 17. 9 Ducks 494 11. 7 50. 6 Frequency Av. farm size SD 160 122. 3 sq. m 208. 7 Fish

Before today have you heard about an agricultural extension services in your area? (N=2, 835) No 35% Yes 65%

Before today have you heard of an Agricultural Extension Services in your area? Provinces Percent of farmers indicating awareness Prey Veng 58. 6 Bonthea Meanchey 53. 5 Pursat 59. 4 Battambong 38. 2 Sihanuk Ville 55. 6 Kompong Cham 37. 5 Siemreap Kompong Chhang 63. 3 Stengtrang 65. 6 75. 0 Kompong Speur 62. 5 Svay. Reang 51. 6 Kompong Thom 78. 1 Takeo 69. 5 Oddar Meanchey 64. 8 Pailin 58. 6 Kep 39. 8 Presh Vihear 71. 1 Mondulkiri 65. 6 Kandal 70. 1 Rathanakiri 97. 7 Kompot 48. 4 Kosh Kong 77. 9 Kratie 57. 8 Phnom Penh 23. 4

Extension services received and number of contacts Service Providers Have you received service from: N Yes (%) Average contacts last year Local agricultural service center 1841 22. 4 2. 8 Local village/commune office 1826 49. 6 2. 2 Agriculture colleges/universities, Cambodia 1730 3. 6 2. 5 Technical or vocational school 1729 4. 9 2. 5 1772 24. 0 2. 0 1729 6. 0 2. 6 NGO managed projects 1813 60. 8 3. 0 Local demonstration farms 1741 20. 6 1. 9 Local agricultural research stations 1726 4. 6 2. 0 Local fertilizer/input supply dealer 1764 16. 0 2. 1 Other service providers 1465 7. 9 1. 7 Extension agents from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)

Sources of information used Sources of information N Nothing at all A little Some A fair amount A great deal % General newspapers 3028 93. 0 3. 8 2. 1 1. 0 . 1 Farm magazines 3024 89. 0 5. 8 3. 7 1. 3 Extension publications 3026 80. 5 7. 9 7. 5 3. 7 . 4 TV farm programs 3025 56. 0 13. 4 16. 4 12. 6 1. 7 Radio farm programs 3026 48. 7 15. 7 17. 5 15. 4 2. 7 Local demonstration farms 3025 83. 4 6. 7 6. 5 2. 9 . 5 Web/internet/e-mail 3023 97. 7 1. 0 . 8 . 4 . 1 Extension meetings, workshops, courses 3026 55. 6 14. 1 19. 2 9. 9 1. 1 Agricultural research stations 3027 93. 7 3. 2 2. 1 . 8 . 1 Demonstration plots at local farmers' field, field days and tours 3025 88. 7 5. 5 4. 3 1. 3 . 2 Personal contact with extension agents 3025 83. 9 7. 7 5. 7 2. 3 . 4 Leader farmers in your area 3025 80. 4 8. 0 6. 5 4. 1 1. 0 Neighbors/relatives 2974 45. 4 17. 2 14. 8 19. 2 3. 3 Scales: 1 = Nothing at all, 2= A little, 3= Some, 4= A fair amount, 5= A great deal.

Do you feel you can improve your farm's productivity by adopting new/improved farming practices ? (N=3, 028) Unsure 14% No 8% Yes 78%

Are there any barriers to fully adopt the improved agricultural practices? (N=3, 021) Unsure 9% No 24% Yes 67%

Barriers to fully adopt new agricultural technologies Barriers N Mean My farm has no access to irrigation 2, 226 3. 86 I do not have sufficient knowledge or details about the new technology 2, 234 3. 60 I do not have the education or skills to adopt the new technology 2, 229 3. 48 I do not have access to a market for my product I cannot get credit needed to adopt the new technology 2, 211 3. 37 2, 222 3. 29 The agricultural technology is not suitable to my farm My farm is too small 2, 230 2. 93 2, 226 2. 81 I do not own the land which I farm 2, 225 2. 59 472 2. 23 Other reason Scales: 1= Not at all important, 2= A little important, 3=Neutral, 4=Somewhat important, 5= Very important

Part B: Extension Professionals, Commune Council Chairpersons, Village Chiefs, and NGO/INGO Professionals Survey

Gender (N=140) Female 29% Male 71%

Respondents’ current position (N=140) Position N % Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Extension Professionals/Workers 27 19. 3 Commune Council Chair (CCC)/CC Member/Village Chief (VC)/Asst. Village Chief NGO/INGO/Project Staff and Other 83 59. 3 30 21. 4

Demographics Total CCC/ CC MAFF Member/ NGO/INGO/ Extension Village Project Staff Professionals/ Chief/Asst. and Other Workers VC N Mean n Mean 139 47. 50 27 43. 96 82 52. 02 30 38. 30 133 8. 37 25 10. 36 81 7. 73 27 8. 43 Period working in current position 135 (years) 11. 33 24 11. 69 82 12. 90 29 6. 59 Age (years) Education (years)

Major providers of Agricultural Extension Services (N=463*) Agricultural Service Providers N CCC/CC NGO/INGO/ MAFF Extension Member/ Project Professionals/ Village Chief Staff & Workers & Asst. VC Other Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 115 22 72 21 Ministry of Rural Development 57 10 39 8 Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology 49 6 36 7 Ministry of Women Affairs and Veterans 61 10 42 9 29 7 16 6 32 9 19 4 71 13 48 10 14 4 9 1 Other organization(s) 25 4 15 6 I do not know any 10 3 4 3 Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Donor funded project such as USAID/ HARVEST, JICA, GIZ, … NGOs in the area Agriculture colleges/universities, Cambodia * Respondents could select multiple choices.

How important are the following services to improve food security? Service Total MAFF Extension Professionals/ Workers CCC/ CC Member/ Village Chief/Asst. VC NGOs/Project Staff & Other N Mean n Mean Provision of agricultural extension services 135 4. 48 27 4. 56 80 4. 50 28 4. 36 Provision of agricultural marketing 134 4. 19 27 4. 00 79 4. 24 28 4. 21 Irrigation provision in this area 134 4. 04 27 4. 07 80 4. 20 27 3. 56 Farmers’ access to agricultural credit 137 3. 95 27 4. 19 82 3. 95 28 3. 71 Timely availability of fertilizer 133 3. 44 27 3. 74 78 3. 44 28 3. 18 Scales : 1= Not at all important, 2= Not important, 3= Undecided, 4= Important, and 5= Extremely important

What are the major barriers to irrigation development? (N=387*) Barriers Scarce water source Lack of funding Lack of irrigation policies Maintenance of irrigation facilities is costly Intercommunity conflict about the water source Other NGO/INGO/ MAFF Extension CCC/CC Member/ Project Staff N Professionals/ Village Chief/Asst. and Other Workers (n=89) VC (n=218) (n=80) 102 23 60 19 102 24 56 22 67 15 38 14 63 15 33 15 28 9 15 4 25 3 16 6 *Respondents could select multiple choices.

Do farmers in this community use chemical fertilizer? (N=145) No 15% Yes 85%

What kind of fertilizer do farmers use? (N=212*) Fertilizer type MAFF CCC/CC NGO/INGO/ Extension Member/ Project Staff Total N Professionals/ Village Chief/ and Other Workers Asst. VC (n=34) (n=51) (n=127) Urea 92 21 55 16 NPK 87 23 52 12 Other 33 7 20 6 * Respondents could select multiple choices.

How important are the following factors in fertilizer use? Factors Total MAFF Extension CCC/ CC NGO/INGO/ Professionals/ Member/ Village Project Staff Workers Chief/Asst. VC and Other N Mean Quality of the fertilizer 121 4. 13 25 4. 40 73 4. 04 23 4. 13 Price of the fertilizer 114 4. 09 25 4. 20 68 4. 12 21 3. 86 Timeliness of supply 123 3. 96 25 4. 12 75 3. 96 23 3. 78 Local accessibility 114 3. 57 25 3. 32 69 3. 71 20 3. 40 Other 37 2. 11 8 2. 00 23 2. 09 6 2. 33 *Scales: 1= Not at all important, 2= Not important, 3= Undecided, 4= Important and, 5= Extremely important

What is needed to improve fertilizer use by farmers? (N=72*) Suggestions Frequency Inform farmers about the advantages/use, sources, qualities of the fertilizers and conduct training and demonstration 37 Provide fertilizer in cheaper price 11 Advertise about quality and advantages of the fertilizer 9 Promote organic/natural fertilizers 5 Increase outlets for fertilizer and disseminate them widely 3 Provide quality fertilizer 3 Provide credit to buy fertilizer 2 Translate educational materials in Khemr 2

How readily available is the agricultural credit? (N=136) MAFF Extension CCC/ CC Professionals/ Member/Villag Workers e Chief/Asst. (N=27) VC (N=80) NGO/INGO/ Project Staff and Other (N=29) It is readily available 16 36 13 Cannot say 6 15 3 It is not readily available 3 25 12 Do not know 2 4 1

Where do farmers get credit from? (N=298*) Formal lenders: financial institutions/banks Micro-credit/groups/ co-operatives Friends and relatives Non-governmental organizations Other sources N MAFF Extension Professionals/ Workers (n=60) CCC/CC Member/ Village Chief/ Asst. VC (n=182) NGO/INGO/ Project Staff and Other (n=56) 120 22 72 26 66 15 42 9 53 12 30 11 43 9 28 6 16 2 10 4 * Respondents could select multiple choices.

For what purposes do farmers seek credit? (N=569*) N MAFF Extension CCC/CC Member/ Professionals/ Village Chief/ Workers (n=119) Asst. VC (n=354) NGO/INGO/ Project Staff and Other (n=96) To buy fertilizer 100 23 58 19 To buy seeds 97 20 59 18 To pay off the old debts 66 19 40 7 To get fruits and vegetable saplings 63 12 39 12 To acquire household goods 58 12 40 6 To market the farm products 29 6 22 1 To buy or rent new plots of land 65 13 41 11 To buy or rent livestock 48 8 26 14 To buy or rent fish pond 21 3 14 4 Other purpose 22 3 15 4 * Respondents could select multiple choices.

How important are the following problems in getting agricultural credit? Total Lenders want collateral and getting collateral is the problem Interest rate is high Lending process is cumbersome There are no or a few financial institutions in this area Pay off period is short Getting credit in time is the difficult part Lenders do not provide adequate credit as needed Cumbersome paper work which most farmers are not able doing on their own There is not much information available about credit limit, procedures, and interest rates MAFF Extension Professionals/ Workers CCC/ CC Member/Village Chief/Asst. VC NGO/INGO/Project Staff and Other N Mean 137 4. 20 27 4. 22 82 4. 18 28 4. 21 135 132 3. 75 3. 05 27 27 3. 78 3. 07 80 78 3. 80 3. 14 28 27 3. 57 2. 78 132 3. 37 26 2. 77 78 3. 54 28 3. 46 132 3. 35 26 3. 27 78 3. 37 28 3. 36 134 3. 31 27 3. 11 79 3. 38 28 3. 29 133 3. 49 27 2. 93 77 3. 61 29 3. 69 135 3. 55 27 3. 56 80 3. 55 28. 00 3. 54 133 3. 34 26 3. 27 78 3. 54 29 2. 86 *Scales: 1= Not at all important, 2= Not important, 3= Undecided, 4= Important and, 5= Extremely important

What can be done to improve farmers’ access to credit? (N=75) Suggestions Lower the interest rates and provide longer pay-off period Provide information to farmers about loan, interest rates, use of loan, etc. Farmers need to have required documents, witnesses, and land ownership certificate Timely disbursement and pay-off Increase access to financial institutions and agents; banks to be opened nearer to farmers Availability of microfinance at local level Start group and community saving Help farmers to prepare and organize application for credit Frequency 30 16 8 5 5 5 3 3

Marketing of agricultural products Is this a major product of Do farmers market this community? product? Whom do farmers sell this product to? Agricultural products N Yes (%) N Direct to consumers To traders To wholesalers Other Dry season rice 126 51. 6% 86 75. 6% 52 9. 6 90. 4 0. 0 Wet season rice 137 85. 4% 121 79. 3% 69 7. 2 87. 0 0. 0 5. 8 Fish 128 53. 9% 97 80. 4% 50 40. 0 58. 0 0. 0 2. 0 Cattle 132 69. 7% 114 91. 2% 86 1. 2 97. 7 0. 0 1. 2 Buffalo 127 52. 8% 94 85. 1% 69 1. 4 97. 1 0. 0 1. 4 Hog 130 76. 2% 115 97. 4% 95 2. 1 95. 8 1. 1 Chicken 131 74. 0% 112 95. 5% 72 11. 1 87. 5 0. 0 1. 4 Season fruits 124 54. 0% 98 84. 7% 52 25. 0 61. 5 7. 7 5. 8 122 59. 8% 98 84. 7% 50 28. 0 60. 0 8. 0 4. 0 99 28. 3% 53 69. 8% 16 43. 8 50. 0 6. 3 0. 0 Season vegetables Non-timber forest products

What can be done to improve marketing of farm products? (N=109) Suggestions Farmers need to have enough and quality production Invite more traders/buyers and search/find the markets Price security: farmers should get reasonable price for the produce Provide marketing related information to the growers Provide extension and training to farmers about marketing Increase access to the market Farmers use quality seeds, varieties Plan before production and do timely production: grow before festive seasons Build infrastructures: road, market places Advertise about the products Government has to buy the products Communities have to play role in marketing agricultural products Frequency 18 17 13 12 11 10 9 5 4 4 3 3

Is an extension agent assigned to help farmers in your area? (N=142) No 11% Yes 89%

If YES, Who provides extension service? (N=246*) Service providers N CCC/ CC MAFF Extension NGO/INGO/ Member/Village Professionals/ Project Staff Chief/Asst. Workers and Other Village Chief (n=51) (n=50) (n=145) MAFF Extension Worker 101 25 60 21 Project staff (USAID/HARVEST; JICA, GIZ, … 37 9 19 8 NGO/INGO worker 84 13 54 17 Other 20 4 12 4 *Note: Respondents could select multiple answers.

What kinds of activities extension technicians conduct in the community? (N=476*) Extension activities Training Group meeting Farm exhibition Farmers field days Demonstration Observation Visit to farm house Other activity N 116 86 77 73 70 48 2 4 MAFF NGO/INGO/P Extension CCC/ CC Members roject Staff Professionals/ /Village Chief/Asst. and Other Workers VC (N=277) (N=87) (N=112) 26 68 22 19 51 16 19 45 13 20 38 15 18 44 8 10 28 10 0 1 1 0 2 2 *Note: Respondents could select multiple answers.

How often does the extension person visit farmers? (N=129) N Meets once in two weeks Meets once in a month Meets once in a six months Meets once in a year Never meets with farmers CCC/CC MAFF NGO/INGO/ Member/ Extension Project Staff Village Professionals/ and Other Chief/Asst. VC Workers (n=26) (n=29) (n=74) 24 8 11 5 45 13 25 7 36 3 24 9 17 1 10 6 7 1 4 2

How satisfied are you with the extension services farmers in this community have received? Total MAFF Extension Professionals/ Workers CCC/ CC Member/Village Chief/Asst. VC NGO/INGO/ Project Staff and Other N M(SD) 131 4. 11 (1. 02) 26 4. 46 (0. 90) 76 4. 03 (0. 95) 29 4. 00 (1. 23) Scales: 1=Not yet all satisfied, 2= Not satisfied, 3= Undecided, 4= Satisfied, and 5= Extremely satisfied

Common problems associated with agricultural services and provisions for farmers Agricultural services Timeliness of supply Local accessibili ty Quality of services Cost Training on use of inputs Price/ Frequency of mention Improved variety of rice seed for dry season 46 42 36 45 45 Improved rice seed for wet season Improved fruit saplings/cuttings/seedlings Improved vegetable seeds/saplings 31 42 22 36 43 21 30 23 30 35 19 30 17 25 33 Improved fingerlings Improved cattle breeds Improved buffalo breeds Improved hogs 22 22 19 23 32 32 25 33 16 13 8 18 28 32 28 36 34 33 30 33 Improved poultry (ducks and chicken) 23 35 16 31 35 Livestock feed 20 35 15 38 33

How can extension services be improved? (N=91) Suggestions Provide training, conduct demonstrations, and make farmers aware of the new agricultural activities/technologies Increase visit of extension personnel to the farmers Advertise more and disseminate messages using radio, magazine, etc. Improve supply of agricultural inputs Seek help of and/or collaborate with NGOs Provide expert advisory services Need adequate budget for extension program Cash support to farmers Help find market for agricultural produce Frequency 49 18 7 5 4 3 2 2 1

Major findings and issues v Improved rice seed -- wet season; marketing of farm produce v Major service providers: § Farmers: NGOs § Extension professionals: MAFF staff v Input supply § Local seed, access to credit (difficult process, no collateral) v v Irrigation: scarce water source, no canals, costly management Lack of awareness of agricultural services among farmers Limited access to and use of information sources Needs for effective extension services felt

Conclusions and Recommendations v Training and education of farmers v Training of extension workers on extension methods § More demonstration and farm visits § Improve the qualities of trainings and education program § In-service training for extension workers v Institutional development of farmers v More cooperation and collaboration between NGOs, CARDI, and agricultural colleges/universities in developing farmerscentered research and education