07 - In Touch with Farmers

10.12.2008 (Siem Reap)

After trying to clarify different topics – which requires a lot of time and nerves in this country – the Garden Shuttle is now prepared to start on a minimal operational basis. We try to connect a handful of farmers with a handful of customers and see how it works. Now again we are about to get in touch with farmers that are willing and able to supply us with fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. This is far more difficult than you could ever imagine. Let me tell you about some of the problems:

The quality of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides used here is basically unknown to farmers. Even if an content of a product (e.g. a fertilizer) is written on a package, investigations have shown, that the actual content deviates by up to 50% from what the description says. Besides, the description is usually written in foreign languages like Thai or English without Khmer translations. So the farmers only have a rough understanding of what they are doing or what they are supposed to do. Pesticides might be applied only few days before harvesting and then the product quality is questionable, to say the least. If we want to trade safe products, we also have to make sure, that proper instructions are given and understood.

As can be seen on the pictures, the roads are also of very poor condition. Especially during the rain season, it can become quite difficult, to transport any products. Since there are no cooling devices, and the knowledge about proper harvesting and storage is low (e.g. harvest in the early morning, put greener products on the bottom and riper products on top of a storage box), many possibly good products never enter the market. As a matter of fact, the losses are reported to be up to 40%. If you add the fact, that during the last decade the agricultural yield in Thailand and Vietnam has increased from 9 to 14 tonnes per ha, whereas in Cambodia is remained constant at 4 tonnes per ha, then you get a rough impression of the agricultural stone age here.

Some of the most important change agents to overcome this situation are missing or only poorly developed. People have no money for investments, and credits under acceptable conditions (usually you pay around 30% interest per year) are difficult to find. They have hardly any skills and information about agricultural procedures and modern technologies (e.g. seeds for different agro ecological conditions, water irrigation and drainage). The social networks are amazingly low developed. People love to talk and have parties but they don't communicate much about work plans - perhaps, because they don't really have any. I have already mentioned that basic principles of accounting and controlling are not known or at least not applied. People just do what they did before or what others do. But there is no rationality in the sense of “What do I want to achieve, how can I achieve this with adequate means, and how successful have I been so far?”. Also, the specialization along the value chain is only poorly developed. Farmers act as wholesalers as well as retailers, and are used to sell their products wherever they can without a sense for longer business relationships.

At times like this, when reflecting on so many problems that we are encountering, I love Europe! By the way: In the 50s and 60s Cambodia was economically very well doing - he great times of King Sihanouk. People say, only the province Battambang produced enough to eat for the whole country, and they used to play football with coconuts. Then came Vietnam, Lon Nol, Pol Pot and the chaos. If you know what was going on in these successful days, drop me a line. At present I don't have enough time and possibilities to investigate on that.

What makes me happy however is, that the fields are in pretty good condition and really been taken care of as good as possible. And despite the lack of knowledge, the farmers report a high amount of concern about their fields and their products. It will take long, but chances are not too bad, that changes in a fruitful direction will be accomplished. Very difficult sometimes to remain patient.

And once in a while there is also a little reward for the researchers available. You think you know what papaya tastes like? Believe me, you don't. Papaya is very sweet and juicy. However, when it is ripe, it can only be stored for about one day. This is the reason why even in Cambodian hotels you can get good tasting papayas only occasionally. (I don't remember ever having had one there, neither in Cambodia nor in Thailand.)