Many countries in Southeast Asia are facing challenges in boosting rice production to meet the demands of their growing populations.
In some countries in the region, rice-harvested areas are either stable or shrinking, making it harder to feed a growing population. One strategy many are adopting to boost rice production is expanding the use of chemical fertilizers.
But while applying chemical fertilizers can boost production in the short term, it may lead to a decline in productivity over time.
Vietnam is a prime example of a country where chemical fertilizers are already overused. From 2019 to 2020, Vietnamese farmers used an average of around 427 kilograms of chemical fertilizers per hectare of arable land (kg/ha). Cambodia’s synthetic fertilizer consumption has also grown extremely fast since 2016, nearly doubling from around 21 kg/ha to 49 kg/ha in 2021, according to a World Bank report.
Increasing input of chemical fertilizers initially helps farmers achieve high paddy yields in the first few years. However, farmers must then use progressively more fertilizer to maintain rice production. For example, according to a study published in the journal of Environment, Development and Sustainability, in 2023, 83% of Cambodian farmers surveyed said that they had used chemical fertilizer to maintain and increase crop yields. This practice negatively impacts farmers in two ways: it increases their rice production costs and raises environmental concerns due to run-off waste, which can pollute waterways and disrupt ecosystems, affecting biodiversity.
In Southeast Asia, farmers who rely on chemical fertilizers have also been heavily impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in global supply chains. For instance, the Russia-Ukraine war caused fertilizer prices to skyrocket due to trade sanctions on Russia and its close ally Belarus, who account for large percentages of global exports for key synthetic fertilizer ingredients. Together they are responsible for 40 percent of global exports of potash, along with 22 percent and 14 percent of ammonia and urea, respectively.
In Cambodia, rice farmers spend money on inorganic fertilizers that could be better spent on other inputs that are more effective for long-term production. However, many are concerned that reducing fertilizer use will lead to a decline in production.
Therefore, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers has become a difficult decision for them. To maintain yields, many resort to taking loans from relatives, fertilizer vendors, or microfinance institutions. In 2022, a great deal of Cambodian farmers fell into debt, earning only small profits. In extreme cases, some farmers were forced to migrate to neighboring countries in search of higher incomes.
The culprit in this problem is a lack of information and support from the local government. Farmers need guidance to understand the impact of overusing chemical fertilizers and the importance of using organic substitutions which carry little risk from toxic chemicals and can be beneficial for self-sustaining soil health. Most farmers are not receiving proper recommendations on the appropriate amount of fertilizer to use, nor are they benefiting from comprehensive programs within their local communities to improve rice production practices.
Therefore, it is essential that the Cambodian government prioritize improving agricultural extension services to prevent farmers from overusing agrochemicals.
What initiatives have been tried so far?
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Fisheries (MAFF) has been working to enhance collaboration among stakeholders in Cambodia’s agricultural industry to address the sector’s pressing issues.
For example, the EU-funded TAP-AIS project, a collaboration between the government and the EU, provides extensive services to farmers. However, extension workers have identified a key challenge post-implementation: a lack of capacity to assist farmers, especially in areas such as farming techniques.
Introduced in 2015, the Cambodian Agricultural Extension Policy aims to increase productivity and promote sustainable agriculture management. One goal laid out in the policy framework is to improve extension services and enhance extension worker capacity. However, the ongoing implementation of the policy faces challenges, including limited resources, reaching farmers effectively, and ensuring the adoption of recommended government practices.
The Cambodian government has also implemented The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2019-2023 with the goal of focusing on inclusive and sustainable development. The NSDP highlights the importance of strengthening extension services to ensure farmers gain the knowledge necessary to achieve these goals and contribute to Cambodia’s agricultural development.
What more could be done to improve agricultural extension services?
Cambodia’s Agricultural Extension Policy already recognized the essential role of extension services and highlighted limited resources as the major challenge to implementing programs and reaching farmers in remote areas. Therefore, the government must prioritize allocating more funding to these services to create targeted initiatives in specific regions.
Collaboration with international organizations and engagement with the private sector would help leverage resources efficiently.
The MAFF should also consider collaborating with research institutions and universities to develop evidence-based farming recommendations and agricultural curriculums, particularly around fertilizer usage. Through this collaboration, the national government and local leaders can leverage new research findings and modern farming techniques to strengthen the knowledge base of extension workers. Now equipped, the workers could then supply recommendations for the specific needs of farmers in different locations.
The Cambodian government and stakeholders should also work to strengthen its training approach and build trust in the curriculum. Traditional training methods often rely solely on lectures and theory, with few, or even no opportunities for participant interaction or hands-on learning. This is ineffective for farmers who would benefit more from teaching that revolves around learning-through-doing. Training should be improved to include hands-on practice and opportunities for all participants to share their ideas in discussions, fostering interaction with trainers.
In the past, many farmers who participated in training sessions felt they had not received adequate information and distrusted the trainers’ approach. In 2023, most farmers who attended training sessions provided by government ministries did not adopt new farming practices, according to the 2023 study published in the journal of Environment, Development and Sustainability.
Therefore, strengthening the training approach for extension workers is crucial. This includes developing trainers’ communication, facilitation, and observation skills. Additionally, these skills should be evaluated after training to ensure effectiveness.
In terms of how Cambodia should approach these shortfalls, it might be useful to consider the policies that have been implemented in other countries within the region.
Similar to Cambodian farmers, Vietnamese farmers have a history of overusing chemical fertilizers. The Vietnamese government recently adopted the ‘One Must Do, Five Reduction‘ program, which emphasizes that farmers should not use more than 130 kg/ha of fertilizer. The program strongly encourages farmers to follow these guidelines. Research indicates that the number of program participants that implemented the recommendations increased by 22%. Additionally, farmers who adopted these practices were able to reduce rice production costs by 10%.
In addition, Cambodia could consider creating programs jointly with students and farmers, as well as establishing community clubs. This approach has been successfully implemented in two Vietnamese villages, Xuan An and Ngoc Son. Agroecology programs directly involving farmers in the community planning process can be particularly effective. Students could gather information on the impact of applying chemical fertilizers and pesticides, while also supporting local community leaders. After program completion, the communities themselves could create women’s clubs for knowledge sharing. Importantly, many farmers in these villages switched to using compost and bio-fertilizers, resulting in a 76% reduction in chemical fertilizer use and a shift towards organic alternatives like compost.
Some countries around the world are investing extensive funds in R&D for sustainable fertilizer solutions, such as deriving fertilizer compounds from sources like seaweed, black soldier fly larvae, and human sewage. Japan, for instance, has allocated USD $78 million to subsidize local municipalities to build fertilizer extraction facilities from sewage sludge.
The recent surge in chemical fertilizer consumption has significantly driven up rice production costs for Cambodian farmers. To address this issue, strengthening extension services and creating more community-based programs are crucial. A well-designed government strategy is essential to improve farmers’ understanding of the negative impacts of excessive use of chemical fertilizers and the benefits of switching to organic alternatives.
DANAI CHAN IS A Young Research Fellow at Future Forum
