The Preah Vihear provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has provided 113 farming families in Chheb district with materials and equipment to make vegetable beds and irrigation systems.
They were also provided with water pump generators, animal food grinding machines, chicken cage nets and tarpaulins as part of the Aspire project.
Provincial agriculture department chief Poeng Trida who handed the equipment and materials to the families said it was specifically for those in the Aspire project target areas and is aimed at providing upgraded materials and technologies that were resilient to climate change.
“Through the provision of technical skills and agricultural materials free of charge, we believe our farmers will do their best to grow vegetables and raise animals using better technology. We urged them to use the materials well to raise their living standards,” he said.
Choeng Bo, 36, a farmer in Chheb district’s M’lou Prey I Commune who just received a water pump generator and a vegetable bed lifter through the project, told The Post on Wednesday that the equipment and materials would help him to expand his vegetable farm and raise his living standards.
Bo who grows five types of vegetables on 2.5ha said: “I grow garlic, ko ngok cabbages, kour cabbages, cucumbers and eggplants. I can earn an average of $25 daily. I believe the new equipment and materials I just received can help me raise my income further.”
He said his family had 5ha of farmland but had grown the vegetables on 2.5ha only. The remaining 2.5ha is used to grow rice and cassava. However, in the future, he plans to use part of that land to grow more vegetables to meet consumer needs.
Another 37-year-old farmer, Chorn Kimsros, who just received 20 hoses measuring 200m and two sprinklers told The Post that the materials would make growing vegetables easier.
“I have previously spent a lot of time to collect water from a pond to water my vegetables on 2.5ha of land. But now, I can easily prepare an irrigation network and don’t need to use labour to carry water like before,” he said.
Kimsros said what he needed to do now was to spend a small sum to buy a water pump.
Agriculture department head Kong Yuthara said farmers under the Aspire project had previously grown vegetables to sustain their livelihood and sell a little to earn a small income.
“But now, most of them can farm professionally, raise their income levels and provide better living standards for their families. With a little help from the Aspire project, their small vegetable businesses can now grow to improve their lives for the better.
