MicroWorld lenders may have noticed that rice farming is a common occupation of the Cambodian borrowers on the website. Loans for fertilizer and other items designed to improve crop yield are common requests. Many borrowers talk about dry and wet season harvests, the affects of the recent floods on their crops, and their need for machinery or livestock to help with their work. We wanted to help our lenders gain a deeper understanding into the industry that is the backbone of Cambodian agriculture, so we asked Sokchea Huot, MicroWorld Correspondent at our Cambodian partner microfinance institution (SAMIC), to put together this article for us. We hope it will give more context to some of the loan profiles you see on the site.
Rice is cultivated primarily through traditional farming practices by over 80 percent of Cambodian farmers. It is the staple food of Cambodians and is their most important field crop. Rice is mainly produced during the wet season, but dry season harvests are an increasing component. Yield has increased from year to year, thanks to access to better fertilizers and other inputs.
Rice farming practices vary considerably between the rain-fed lowlands, uplands, deepwater, and irrigated areas. Most of the rice-growing land in Cambodia is cultivated by farmers using two oxen and the traditional moldboard plough and harrow.