Sustainable Farming in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia

This summer as an intern with SEAPC, I had the wonderful opportunity to work alongside Veha Mong and the entire BC Arise national missionary team. While unfortunately I was unable to travel to Cambodia due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the relationship I built through Zoom and Facebook calls with Veha were a wonderful blessing. 

I am currently in grad school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville pursing my MSc in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Community. Additionally, I serve as a graduate research assistant on the Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies in Cambodia project (S3-Cambodia) with the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture. The S3-Cambodia project seeks to develop pathways for scaling up (i.e. expanding usage) of sustainable agriculture technologies among Cambodia farmers.

One of ways the project is attempting to accomplish this is through the establishment of school gardens and agriculture curriculum in secondary schools throughout Cambodia.

The S3-Cambodia project and BC Arise were set up perfectly to complement one another, and the Lord was able to use me as the necessary linkage between the two.

The BC Arise team focuses on curriculum development and skills training in secondary schools and technical training centers throughout Banteay Meanchey. Following school closures due to COVID-19, the BC Arise team used their time to begin developing an agriculture program for their skills training centers. The addition of an agricultural education component to the BC Arise program has been long desired, as many of the national missionaries studied agriculture in university, but have been unable to put their knowledge and skills to use. Through self-teaching using YouTube videos and recruiting the help of a local professional to build their greenhouse, the team successfully piloted a hydroponics garden that produced a marketable lettuce crop. The goal is to soon to scale this into an aquaponic system. 

The BC Arise team also acquired a large area of unused land at a local high school to use for agricultural skills training, which will ideally include a school garden. Over the summer, we were able to establish a plan to develop a school garden at the local high school plot through the S3-Cambodia project.

The current plan is to have S3-Cambodia team members based in Battambang survey the land and begin the establishment of the school garden this year after the rainy season ends. Additionally, through the Smith Center’s Farmer-to-Farmer program, the BC Arise team was able to be connected to an aquaponics expert in Cambodia to assist them in transitioning to the new system. 

While the successes of the BC Arise team with their agriculture and sustainability projects have been many, there have been a few roadblocks as well. 

For one, the transition from hydroponics to aquaponics is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Hydroponics is a method of producing crops without the use of soil, instead relying solely on water and nutrient solutions. Aquaponics is similar, but incorporates fish into the system so it is a closed loop where the fish waste provides nutrients for the plants and the plants naturally filter the water, providing a clean living environment for the fish. Although the systems are similar, the transition requires a totally different set up than the one the BC Arise team currently has. The cost to make this overhaul transition is not feasible for the team at this time. 

Additionally, this second growing season in the hydroponics system has proven less successful than the first. This could be due to growing different types of crops, but it could also be due to issues with the chemical components of the water. Unfortunately, there are no laboratory water testing services available in Cambodia and therefore finding a solution will rely on trial and error.

Finally, COVID-19 has continued to affect the Banteay Meanchey region, keeping schools closed and individuals sheltered at home. Lockdowns have slowed down the process of developing agricultural programing and passing on new knowledge to students. 

Despite these challenges, the BC Arise team has continued to move forward in faith and trust. I have been deeply impressed and blessed by the conviction, ingenuity, and drive of the BC Arise team. This group of faithful men and women have been diligent in their work, striving to care well for their community and one another. 

Would you please join me in specifically praying for BC Arise’s agricultural education program? 

Pray for:

• The provision of funds and knowledge for the aquaponics system 
• The ongoing health and success of the hydroponics system
• The establishment of a school garden at Rongko High School
• The continued health and safety of the team and the local community in the face of COVID-19 concerns