Agriculture plays an important role for sustainable land use and appropriate natural resource management in Cambodia, as more than 70 per cent of the total population is a farmer. Most Cambodian households depend on agriculture and its related sub-sectors, including livestock raising, fisheries and aquaculture, for their livelihood. Cambodian agriculture produces a wide variety of crops, however, paddy rice is the major crop.

An examination of the history of Cambodian agriculture shows the evolution of rice production, particularly in the last decade. Rapid development of agricultural technologies has significantly increased the amount of agricultural products. However, the majority of farmers have come to apply agricultural chemicals, such as chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides to maintain high levels of crop yields. The overuse of agricultural chemicals has damaged many aspects of natural resources.

In Wat Chas village, Prey Chhor district, Kampong Cham province, an interview and questionnaire survey was conducted from 25 October to 3 November, 2009. The total 60 hectare area of Wat Chas village includes 48 hectares of rice fields, 5 hectares of vegetable orchards and 7 hectares of woodlands and settlements. The total population is 484 inhabitants and no school exists in the village. Most lowland farmers cultivate rice during the rainy season and keep the land bare after harvest. In upper lands, farmers are cultivating vegetables of qing geng cai ( Brassica rapa var. chinensis), Chinese cabbage ( Brassica campestris), mustard spinach ( Brassica rapa var. perviridis) and Chinese celery ( Apium graveolens). Farming systems dependent on synthetic chemicals, deforestation, mono-cropping and plant residue burning have been pointed out as non-sustainable. Regarding the practice of plant residue burning, it has been carried out by farmers in Wat Chas village because it is a very cheap and easy way to clear residues and to prepare for the next cultivation. However, the heat from burning kills various beneficial microorganisms and soil organisms. The nutrient components in plant residues are also lost through burning. Attention has therefore been focused on achieving sustainable land use and appropriate natural resource management.

The forest land in Wat Chas village has decreased due to the human activities in the last 40 years, since the civil war. In particular, during the period of Khmer rouge from 1975 to 1979, people were forced to move from cities to rural or remote areas in order to construct water reservoirs, irrigation systems and clear the forest for agricultural purpose. Much of the biodiversity and many ecosystems were destroyed in large areas, including the area of Wat Chas village or its surroundings. Presently, small areas of woodlands were left around the dwellings. Most trees such as neem, coconut, palm, mango, jack fruit, rubber or bamboo in the small woodlands are available for villagers and provide benefits (picture 1). Additionally, some species of trees or herbs were re-planted around the dwellings.