Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia

• After the rains, clear the soil by removing grass and clearing bush. Plant
and tend to the crops, then harvest at the end of the season. Villagers
repeat this practice on the same farmland until the soil is exhausted and a
new area of land is required.
• After cultivating a piece of land for several years, the land becomes
exhausted. Villagers then leave this farm to ‘re-grow the forest’ and allow
recovery of its fertility; it thus becomes fallow land. Villagers leave the
fallow land unused for 20 to 30 years depending on the time need to
recover land fertility and on the availability of forest farmland close to the
village. The fallow land is considered communal land, so any villager can
clear it to conduct their farming.
• The members of other village communities cannot cross the customary
boundary to farm within their territory; this is considered a taboo.
If they want access to the land, they must ask permission from the
Krak Shrok in advance. The customary territory of Kameng community is
identified by their traditional practices, which acknowledges the natural
boundaries created by mountains, trees, steams and valleys.
• Look for new land to cultivate farms. In general, new forest farms are
created on fallow land abandoned over the last 15 years. Villagers
explained that according to their practices, they do not like to clear virgin
timber forests. This is due to the fact that they do not have enough tools
for clearing, as well as their belief that such forests are spiritual places to
be kept for wildlife hunting and collection of non-timber forest products.
There is little conflict associated with this livelihood system except for
occasional accidents or misunderstandings. Most disputes over this system
occur when villagers clearing forest unintentionally cross each other’s
boundaries. It is considered taboo for villagers to clear forest areas that lie
directly in the path of someone’s farm expansion. If such a mistake occurs, the
guilty party must pay tatch of one chicken and a jar of wine to sacrifice to the
spirits for good wishes and good luck and to reject all bad luck.
Kreung Ethnicity: Documentation of Customary Rules
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