Rice production in Cambodia / edited by H. J. Nesbitt - IRRI books

Foreword <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>production</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Cambodia</strong> has passed through a series of impressive developments and setbacks over the past one or two thousand years. Dur<strong>in</strong>g this century alone, <strong>Cambodia</strong> rose to be<strong>in</strong>g one of the major rice exporters of the world and then slumped <strong>in</strong>to a period dur<strong>in</strong>g which a vast percentage of the population had little to eat. Recent democratic elections and the open<strong>in</strong>g of the economy auger well for <strong>Cambodia</strong>n agriculture and a greatly expanded rice <strong>production</strong> base is expected <strong>in</strong> the near future. This book presents a brief history of rice <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Cambodia</strong>n economy and gives considerable detail on the country’s rice-grow<strong>in</strong>g ecosystems. Included are descriptions of the topography, climate, and soils on which the crop is grown, details of the biotic and abiotic factors <strong>in</strong>fluenc<strong>in</strong>g productivity, farmers’ management practices, current and potential scope for farm mechanization, rice-fish <strong>in</strong>teractions, and some discussion on the constra<strong>in</strong>ts to <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>production</strong>. The results of considerable agronomic, social, and economic research conducted on rice ecosystems over the past decade are presented. These update readers on the latest technologies which can be utilized for improved <strong>production</strong> from susta<strong>in</strong>able rice-based farm<strong>in</strong>g systems and provide a basis on which future developments can be gauged. Results of the surveys conducted dur<strong>in</strong>g this period are presented along with summaries of newly developed soil description techniques, details of the latest released varieties, and improved farm<strong>in</strong>g systems practices. Senior authors of contributions to <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>production</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Cambodia</strong> were Dr. Harry <strong>Nesbitt</strong>, agronomist/project manager; Dr. Peter White, soil scientist; Dr. Edw<strong>in</strong> Javier, plant breeder; Dr. Gary Jahn, <strong>in</strong>tegrated pest management specialist; and Mr. Joe Rickman, agricultural eng<strong>in</strong>eer; all from the <strong>Cambodia</strong>-<strong>IRRI</strong>-Australia Project (CIAP). An additional chapter discuss<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>teractions between rice and fish is presented <strong>by</strong> Mr. Rick Gregory and Mr. Hans Guttman from the Asian Institute of Technology. These contributions were not possible without close collaboration with employees of the Department of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g, Department of Fisheries and Prov<strong>in</strong>cial Agricultural Offices of the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. The book was <strong>edited</strong> <strong>by</strong> Tess Rola, with graphic design <strong>by</strong> Doris Rifareal and cover design <strong>by</strong> Juan Lazaro IV, Communication and Publications Services, <strong>IRRI</strong>. The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is gratefully acknowledged for fund<strong>in</strong>g this publication.