Better irrigation techniques help Cambodian villages

Better irrigation, training in how to select seeds and cheap fertilizer made from wild plants and animal or bat droppings have more than doubled the yield of rice fields in Cambodia from 1.5 tons to 3.4 tons per hectare.

The government hopes to increase rice exports and cut poverty among its 14 million people, 85 percent of whom are farmers or members of farming families. Thanks in large part to vastly improved irrigation, farmers can get two crops a year from their fields, earning them an income of $1,500. Per capita income in Cambodia is around $500.

Full article: Reuters

Photo: Reuters