It Takes a Village

From Company Sales to Community Capacity, Private Extension Services Prove to Be Worthwhile

Many Cambodian vegetable farmers recognize the value of modern production methods. Implementing them, however, can be difficult without reliable access to quality inputs and the technical knowledge to apply them correctly. East-West Seed Co. (EWS) is an input supply company working to change that and expand their business at the same time. With support from Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II, EWS has worked across the provinces of Pursat, Battambang, Siem Reap, and Kampong Thom not only to build producers’ technical capacity, but also to strengthen the support systems and services that farmers need to continue improving their yields and access stable markets.

A central element of EWS’s approach is its work with independent retailers. Based in the villages where farmers live and work, retailers provide a crucial link between farmers in need of quality goods and services, and EWS, who can provide them.

Kain Chenda is one such retailer. Three years ago, he opened an input supply shop in Rohal Suong village, fifteen kilometers north of Battambang town. After initially struggling to attract customers and connect with reputable supply companies, Chenda began working with EWS, recognizing an opportunity to set his business apart by providing quality products and sound technical advice.

Input retailer Kain Chenda has collaborated with East-West Seed Co. to support vegetable farmers’ efforts to improve production through access to quality inputs and reliable technical advice.

Chenda and some of his farmer-clients joined trainings held by EWS on improved growing techniques, learning about different seed varieties and cultivation practices. They participated in demonstrations on mulching, irrigation, and other production techniques.

Building his own technical capacity, Chenda says, is good for his business. “I have to have up-to-date technical expertise and knowledge,” he says, “because farmers have me visit their farms. I can attract various farmers to come buy from me, because I provide this service.”

As noted by EWS sales representative Seng Chanthy, working with retailers like Chenda is part of EWS’s emphasis on sustainability. The company ensures that farmers continue to have support networks in their communities, even after EWS-led trainings, by building retailers’ capacity to provide farmers with not just quality inputs, but technical assistance as well.

“We support independent retailers through technical assistance, product knowledge, and linkages to depots,” Chanthy says. “Many farmers now know which market actors they need to work with in order to access specific seed varieties, technical advice, product knowledge, or market information.”

These networks of mutually-beneficial support mean greater income for farmers, more reliable supply chains for buyers, and better business for input retailers. Chhut Man, a vegetable collector in nearby Bak Amrek village, has doubled his daily collection volume through his farmers’ improved capacity. Chenda’s sales doubled between his first and second year, and are on track to grow another 25 percent this year.

Vegetable buyer and farmer Chhut Man has doubled his daily collection volume as his farmers have participated in East-West Seed Co. trainings and improved their production practices. 

“These days, things are much easier, due to my collaboration with EWS,” he says.

EWS’s Chanthy says that the company’s own sales, too, have increased, growing by more than 21 percent across the four provinces. He attributes much of this growth to farmers’ adoption of improved growing methods, thus increasing their demand for – and confidence in – the company’s products. Input retailers, as trusted and knowledgeable community members, are key to this success, and EWS intends to continue building their capacity and skills.

Legal, Quality Inputs and Tailored Services Pay Benefits

Longan Actors Work Together for a Stronger Sector

Longan, a fruit similar to lychee, is popular among farmers in western Cambodia, and has high export potential. Meeting international quality standards, however, requires access to reliable agro-inputs and technical assistance, which many Cambodian farmers lack.

“Many farmers work along the border, learning Thai techniques,” explains Rin Narith, Vice Manager of Sales and Marketing at Khmer Angkor Farmer (KAF), a Cambodian input supply company. “This means that they have to use Thai products. Khmer Angkor Farmer saw this and said, perhaps there’s a market there.”

Thai products pose unique challenges for Cambodian farmers. Illegal imports and counterfeit products are difficult to distinguish from genuine products, and when labels are not translated into Khmer (Cambodian), farmers are unaware of safety risks and proper application methods.

Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II began working with KAF in Phnom Preuk district, Battambang province, in June 2018, helping the firm build longan farmers’ access to reliable inputs and technical capacity. With support from Harvest II, KAF held trainings for producers, buyers, input dealers, and farm service providers, covering such topics as pruning, the proper application of fertilizers and pesticides, and the use of personal protective equipment.

With facilitation from Harvest II, KAF also began working more closely with input dealers. Phut Borey, one such dealer, started out as a longan farmer before opening an agro-inputs depot last year. He also operates a pesticide-spraying service for farm owners, and, after connecting with KAF at a training, took an interest in their products.“I prefer using legal products from my own country,” Borey says, “because the company guarantees the quality. The guarantee is important, because farmers invest a lot in their farms.”

Input dealer Phut Borey has worked with Khmer Angkor Farmer to expand farmers’ access to legal, quality agro-inputs, as well as the technical expertise that they need to apply them safely and properly.

Borey encourages his farmers to attend KAF’s trainings, and has built his own capacity to provide quality services and technical assistance to his customers. His clientele has grown from ten to 100 farmers, and he has hired a permanent employee to help with both his own farm and his support services business.

Many of Borey’s farmers sell their longan to the Pailin Longan Association, an agricultural cooperative that purchases Cambodian longan for export to Thai markets. Harvest II has worked with the association to build their network of suppliers in Phnom Preuk, increasing their access to longan of adequate and consistent quality.

“Especially important,” says Yim Bunthoeun, a Pailin Longan Association buyer, “is technical capacity,” because of the strict requirements for export markets. “If a farmer harvests 30 tons, but they have not cared for their farm well, only ten tons will meet the standards.”

Input supply company Khmer Angkor Farmer has helped build the technical capacity of farm services labor groups to provide improved services to longan farm owners. 

The Pailin Longan Association works symbiotically with input dealers like Borey, who help farmers improve the quality of their harvest and connect them to the association’s buyers. In return, the association provides an attractive market for farmers’ longan, thus encouraging them to expand their production and in turn increasing demand for agro-inputs. In the last season, the association purchased $1.89 million of longan from 52 farmers in Phnom Preuk and neighboring districts, a tenfold increase on the previous season. Meanwhile, KAF has seen its profits increase, and is building a strong reputation as a reliable company providing quality agro-inputs and technical assistance.

“We do whatever it takes to ensure that farmers see Khmer Angkor Farmer and know that it is good quality,” says Narith. “They use our products and achieve success, and so they speak highly of us.”