In Cambodia the cultivation of rice and the harvest lasts between six and seven months. The different activities include: preparing the land, planting the rice, transplantation and harvest; and later drying and storing it. Most of the process is manual, under difficult conditions: many hours exposed to the sun, wind and rain, and most of the time kneeling and with water up to the knees. The average salary of an agricultural worker for a full day’s work is approximately $1.
Pol Pot´s vision of a peasant utopia did not bring agricultural skills or agricultural formation of the people
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Cambodia is a subsistence economy relying almost entirely on agriculture. Cambodia is completely dependent on the production of rice as its staple food, for employment and income. In Cambodia, the majority of the population lives in rural areas (84%) and is dedicated to agricultural activities (82%). It is estimated that 20% of families do not own land and that 25% of owners have only 0.5 hectares. Therefore around 40% of the population can be considered to be “without land”, which makes them the most vulnerable group in terms of economic stability.
The number of jobs arising from agricultural activities has decreased. Factors such as the introduction of machinery for agricultural work, competition with foreign exports and a rapid increase in people seeking work means there has been significant job losses in rural areas. In the last two decades, the international price of rice has steadily decreased. For many agricultural workers, this decrease in prices has been one of the reasons for poverty, and has undermined the food security of their homes, forcing them to emigrate from rural to urban areas. Rice farmers are also exposed to great risks due to the unpredictable weather.
* Pastoral accompaniment as a way of proceeding.
* Education.
* Support to people with disabilities.
* Health.
* Promotion of Cambodian culture.