Rice remains the cornerstone of Cambodian agriculture, and over the recent times, Cambodia has seen a rapid increase in the practice of direct seeding as replacement of traditional seedling transplanting, in the proportion of irrigated rice and in the use of motorised machinery for land preparation. This project focussed on raising rice production and contributing to increasing food security in the Southeast Asian Mekong region.
Project objectives included promoting adapted mechanisation solutions for wet and dry direct seeding practices and addressing some of the common constraints to high productivity such as weed infestation, uneven crop establishment and poor crop management.
The project was led by Industry and Investments NSW, in partnership with the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, the General Directorate of Agriculture and the Royal University of Agriculture. As an Australian collaborating institution, the Barbara Hardy Institute at UniSA provided technical expertise supporting the adaptive field research programme of mechanised dry and wet direct seeding of rice, with bo th mentoring and training activities.
Project funding
This project was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for five years (2010-2014).
For further information, please contact Jacky Desbiolles.
