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15. Living on the land |
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Tonle Sap: Source of Lives
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Meeting the farmers Agriculture takes up about 25% of the Tonle Sap area. Farmers usually live near the flooded forest boundary or "upland." It is important to mention that farming practices are both small and simple. As in many places in Cambodia, agriculture requires irrigation to cope with the prolonged aridity of the dry season, as well as flooding in the wet season. There are very few farmers who don't also fish in ricefields or nearby streams when they have the time! |
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Ricefields as far as the eye can see Rice is Cambodia's staple food and therefore the most important crop. As you may know, rice varieties and farming methods are very diverse, but three main categories or rice can be identified around Tonle Sap. Rainfed lowland rice, the most common crop, is found in the rarely-flooded areas. It is irrigated with rainwater and is thus cultivated during the wet season then harvested at the beginning of the dry season. Floating rice is planted closer to the lake. It is so named, because the top part of the plant is always above the water and therefore appears to float. This rice grows with the rhythm of flooding and rainfall. It is harvested at the beginning of the year when the water has receded. On the contrary, receding water rice is a dry season crop: the seeds are soaked in water for a few days before being tended in a nursery for about three weeks. Seedlings are then transplanted into ricefields, irrigated with the receding water and harvested towards mid-April. But don't forget that techniques vary greatly depending on the variety of rice, the soil or simply the year! |
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Fruit and vegetables are grown during the dry season Land use around Tonle Sap is strongly related to the flooding conditions imposed by the lake and the Mekong river. Though floods do fertilize the plains, soils are on the whole quite poor and yields tend to be low. Pesticides and fertilizers are increasingly being used. Fruit and vegetable cultivation is substantial. It is often confined to the non-flooded zones and the banks of rivers. Corn, mungbeans, soybeans, watermelons, eggplants, cucumbers and many types of spice are dry-season crops. They are usually planted from December on and are harvested three to six months later. The output is either destined for self-consumption and served with daily rice, or sold on a small scale at the market. |
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People live on forestry resources Villagers harvest trees from both the "upland" forests and the flooded forest, mainly for firewood and to make charcoal. Branches and vines are also required to build houses and boats or to make fishing equipment. The clearing of land for agriculture used to widespread. But conflicts arose between "upland" farmers and "lowland" fishermen, because the lake's floating villages were no longer protected by the forest from wind and storms. Now compromises are usually reached. Lastly, local people go into the forests to collect medicinal and cooking plants, the secrets of which are often in the elders' hands! |
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Livestock? Many villagers raise livestock…at home! Large-scale livestock rearing is very rare: it's usually more of a family activity. Villagers raise ducks and chickens, for their meat and eggs, pigs and buffalos. It's an interesting alternative for those who have a bit of land. However, the animals are expensive and looking after them isn't so easy. They have to be sheltered on platforms during the rainy season and they often get sick. [next] |
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