Protecting communities in Cambodia

Sour Peakei, 34, is one of the many people in Cambodia who is being helped thanks to your generous donations. He explains the difference SCIAF's support has made to his life.

I’ve known DPA (One of SCIAF's Cambodian partners),  since 2003 since they came to the village to give information on community land titling, training in agriculture with the department of agriculture. The DPA are working in this village in four ways: natural resource management, climate change, agriculture and health. DPA has helped us to set up upland rice crops in 2017, vegetable growing in 2013. I’m involved in all the components of the DPA work here.

Regarding the natural resource management we have a Community Land Trust (CLT) scheme. There have been some instances of land grabbing but we work with the local authority to resolve the situation.

In 2016 a group of four or five people from another province came and started to clear forest. A villager saw them and reported it to the CLT who contacted the local authority. The police, provincial department of environment official, provincial forestry administration official went to the site and arrested one man – the others ran away. The man went to court and was ordered not to encroach the land again and if he did he would go to prison.

The committee informed villagers how important the forest is for future generations. If DPA had not helped us to establish the committee, the community would have no more land. The villagers did not understand the law and get information on how to stop people encroaching on the land.

The land is important to the community here because it is where we live, grow our food and have our burial site. There is also space for the spirits and reserves for poor households and future generations.

I am the vice chief of the Forestry Management Committee. We meet together to plan out our patrols five to six times a month. I also attend network meetings at district level to meet with other committees.

Drought resistance

My family is a member of the vegetable and upland rice group. I received training and seeds. It has improved the way we farm and increased our yields. Now we have enough to eat and can sell vegetables.

Drought resistant rice means the community has enough to eat whereas before we didn’t. We also received training in climate change and drought resistant seeds and plastic sheeting to put over crops to protect them from storms in the rainy season.

I would like to thank you as the representative of the donor who helps our community. I urge you to support our village as there are many poor families. I wish you good luck and wish the Scottish people good luck.

Climate change

Over the last five years we have seen many changes in the weather. It is getting hotter and hotter, more storms, and the rain is not now regular. Sometimes we delay the planting because the rain comes late and sometimes they’re damaged because of drought and sometimes crops don’t grow well because of heavy rain. The most recent problem we had was drought. It makes it really difficult for the farmer as crops can be harmed and the farmer has to replant the damaged crop. The reason for causing climate change is deforestation, gas from factories and vehicles. Governments should stop these.