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New partnership aims to scale up sustainable technologies for tomato production in Battambang

Cambodia
Sustainable agriculture
30.01.2023
Swisscontact signed a Partnership Agreement with the Battambang Provincial Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries (PDAFF) on December 23rd, 2022, to collaborate on scaling up the technology by improving, promoting, providing training for grafted tomato plants in Battambang province

Tomatoes grown during wet season are prone to diseases and drastically result in major crop loss. This is a big challenge for vegetable farmers in Cambodia as production of tomatoes is limited during rainy season, despite a high demand. This gap is usually substituted by imports from neighboring countries which demand a high price.

The Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies project (S3), implemented by the National University of Battambang (NUBB) and Swisscontact was initiated with an aim to address this gap by introducing grafting technology to tomato farmers in Cambodia. Grafting technology has been proven to be resistant and provides better yields for farmers during rainy season.

"The grafting technology of tomato plants for the rainy season is important for vegetable growing farmers to strengthen their farming techniques, increase yields, and income. The training of trainers and knowledge transfer of this technology to PDAFF’s officers will contribute to the extension and adoption of the technology to farmers by having the PDAFF’s officers promote and provide trainings on grafted tomato plants."
H.E Long Phorn, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Foresty, and Fishery of Battambang

The S3 project also aims to set up and establish demo plots on grafted tomato plants as well as provide trainings to farmers on grafted tomato plants. The project also conducted its first training to trainers from January 17th to 18th, 2023. The project collaborated with the National University of Battambang to train the Battambang PDAFF officers on grafting techniques, including selection of tomatoes and eggplant seed varieties, preparation and germination including use of appropriate tools and healing chamber set up. The PDAFF officers were also trained on grafting techniques with demonstrations, post grafting presentations and transplanting techniques.

This training of trainers was an important step in the implementation of the project as it empowers the provincial PDAFF officers with knowledge on various grafting techniques that they will use to train tomato farmers in the province. Furthermore, this also helps in post project sustainability as PDAFF officers would continue to support the local farmers even after intervention closure.

Swisscontact in Cambodia through the Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture project (ISA), in partnership with the National University of Battambang (NUBB) supports the Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies project (S3). The S3 project is led by the University of Tennessee, is a sub-award under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification at Kansas State University, funded by the USAID to advance the capacity and roles of scaling agents in technology diffusion through applied research, technical assistance, curricula development and organizational strengthening.

Cambodia
Sustainable agriculture
Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies (S3)
The Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies, led by the University of Tennessee, is a sub-award under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification at Kansas State University, funded by the USAID.
Through the employment of the gender and ecologically sensitive impact pathways mapped during the 2015-2020 WAgN-Cambodia project, the project will advance the capacity and roles of scaling agents in technology diffusion through applied research, technical assistance, curricula development and organizational strengthening. This process demonstrates the potential for scaling technologies through local, national, and regional networks and for uptake of sustainable intensification (SI) technologies by rice-based farmers and others, serving as a regional model for self-reliance.
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