Pesticide Impact Campaign

Pesticide Impact Campaign: With supporting fund from NGO Forum, one Anonymous Donor and cooperation with CEDAC and UNDP, ARD had organized a campaign on Pesticide Impact in Russey Srok Commune, Srey Santhor District, Kampong Cham Province.

The campaign was plan to organized after a field visit in target commune and found that all the vegetable cultivation farmers in that areas are using a lot of pesticides without knowledge in appropriate using and its impact affection. We noted that most of them are wrong in using pesticide, those are:
Using pesticide without any safety prevention method (no glove, contra win direction, etc.).

1-Using pesticide without a clear schedule and correct time (they mostly used pesticide whenever they observed their vegetables are not good growing). More dangerous factor is that they used pesticide less than 1 full day before selling their product in the market.

2-Not keeping in safe place after using pesticides, the farmers are always throwing away the empty bottle or package in their farm.

3- They are interested in using the strongest toxin pesticide (Ia, Ib classes) as they thought it is good result for their vegetable growing and destroy insects effectively but they do not understand about its negative impact.

The result of Campaign: The campaign was organized as scheduled in Russey Srok Krom Primary School which located in Russey Srok Commune, Srey Santhor District, Kampong Cham Province with the participants estimated around 250 farmers and students.

Although there was a downpour the day before and during the celebration, the campaign still processed with an 800-meter parade from Heng Samrin High School to Russey Srok Krom Primary School. The participants in the parade line were students, teachers, farmers and businessmen from the four villages of Russey Srok Commune. In addition, the local authority including the deputy district governor and commune councils; ARD staffs, NGO Forum Representative, PRN-C members and YAD volunteers also paraded in the procession. Because of the heavy rain the day before and the continuous drizzle in the morning, the existing poor road got worse. The road became slippery and muddy that all kinds of transportations were blocked except the horse cart. However, everybody struggled to attend the procession of our campaign. Many slogans on the banderole and banner were displayed and our ARD and YAD volunteers made a loud announcement about the pesticide impacts along the way; moreover, there was Chhay Yam group, a kind of popular Khmer traditional dance, leading the parade. All of these drew vast attention among the people.

When the parade reached the Srok Krom Primary School compound, all participants were seated in our arranged chairs and the ceremony was started by the welcome greeting from Mr. Ky Sem, Commune Chief of Russey Srok Commune, coming up next by the opening speech of the district governor. Remarkably, Deputy District Governor Chhun Chrea ,despite the poor road condition, took a horse cart to the compound, which was about 15 kilometers from the district town. In the speech, he showed his own as well as the authority's support and interest in this kind of campaign and requested ARD as well as other NGOs to continue the action in other communes of Srey Santhor District.

The gradual agenda of the campaign were about expanding knowledge of pesticide impacts and alternatives which was presented and explained by ARD Executive Director, NGO Forum Representative, and a short role play on pesticide impacts by YAD volunteers.
               
In the campaign, three farmers with health problems affected by the pesticides were taken as a practical example to illustrate the participants. The fact about the danger they've been encountering so far results from the improper use of the pesticides. Thus, this made the participants realize what had been happening to them during the using pesticides.

Role play of pesticide impact compaign

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