Excellence in Agronomy highlights mechanized direct seeding in annual meeting

30 November 2022, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: The advantages, learnings, and constraints for mechanized direct seeding in Cambodia and the Southeast Asia region were on the spotlight at the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) – Cambodia annual meeting. The event was held in Phnom Penh on 30 November to 02 December 2022, and attended by more than 50 participants from the government, private sector, NGOs, as well as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Hean Vanhan, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), mentioned how the EiA initiative is an “important and aligned strand of work which the MAFF fully supports”. He further emphasized the urgent need for agronomic technologies that enable efficiencies in the face of the recent global crises which brought about spikes in input costs. Mechanized direct seeding is one option to help improve the rice productivity of farmers. The Royal Government of Cambodia also puts priority on climate adaptive practices and mechanization in agriculture.

The first day of the event focused on research findings about mechanized Direct Seeded Rice (mDSR). Drs. Virender Kumar (IRRI), Tim Krupnik (CIMMYT), and Nguyen Van Hung (IRRI) shared key insights on agronomy and mechanization in the region, while Dr. Bob Martin (ASR Cambodia) and Mr. Som Bunna (CARDI) shared the research findings, potential for DSR and the major constraints in Cambodia. On the same day, the participants had an activity to co-design the scaling strategy of EiA to enable widespread uptake of mDSR in the country. On the…