On July 31, 2024, a kick-off meeting and Farmer Water Users Community (FWUC) workshop were held in Pursat Province, Cambodia, for the SATREPS project, which began in April this year, aiming to reduce methane emissions from paddy rice fields.

The kick-off meeting was held to officially inform relevant parties in Pursat Province, where the model site is located, of the start of the project and to request their cooperation. The meeting commenced with a welcome speech from the JICA Cambodia Office, followed by a welcome speech by the Deputy Director of the Pursat Provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology (PDWRAM), an opening address by the Director General of the Pursat Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PDAFF), and an introduction to the SATREPS project by Project Leader Dr. IZUMI Taro of JIRCAS.

The subsequent workshop on FWUC was held as part of efforts to strengthen and train FWUC in the model site, and included discussions on the problems farmers face and ways to solve them. After an explanation of the purpose and procedure of the workshop by JIRCAS Special Research Fellow Dr. SHINDO Soji, the participants — FWUC officials, staff from the PDAFF and PDWRAM, and students from the Royal University of Agriculture and the Institute of Technology of Cambodia — were divided into four groups to hold discussions. At the end of the workshop, representatives from each group gave presentations on the results of their discussions. Problems faced by farmers included the effects of climate change (droughts and floods), water shortages, lack of technology, inadequate infrastructure, and farm management challenges (e.g., rising prices of agricultural equipment and fuel, unstable agricultural product prices, and labor shortages). Government officials also raised concerns about the environmental impact of excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers and criticized some practices by farmers. The SATREPS project team is taking into account the workshop’s outcomes to develop technologies that will be supported by farmers.