54 Co-engaged Lear ning Pra ctices for Equi ty, Livelih oods and Devel opme nt RCE Greater Phnom Penh: Promoting ESD through Food, Agriculture and Environment Education in Elementary Schools and Rural Communities Lalita Siriwattananon Machito Mihara Bunthan Ngo RCE Greater Phnom Penh Agriculture is one of the important sectors of the Cambodian national economy, with more than 70% of the population engaged in the agricultural sector (MAFF, 2009). Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and has more than 1.3 million inhabitants. Rapid development of agricultural technologies, dependant on chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, has significantly increased agricultural production since the late 1990s. However, the overuse of agricultural chemicals is damaging long term soil fertility and the productivity of farmlands. Agricultural chemicals released from farmlands downstream are also degrading water quality. This means that intensive farming practices dependant on agricultural chemicals are causing various problems for the natural environment and human health. In response, attention has been paid to education for sustainable development (ESD) in the agricultural sector for achieving food safety, as well as for environmental conservation in Cambodia. RCE Greater Phnom Penh (RCE GPP) was established in December 2009 to promote ESD in Cambodia. It builds public awareness around the importance of creating harmony between agricultural development and natural environment conservation. The stakeholder organisations are: Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) and Institute of Environment Rehabilitation and Conservation, Cambodia Branch (ERECON CaM), which work as coordinators of RCE Greater Phnom Penh in the Secretariat Committee; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF); Ministry of Rural Development (MRD); Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS); Ministry of Environment (MOE); elementary schools; local communities; and private sector partners in target areas. In addition, Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), the Institute of Environment Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON ), and the Association of Environmental and Rural Development (AERD) sit on an external advisory panel of RCE GPP. RCE GPP and ERECON have been collaborating on a project entitled “Promoting ESD through Food, Agriculture and Environment Education in Elementary Schools and Rural Communities in Cambodia”, which will be described in detail throughout this chapter. Background Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia is the economic, industrial, commercial, cultural, tourist and historical centre of the country. The number of people living in the capital has been steadily increasing, from 1.28 million in 2004 to 2.1 million in 2010. The average annual growth is at 16.37%. The rapid increase in population causes many problems related to the environment, life quality, education and health, among others. Although education is the key to developing human resources to help resolve those problems, improving the education system in Cambodia is difficult, due to a lack of teachers, school facilities and financial resources. The net admission ratio for elementary school is 93.3%. However, the net enrollment ratio for lower secondary school is 34.8% and for higher secondary school only 14.8% (MoEYS 2007, 2008). Female students from rural areas or students from lower income families are all grossly underrepresented in education statistics. The majority of students who don’t continue onto secondary school often start working in the agricultural sector. In the area of Greater Phnom Penh, the provinces of Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kandal, Pray Veng and Takeo have education systems that are very insufficient when compared to the system in Phnom Penh. In these rural areas, poverty is a barrier for children to continue their study at elementary or secondary schools as farmers often ask their children to stay at home to work the land. Despite the challenges inherent in improving the education system, the regional environmental challenges related to the use of agricultural chemicals, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides have helped to draw attention to the transformative potential of ESD and sustainable farming practices in rural development. In the area of Greater Phnom Penh, food, agriculture and environment education was the main focus of the collaborative project. The project would not just target elementary schools but also rural communities. Activities were focused on: forming farmers’ groups and promoting organic farming based on natural resource circulation; promoting the distribution and sales of products with low chemical input; and promoting food, agriculture and environment education for agricultural successors. All of these activities were undertaken in collaboration with government, universities, local NGOs and the 6
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