More than 80 percent of Cambodian people are dependent on agriculture, especially those in countryside. Farming rice in Cambodia mostly depends on the rainwater rather than the irrigation systems. This year, some areas, which do not received the minimum amount of rain needed for rice cultivation, are causing problems for the rice farmers to delay transplanting.

Over the last weekend, I went to the area nearby the Phnom Vor Mountain, which was the former stronghold of Khmer Rouge. I met and saw villagers staying at home, not go to rice paddy. It is because that their rice paddies are shortage of water and they were waiting for the rainfall.

More than 70 percent of villagers here live on rice farming and small-scale crops. After growing rice, they have worked in plantation of cassava, durian, and sandalwood… etc. apart from this, they cut hay and dry it for making roof.

I met a man, aged 60 years, who was the former Khmer Rouge soldier and were closer to the former Khmer Rouge commanders, said that most of the villagers in this area are the new comers, but only 20 percent of former Khmer Rouge’s families still keeps stayed here.

I stayed there 4 days and 3 nights off the mountain, and there were three day-rain in a row. The farmers are rushing to their rice fields to pull out the rice seeding and to plant transplanted rice.

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