In early 1986, the Australian government and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) together entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in an attempt to address rice production problems in Indochina. 

That year, three IRRI scientists arrived in Cambodia to identify potential areas of cooperation and assistance. It marked the end of a 20-year hiatus in IRRI’s involvement with the country. There were subsequent visits under the Deep Water Rice Project later that year, prior to the introduction of some varietal evaluation sites in 1987.

This cooperation and assistance came at a crucial time for Cambodia, with rice production efforts suffering from years of war and political unrest.

The economically active population of Cambodia at the time was only about two and a half to three million – a workforce equivalent to what the country had in the late 1960s. Malnutrition, poor sanitation and scarce medical services created problems such as high rates of infant mortality (as much as two per cent). The economy functioned far below capacity in nearly every sector. The 1979 to 1981 period immediately following the fall of the Pol Pot regime was one of acute food shortages and massive population relocation. Emergency aid and relief operations averted famine but this just highlighted the fact Cambodia, simply, was in desperate need of increased levels of domestic rice production.

Prior to 1969 Cambodia’s rice exports were peaking at 500,000 tons, and although 1986 provided near-perfect growing conditions the country could not meet domestic demand.Cambodia had been experiencing a rice deficit of these proportions for nearly twenty years.Many things had changed in that time and there were now additional constraints to the import of adequate quantities of chemicals and equipment, as well as a shortage of labour and draft animals. An indication of how much things had really changed was the fact prior to 1969 wet season rice covered an area of around 2.4 million hectares but by the mid-1980s cultivated rice had diminished to just 1.8 million hectares, the major share of production coming from the Mekong Delta provinces in the south-east (Kampong Cham, Kandal, Kompong Speu, Prey Veng, Takeo, and Svay Rieng) and from the north-western province of Battambang.

Under Phase One of the IRRI-Indochina Program, which covered the period from March 1987 until the end of the year, IRRI appointed an Australian agronomist to begin a program of cooperation and assistance in Cambodia. A total of 11 IRRI scientists, including the Director-General, visited Cambodia during that year.

IRRI also dispatched a socio-economic team, comprised of an agricultural economist and an anthropologist in November 1987 to undertake in-depth studies of the constraints and opportunities for increasing rice production and improving the productivity of rice growing areas.  The IRRI team visited representative rice growing environments and held discussions with farmers and government officials.  It was concluded considerable opportunities existed for improvements in rice land productivity despite, the then current, constraints of low rice prices and problems in the government support system. 
 

The team recommended research was needed in the following areas:

• Integrated nutrient management, with emphasis on the use of green manures and other organic sources;

• Evaluation of traditional and modern rice varieties;

• Assessment of water management systems, both traditional and introduced;

• Integrated pest management;

• Evaluation of farm implements; and,

• Agro-ecosystem classification

The main objective of Phase One of the IRRI-Indochina Program was to identify and design projects for implementation in Indochina over the next several years.  Based on two years experience in Cambodia, IRRI had now designed a collaborative project to be implemented over a three-year period commencing early in 1988.

At the time the average national yield of rice was 1.4 tons per hectare - the lowest in Asia.  As previously mentioned, options for increased production included area expansion (over 600,000ha lay abandoned) and intensification.  The urgency of solutions to the country’s food production problems favoured the latter option, as area expansion was severely limited by labour and draft shortages that were unlikely to be overcome for some time.

The Australian Development Assistance Bureau (ADAB) Ministerial Submission for Phase Two described Cambodia’s rice research capabilities as “almost non-existent”.  The submission, made in March 1988, marked a shift in focus of Australia’s agricultural aid towards Cambodia, and confirmed the partnership with IRRI in developing “from a very low starting level, a national rice research and extension infrastructure [sic]”.

The total cost of the IRRI-Kampuchea Project (Phase Two) was US$2.31million over the three-year period commencing in March 1988, and eventually was extended a further six months without additional funding (as was Phase Three).  It was designed to provide support for the establishment and development of the Kampuchean Rice Research and Development Institute (KARRDI).  At this time the Ministry of Agriculture set up a joint project design team to identify a suitable site for KARRDI and to develop a blueprint for its program emphasis and infrastructure development.  The actual cost of infrastructure was not at that stage covered under the project.  However, the Cambodian government had requested IRRI to identify a suitable donor or consortium of donors to support infrastructure development at KARRDI.

IRRI thus put forward concrete plans for a national research and development institute for the country’s main crop – rice.  They argued no existing centre had the “critical mass of scientists needed to make major progress towards improving rice productivity.  Moreover, no single organization in Cambodia maintains an overview of national problems and on-going research activities.” (Cambodian Rice Research and Development Institute (CARRDI) Proposal – May 1989)

The establishment of CARRDI was proposed by IRRI in 1987.  The Cambodian government strongly endorsed this proposal and for this purpose allocated 170 hectares at Khum Prateah Lang (about 18km south-west of Phnom Penh).  The main reason the (current) site had been selected was because it was predominantly rainfed lowland and thus representative of the older alluvial terraces that are dominant in Cambodia and also found elsewhere in Indochina.  It was envisaged that while the proposed CARRDI site was typical of Cambodia’s dominant rice ecosystem (rainfed lowland), not all activities would be carried out at the headquarters but also at provincial research stations throughout the country.

Dr Ernest Nunn (the IRRI research station development expert) visited Cambodia two months at the end of 1988 to develop a master plan for the establishment of the institute. This consultancy resulted in a funding proposal for CARRDI dated May 1989.  Dr Nunn’s input was followed by a month long visit from 16 March 1989 by Dr M E Raymundo who compiled a comprehensive soil survey report for the site. 

The development plan for CARRDI had been drawn up by IRRI in consultation with the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture.  It included the construction of buildings, provision of vehicles and equipment, electrification, water supply, 32 hectares of irrigation development, farm roads and a perimeter fence.  The total projected budget for CARRDI development was estimated in 1990 at US$3.63million.  A modified program of work, delaying construction of some buildings to a subsequent phase would cost US$2.76million. 

The Department of Agronomy on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture through the Municipality of Phnom Penh and the district office Dangkor commenced negotiations with the farmers at Prateah Lang, and by early January 1990, they agreed to sell their land for 60,000 riels per hectare. The exchange rate at the time was 260 riels to the US$1, making the offer at US$230 per hectare. All but two of the 201 villagers agreed wholeheartedly to sell.  In addition to the US$230, the farmers were promised the use of unutilised land and were given the first preference for labourer positions at the institute. All farmers agreed to this proposal with a thumbprint endorsed consent on January 13, 1990.

The Cambodian government went through a period of severe fund shortages in 1990 and the farmers were not paid until September 14.  By this stage the value of the riel had dropped to 510 per US$1, halving the effective amount they were to receive.  All farmers reluctantly accepted but now weren’t quite so happy with the arrangements.  Problems were further compounded by a rise in land prices in Phnom Penh, although its effect had not yet reached the countryside.

Construction of the access road to the building site commenced at the beginning of June 1991 but the onset of the wet season prevented its completion.  Work recommenced in January 1993 but ceased the following month when the farmers demanded a higher payment for their rapidly appreciating land.  No progress was made resolving this problem until late 1996 when 100 hectares of the 170-hectare site was sold and the money distributed to the previous owners.

In August, CARDI was officially recognized by Government sub-decree as being the national institute for farming systems based agronomic research.  Personnel from CIAP commenced shifting office and equipment to the station site twenty kilometres southwest of Phnom Penh city late in the year.  It was confirmed CARDI would take responsibility for agronomic research in Cambodia and CIAP will be an assisting counterpart agency until the end of 2001.

An important early step, gaining more widespread recognition for CARDI, was the hosting of the international conference “The Impact of Agricultural Research for Development in Southeast Asia” between October 24 and 26, 2000. Around 150 participants took part in the proceedings during which 26 oral papers were delivered.

At the beginning of 2000, CIAP’s international consultants started acting in more of an advisory rather than team leadership capacity.  To strengthen ownership of CARDI and its management, line items in the PID (Project Implementation Document) supporting labour were consolidated into one line called CARDI Personnel Support.  A single deposit was paid into the CARDI account each month with the CARDI financial officer responsible for issuing funds to a pre-approved staff list and salary scale.

At this stage CIAP had been managed since its inception in 1987 by IRRI and would remain so until scheduled completion at the end of 2001.  The total project costs during this period was calculated at US$24.65million, and even more at current exchange rates.

The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute was officially established by sub-decree Number 74 of 16 August 1999. It was created as a legal entity under the management of a director who reports to a government appointed board of directors. Its status is equivalent to a government department. In December 1999 by sub-decree number 552, Dr Men Sarom was named as the first director of the institute, and Mr Leang Sam Hat was assigned as the first chairman of the institute board of directors.  The institute  is semi-autonomous but is subject to technical and budget approval by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries (MAFF) and for financial approval by the Ministry of Finance and Economics (MFE).

The inauguration was conducted on November 21, 2000. Landmark speeches reinforced to all present the importance of CARDI for the future development of Cambodia.

CARDI’s mission of “Technology for Prosperity” is based on an analysis of how the agricultural sector in Cambodia is expected to evolve in the future. CARDI’s vision of how it will respond to the future operational environment and achieve their mission has the following features:

• Assist the RGC to achieve its rural development objectives;

• Focus on applying technology with major impacts on poverty alleviation and living standards;

• Deliver high quality, highly valued research and development services;

• Work in partnership with extension, NGO and private sector agencies to increase the impact of improved technologies;

• Improve its capacity to deliver quality research and development services that meet client needs;

• Apply a business-like approach to its operation; and,

• Promote the impact and value of research for the development of Cambodia

CARDI inherited an on-going research program from CIAP, mainly concerned with rice production.  It has already started broadening the base of its research programs to include other agricultural commodities.  While CARDI recognises that diversification of its research portfolio is a key step in assisting the Royal Government of Cambodia achieve its rural development objectives, the precise nature of CARDI’s future research portfolio will be determined through a national agriculture research priority setting and funding process. 

As well as diversification of CARDI’s research profile into other crops the focus may shift from yield to an increased emphasis on quality, including post-harvest technology and practices.  CARDI could well become a key provider of national priority research, contract research, technology packaging, training, consultancy and quality seed in Cambodia and further abroad.  Working towards that point CARDI has already adopted a partnership approach to enhance its ability to provide the range and quality of agricultural research and development services required for the future.