Accueil 9 Our activities 9 Bayon vegetable gardens

Training and awareness-raising on agroecological practices

In order to pursue our mission in education, the Bayon School has set itself the new ambition of rethinking food production models in the Angkor region. Raising the awareness of farming families that we support through our other programs, and providing access to a new vocational training dedicated to agroecological practices are essential steps in the transition to a more sustainable food system in Cambodia.

Genesis of the project: the school canteen supplied with locally produced organic vegetables.

In 2015, the Bayon School launched the Cantine d’Élodie, which provides a balanced breakfast and lunch to all elementary school students every day.

The Bayon School, with the constant desire to consolidate the quality of these actions, then looked into a model of sourcing vegetables produced locally and without pesticides, for a better respect of the health of the children and the environment.

This is how the “Bayon Vegetable Gardens” came to life.

In 2018, the Bayon School launches the vegetable garden project with 8 families of children attending our elementary school having a plot of land. After 6 months of training and work, the first vegetables produced without pesticides were harvested and purchased by the canteen cooks to feed the students.

 

Garden of one of our farmers
Farmer in her garden

The objectives of this program are various: 

  • Supply the canteen with locally produced organic vegetables
  • To support families with a complementary income
  • To train in agroecology and food autonomy
  • To sensitize children to sustainable agriculture. 

Skills transfer: a training course dedicated to agroecological practices

To date, we have 10 families involved in the sustainable agriculture project. Each of them have benefited from quality training when setting up their vegetable garden, while raising their awareness of sustainable agricultural production, without the use of chemical inputs.

In order to increase the skills and autonomy of the families, our team dedicated to the sustainable agriculture project carries out regular workshops combining theory and practice in various fields:

  • Knowledge of the composition and life of the soil, making solid compost
  • Crop protection: understanding crop rotations and preparation of bio-pesticide,
  • Realization of nurseries
  • Resilience: Anticipating rainy seasons through above-ground cultivation
  • Economics: diversifying income sources and crops to avoid exposure to loss

The Bayon vegetable gardens: income-generating activities for families

This project has a double objective: to promote a more responsible nutrition in Cambodia by providing locally grown vegetables without the use of chemical inputs; while generating additional income for the families and thus improving their living conditions.

Since the launch of this project, the Bayon School has continued to find ways to improve the yield of the crops and facilitate the working conditions of the families. Recently, we have installed automatic watering systems on all the vegetable gardens in order to free up considerable time for the families.

In total, thanks to the vegetable gardens, 30 kg of vegetables are produced daily and provide healthy food for nearly 350 people at the Bayon School (students, teachers and NGO staff), while generating an additional monthly income of about $70 per family.

blog

Follow our news 

All articles