1.2 Coordonnées des personnes-ressources et des institutions impliquées dans l'évaluation et la documentation de la Technologie

1.3 Conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées

Le compilateur et la(les) personne(s) ressource(s) acceptent les conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées:

Oui

1.4 Déclaration sur la durabilité de la Technologie décrite

Est-ce que la Technologie décrite ici pose problème par rapport à la dégradation des terres, de telle sorte qu'elle ne peut pas être déclarée comme étant une technologie de gestion durable des terres?

Non

2.1 Courte description de la Technologie

Définition de la Technologie:

Sugar palms growing on the dykes along the rice fields are used as source of income and have different effects on the growing of the rice, like reducing the wind speed and thus the evaporation and wind erosion.

2.2 Description détaillée de la Technologie

Description:

The sugar palm (Borassus flabellifer ) is the national tree of Cambodia, it is well adapted to the local natural environment and there is a long tradition to grow sugar palms. Therefore, only a negligible workload is required for both the establishment (fruits falling down from the already existing trees will grow) and the maintenance of the trees. As the sugar palm is resistant to waterlogging and floods (even in flooded areas in the floodplains), and it grows well at low pH, it is planted/grown on the rice field dykes and around the houses. The trees which are growing around the paddy fields have some positive effects on both soil and rice, as they slow down the wind and thus reduce evaporation and wind erosion. They also attract wildlife, and thus allow the establishment of other vegetation. The trees also have a purifying effect on the groundwater, and cycle the nutrients which are otherwise lost in the groundwater. The sugar palms and their products can be used in manifold ways: the leaves for wickerwork and roofs; the stems as fences, for ropes and strings; the fruits as food, fodder and to make straw palatable for cattle; the sap as fodder, to make wine, sugar, and vinegar; and the trunk as construction wood – these are only some of its uses. They reduce the risk of a complete crop failure, as their products are not subject to weather fluctuations.
After the collectivization of land during the civil war (1975-1979), the land and the trees were newly distributed to the people according to the size of the household. The ownership of the land and of the trees was not related. Until today, the trees can be growing on someone’s land, but can be sold or rented to somebody else who harvests its products.

The main reason to plant sugar palms in this area is the sap collection. In order to collect the sap, firstly bamboo ladders are tied to the sugar palm trees. In the dry season, the tapper climbs up the trees to collect the sap. The male or female inflorescence is crushed with a special tool and a piece of it sliced off. Bottles are hanged beneath the cut part, and the sap will flow into these bottles. The crushing and slicing is repeated twice a day, so the amount of collected sap can be optimized. Most of the sap is cooked on a fire and made into syrup, and if there is too much sap, it is fermented and sold as palm wine.

The fruits that fall down on the rice fields are thrown on the dykes, where they grow. The seedlings tolerate some cattle grazing, as long as only the leaves and not the bud are eaten.

The analysed area is flat (slope < 2%), with a tropical climate (dry season from November to May and wet season from June to October), and the soils are mostly sandy or loamy. The soil has a low fertility, contains little organic matter, and acidifies. The area has been deforested a long time ago, and the groundwater table is rather high (1-2 m during the dry season, on the surface during wet season). Due to climate change, farmers notice more erratic rainfalls, temperature rises and more recurrent droughts. Rice is the predominant crop grown in the area, since it serves as staple food (mix subsistence and commercial activities).

The increasing migration rate (the young generation leaves the villages to work in the cities, garment industry or abroad) results in a decrease of available labour force in the area which has detrimental effects on the agricultural activities. Furthermore, the civil war in the 1970s (Khmer Rouge) led to the loss of agricultural knowledge which different NGOs try to re-establish.

2.3 Photos de la Technologie

2.5 Pays/ région/ lieux où la Technologie a été appliquée et qui sont couverts par cette évaluation

2.6 Date de mise en œuvre de la Technologie

Si l'année précise est inconnue, indiquez la date approximative: :

• il y a plus de 50 ans (technologie traditionnelle)

2.7 Introduction de la Technologie

Spécifiez comment la Technologie a été introduite: :

• dans le cadre d'un système traditionnel (> 50 ans)

Commentaires (type de projet, etc.) :

It is a traditional tree in Cambodia, with historical use. Its introduction on the rice field dykes is unknown.

3.1 Principal(aux) objectif(s) de la Technologie

• améliorer la production
• réduire, prévenir, restaurer les terres dégradées

3.2 Type(s) actuel(s) d'utilisation des terres, là où la Technologie est appliquée

Les divers types d'utilisation des terres au sein du même unité de terrain: :

Oui

Précisez l'utilisation mixte des terres (cultures/ pâturages/ arbres):

• Agroforesterie

Commentaires:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Lack of organic matter, lack of water retention in soil, irregularity of rainfall, low soil fertility (sandy soil), monocultures, bare soil during dry season, ploughing, wind erosion and dust storms.
Major land use problems (land users’ perception): Soil fertility is low, rainfall is not secured in the beginning of the rainy season.

3.4 Approvisionnement en eau

Approvisionnement en eau des terres sur lesquelles est appliquée la Technologie:

• pluvial

3.5 Groupe de GDT auquel appartient la Technologie

• agroforesterie
• brise-vent/ plantations abris

3.6 Mesures de GDT constituant la Technologie

Commentaires:

Type of vegetative measures: aligned: -along boundary

3.7 Principaux types de dégradation des terres traités par la Technologie

Commentaires:

Main causes of degradation: soil management (Ploughing of the soil. Depending on the rainfall, sometimes the land is left bare for several days or weeks.), crop management (annual, perennial, tree/shrub) (Mainly rice is grown in monocultures.), over-exploitation of vegetation for domestic use (Straw is usually removed from the fields.), labour availability (Labour availability is low due to high migration rates (garment industry, drift to the cities, working abroad).)
Secondary causes of degradation: change in temperature (More hot days, the soil dries out faster.), droughts, education, access to knowledge and support services (Little knowledge about soil conservation.), war and conflicts (During the Khmer Rouge regime, a lot of agricultural knowledge got lost.)

3.8 Prévention, réduction de la dégradation ou réhabilitation des terres dégradées

Spécifiez l'objectif de la Technologie au regard de la dégradation des terres:

• prévenir la dégradation des terres

4.1 Dessin technique de la Technologie

4.2 Informations générales sur le calcul des intrants et des coûts

4.3 Activités de mise en place/ d'établissement

	Activité	Calendrier des activités (saisonnier)
1.	Build a stove and buy pans to cook the sap into sugar.

4.4 Coûts et intrants nécessaires à la mise en place

	Spécifiez les intrants	Unité	Quantité	Coûts par unité	Coût total par intrant	% du coût supporté par les exploitants des terres
Main d'œuvre	Labour	ha	1,0	10,0	10,0	100,0
Equipements	machine use	ha	1,0	25,0	25,0	100,0
Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie					35,0
Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD)					35,0

4.5 Activités d'entretien/ récurrentes

	Activité	Calendrier/ fréquence
1.	Tie the bamboo ladders to the tree
2.	Collect the sap by pressing the inflorescence, cutting a slice off and putting a bottle underneath.	December-April, twice a day
3.	Cook the sap to make sugar	Once or twice a day
4.	Ferment the juice to make palm wine	If there's too much juice.

4.6 Coûts et intrants nécessaires aux activités d'entretien/ récurrentes (par an)

	Spécifiez les intrants	Unité	Quantité	Coûts par unité	Coût total par intrant	% du coût supporté par les exploitants des terres
Main d'œuvre	Labour	ha	1,0	3221,0	3221,0	100,0
Matériaux de construction	Firewood	ha	1,0	357,0	357,0	100,0
Matériaux de construction	Bamboo and rattan	ha	1,0	471,0	471,0	100,0
Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie					4049,0
Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD)					4049,0

Commentaires:

Machinery/ tools: Self-made crusher to induce a higher sap flow.
The costs were calculated with 44 trees (one unit), transformed into 62 trees per ha. The assessed farmer owns 0.35 ha of rice fields, with 22 trees on the dykes, but he bought additional trees on nearby dykes. The whole family is involved in the process.
The maintenance costs indicated above are that high because labour was calculated for each step. However, a big part of the work is done voluntarly by local land users and are not payed.

4.7 Facteurs les plus importants affectant les coûts

Décrivez les facteurs les plus importants affectant les coûts :

The factors affecting the costs are mainly the inputs (firewood, work to cook the sap to sugar) used to transform the sap into saleable products. They are not necessary to benefit from the positive effects of sugar palms on the microclimate and soil. To implement sugar palms on the rice field dikes the costs are negligible.

5.1 Climat

5.2 Topographie

5.3 Sols

5.4 Disponibilité et qualité de l'eau

Commentaires et précisions supplémentaires sur la qualité et la quantité d'eau:

Ground water table: during dry season
Availability of surface water: during dry season
Drinking water: People use it for drinking after filtering or boiling.

5.5 Biodiversité

5.6 Caractéristiques des exploitants des terres appliquant la Technologie

Indiquez toute autre caractéristique pertinente des exploitants des terres:

Land users applying the Technology are mainly common / average land users
Population density: 50-100 persons/km2
Annual population growth: 0.5% - 1%
Off-farm income specification: Handicraft, remittances, and factory work.

5.7 Superficie moyenne des terres utilisées par les exploitants des terres appliquant la Technologie

5.8 Propriété foncière, droits d’utilisation des terres et de l'eau

Propriété foncière:

• communauté/ village
• individu, sans titre de propriété

Droits d’utilisation des terres:

• communautaire (organisé)
• individuel

Droits d’utilisation de l’eau:

• accès libre (non organisé)

Commentaires:

Land users have a title that is not recognized by the state. The trees sold by farmers to neighbours have a paper signed by the village chief to certify the ownership.

5.9 Accès aux services et aux infrastructures

6.1 Impacts sur site que la Technologie a montrés

Impacts socio-économiques

Production

Disponibilité et qualité de l'eau

Revenus et coûts

Impacts socioculturels

Impacts écologiques

Cycle de l'eau/ ruissellement

Sols

Biodiversité: végétale, animale

Réduction des risques de catastrophe et des risques climatiques

6.2 Impacts hors site que la Technologie a montrés

6.3 Exposition et sensibilité de la Technologie aux changements progressifs et aux évènements extrêmes/catastrophes liés au climat (telles que perçues par les exploitants des terres)

Changements climatiques progressifs

Changements climatiques progressifs

	Saison	Augmentation ou diminution	Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
températures annuelles		augmente	bien

Extrêmes climatiques (catastrophes)

Catastrophes météorologiques

	Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
pluie torrentielle locale	bien
tempête de vent locale	bien

Catastrophes climatiques

	Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
sécheresse	bien

Catastrophes hydrologiques

	Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
inondation générale (rivière)	bien

Autres conséquences liées au climat

Autres conséquences liées au climat

	Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
réduction de la période de croissance	pas bien

6.4 Analyse coûts-bénéfices

Quels sont les bénéfices comparativement aux coûts d'entretien récurrents (du point de vue des exploitants des terres)?

Commentaires:

Since it is a traditional technology, the initial costs cannot be estimated.

6.5 Adoption de la Technologie

• > 50%

Si disponible, quantifiez (nombre de ménages et/ou superficie couverte):

100% or 7 land user families

De tous ceux qui ont adopté la Technologie, combien d'entre eux l'ont fait spontanément, à savoir sans recevoir aucune incitation matérielle, ou aucune rémunération? :

• 91-100%

Commentaires:

The growing of sugar palms and its use for economic activities is a traditional technology.
100% of land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support
7 land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support
7 farmers produce sugar, however sugar palms are widely spread in this area. This is the reason why estimations are difficult to make.

6.7 Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités de la Technologie

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue de l'exploitant des terres
Many different uses of sugar palms, both for selling on the market and for home consumption (leaves, construction wood, fibre, sugar, wine, fruits, and vinegar).
Sugar palms protect the rice from the wind.

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé
They slow down the wind, thus reduce evaporation, crop destruction and wind erosion.
Sugar palms are tolerant plants growing in adverse conditions like water logging, floods and droughts; they don’t need any care like fertilizer or pesticides. They produce anyway their useful products (Sap, leaves, stems) which can be transformed in many different ways (Sugar, wine, vinegar, house coverings, handicraft…)

6.8 Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques de la Technologie et moyens de les surmonter

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue de l’exploitant des terres	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Fallen palm leaves can hinder the rice growth on the fields.	Check the fields regularly and remove the fallen leaves.
Old trees can fall in storms and destroy a part of the crop.	Remove the oldest trees.

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Collecting sap is dangerous, especially when there is wind.	Use safety devices.
To make sugar, firewood is used, which induces deforestation.	As energy is needed in the dry season, solar energy could be used to boil the sap, with parabolic mirror cookers for example.
Plants producing a lot of sap are tapped more, thus produce no fruit, so no offspring. Only plants producing less sap will reproduce.	Select good producing trees and plant the selected seeds.
Because of the trees, mechanized farm operations on the rice fields are hindered.	Plant the trees in rows perpendicular to main wind, or long curved rice fields.
Only syrup can be made on farm, which is sold at a low price.	Organize in cooperatives to make sugar, which could get a better price.

7.1 Méthodes/ sources d'information

7.2 Références des publications disponibles

Titre, auteur, année, ISBN:

Borin, K. 1998. Sugar Palm (Borassus flabellifer): Potential feed source for livestock in small-scale farming systems. WAR 91

Disponible à partir d'où? Coût?

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w9980t/w9980T04.htm#TopOfPage (free)

Titre, auteur, année, ISBN:

Feedipedia Sugar Palm (Borassus flabellifer)

Disponible à partir d'où? Coût?

http://www.feedipedia.org/node/178

Titre, auteur, année, ISBN:

Johnson, D.V. 2010. Tropical Palms. FAO.

Disponible à partir d'où? Coût?

http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1590e/i1590e.pdf