[Original by Mariko OMURA, Cambodia Project (November 21, 2019); Translated by E. Miyazaki/A. Taguchi]
(Continued from Part 1)
Coriander growing training
JVC provided training on growing coriander to two women, Ms. Bopper and Ms. Chomno, who wanted to try shipping their coriander to the restaurant. The training took place at the end of April 2019, after we went on the study tour to Siem Riep in March.
Along with the methods of growing coriander, we explained about the various costs involved in cultivation such as the price of seeds and expected profit.
Ms. Bopper and Ms. Chomno are listening intensively. The woman at the back is the mother of Ms. Chomno.
We explained how to grow coriander, based on the know-how we gained in our test farm.
Weekly follow-up
After the training was completed, JVC staff conducted a follow-up with Ms. Bopper and Ms. Chomno at least once a week to check how they were doing and if there were any concerns. In order to ship coriander at a constant pace, they need to make a schedule for their cultivation, for example, shifting the time of planting the seeds. Since they barely had such cultivation experience, we decided to plan together with them.
Ms. Chomno.
Ms. Chomno faced some struggles. Once, she forgot to cover her field with a net before she went to sleep and found the following morning that most of the plants were eaten by chickens. Also, a part of the field did not sprout because a great amount of rainwater flooded there through a gutter, so we changed her planting location, but the sprouts still did not grow. It was because Ms. Chomno had watered them in her own-style by pouring a bucket-full of water over the field! (We should have checked with her in the first place…). We remembered how many things had happened to her coriander.
Ms. Chomno is always cheerful. She made an improvised watering pot from a plastic bottle.
On the other hand, Ms. Bopper did not face much troubles and was growing her coriander well.
Ms. Bopper said she started to put more effort into her gardening after she participated in JVC’s training. Her coriander is growing well because of her good care.
She improves the way to grow her coriander by herself.
Finally, in July we had our first shipping…
(to be continued)
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