NHEANG HENG 

Heng lives in Pu Ngaol and spends most of his days farming and collecting resources to provide for his wife and four daughters. 

About 

Heng shares that there is a shortage of resources in the Keo Seima district, as it is made up of mountains and forests, with very little farmland. 

The roads are easier to travel to Senmonorom since it was improved several years ago. Before it was improved it would take Heng a day or two to travel. Heng has lost one of his legs, however, he emphasises that he doesn’t let this stop him from working in the farms.

During the rainy season, Heng works in his rice fields around 300 m from his home. He will walk or be driven by his children on motorbike if they are not in school. The farm is around half a hectare (5,000 m2). He works between 7am-10am and 2pm-5pm to avoid the hot weather. He can do tasks such as maintaining the farm’s dikes, making fences and sowing seeds. He also purchased a walking tractor three years ago to plough his field. Heng highlights that he works at his own pace and cannot work quickly due to his leg. It can take up to one month to prepare the rice field, however, when all the family are helping it can take around 20 days. On average it can take him up to two days to harvest a single rice field. 

Heng is concerned about the scarcity of rice every year. The rice yield is too small and only typically lasts five to six months. Water accessibility for rice fields and household use is also a challenge. Heng’s children take one plastic bottle at a time to the river, 200-300 m from their home, to collect water for cooking and boiling for drinking water. It can take four or five trips to collect 30 litres.

Heng collects resin from the forests and goes fishing with his children between January and June. The resin is about 5 km away from Heng’s home, which can take a day to get there. He collects around 15 litres in a plastic bottle once a week, except during heavy rains or floods which prevent travel. He sells resin every two weeks for 60,000-70,000 riels. He alsocollects medicinal plants (which are popular with pregnant villagers) to sell from his home, which can raise about 20,000 riels every two to ten days. 

Issues and Ideas

• Water availability can impact crop yields particularly for the rice seedlings which rely heavily on rainwater. Heng would like to see water supplies or storage closer to the rice fields. Can you come up with any ideas to tackle food scarcity in Pu Ngaol?

• Heng’s children often drive him by motorbike. He would like to see transport that can helpwith moving materials and collecting water and vegetables, such as the Romoak, a Cambodian motorbike with a carriage. What ideas can you come up with for accessibility friendly, low-cost transport that are appropriate for the conditions in the wet and dry season?

• Heng states that plastic bags are often burned or thrown away from when people buy produce or goods from markets. Heng would like to see solutions to keep the community tidy. Can you come up with any ideas for effective waste management in Pu Ngaol?

Find out more from Nheang Heng in their video interview, available here.