This document summarizes lessons learned from field and station trials of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) packages for vegetable production in Cambodia, coordinated by Seng Kim Hian under the IPM Innovation Lab. It highlights the country’s growing pesticide use and the misuse of chemicals by farmers due to limited knowledge. Trials compared conventional farming practices ("Business As Usual") with IPM strategies on crops like cucumber, Chinese kale, and yard-long bean.
The IPM packages, which included healthy seedling techniques, biological control agents (BCAs), and traps, often matched or outperformed conventional methods, particularly in reducing disease incidence. Although the profit margins were not always higher, the health and environmental benefits were notable. Most farmers found the methods effective and were willing to adopt them, especially tools like sticky traps and pheromone lures. The study calls for stronger government regulation and improved access to quality biocontrol products.
