Interaction in Cambodia

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    People of Cambodia are very closely tied to their land. More than three-fourths of the workforce is employed in agriculture. Rice is the main crop, but some export crops are pepper, cassava, corn, rubber, sugarcane, and soybeans. Fruit is also an important subsistence crop. This includes: banana, durian, grapefruit, mango, orange, breadfruit, and papaya. Livestock includes water buffaloes, cattle, and pigs. Most of Cambodia's fish comes from the Tonle Sap Lake. Mining of gemstones (rubies and sapphires) is an industry located along the Thai-Cambodia border. Illegal logging is still a problem, and charcoal kilns dot the countryside near Sihanoukville. Of concern is human and animal waste pollution in Tonle Sap Lake, one of the world's richest sources of freshwater fish. Shrimp farming on the coast is a growing commercial industry, but this necessitates the clearing of mangroves to create artificial ponds; fertilizers and chemicals create pollution problems in these areas. Hydroelectric power has potential, but could cause ecological problems. There seemed to be a lack of wildlife.

 

Bundling rice outside Siem Reap.	Rice paddy.

Planting rice.	Bamboo cages protect longan fruit on trees.

Common scene in a weaving village, with looms under houses.	Village barber with colored television.

Producing sugar from cane.	Water buffalo in wallow. They are used for farming and hauling carts.

Youngsters with fruit.	Russian Market food offerings - dried fish, fruit. Fish is an important protein source in the Cambodian diet.

Pig on the way to market outside Siem Reap.	Cooking waffles in a village near Siem Reap.

 

Cooking oysters at Naga Island near Sihanoukville.	Harvested lumber on train.

Sign with tree spirit urging preservation of the forest.	Wood stacked on boat to be made into charcoal.

Waterwheel for irrigation in Siem Ream region.	Water treatment plant outside Sihanoukville.

 

Stone quarry outside Siem Reap.	Rainwater captured in urns for village consumption.

Dam in Rattanakiri Province,
built by joint French and Vietnamese funds.