Rice Banks - Australian Lutheran World Service
Village Life in Cambodia—ALWS Awareness Week 2014
Rice Banks Families in rural Cambodia regularly have to face drought and flood, so it becomes really important to find ways of making sure families have access to food all year round. That’s what the rice banks are for ... In poor rural villages Lutheran partners work with the poorest families to ensure they have access to rice all year round... including during flood and drought. Lutheran partners provide 50kg of good quality rice seed per poor family to plant. Each family must be committed to the rice bank, and must be willing to participate in the construction and care of the rice store house. This 50kg of rice can plant up to one hectare, and can produce one tonne of rice (but up to 2.5 tonnes in better quality, flat land areas). Each family who receives rice must repay 50kg of rice, plus 10kg of rice in interest. The rice is stored in the Rice Store—a building in the village—where Lutheran Partners This Rice Store holds 4 tonnes of rice—and brings hope to the provided the road and nails, and the community provided people of the village, who know that sooner or later they will need to rely on that rice to provide food for their families. the timber and the labour. When rice runs out (usually around August—September each year), they can borrow from the Rice Bank. If there is drought or wild pig destruction, then the loan is carried over so families have food security all year round.
Rice is an essential staple to a Cambodian’s diet. A six member family requires 2.5kg of polished rice per day (i.e. 900kg per year). For raw rice this is equivalent to 1.35 tonnes rice per year—and for the poor, this is such a lot. It makes the Rice Banks so important for the long-term sustainability of rural communities. For further information contact Email: [email protected] Ph: 1300 763 407 Web: www.alws.org.au
Member of the Rice Bank Committee at the Ta Nol Village in Cambodia, Mrs Sath Chim, says, “If there is no rice bank, we must buy rice from the market or borrow from relatives. But if there is a drought, then no one has rice. The advantage of the Rice Bank is it is easy for us to borrow rice. When I have a food shortage, now I go to the Rice Bank. I no longer have difficulty.”
Australian Lutheran World Service Awareness Week 2014 Village Life in Cambodia
Dare to Dream a Different World
Rice Banks Families in rural Cambodia regularly have to face drought and flood, so it becomes really important to find ways of making sure families have access to food all year round. That’s what the rice banks are for ... In poor rural villages Lutheran partners work with the poorest families to ensure they have access to rice all year round... including during flood and drought. Lutheran partners provide 50kg of good quality rice seed per poor family to plant. Each family must be committed to the rice bank, and must be willing to participate in the construction and care of the rice store house. This 50kg of rice can plant up to one hectare, and can produce one tonne of rice (but up to 2.5 tonnes in better quality, flat land areas). Each family who receives rice must repay 50kg of rice, plus 10kg of rice in interest. The rice is stored in the Rice Store—a building in the village—where Lutheran Partners This Rice Store holds 4 tonnes of rice—and brings hope to the provided the road and nails, and the community provided people of the village, who know that sooner or later they will need to rely on that rice to provide food for their families. the timber and the labour. When rice runs out (usually around August—September each year), they can borrow from the Rice Bank. If there is drought or wild pig destruction, then the loan is carried over so families have food security all year round.
Rice is an essential staple to a Cambodian’s diet. A six member family requires 2.5kg of polished rice per day (i.e. 900kg per year). For raw rice this is equivalent to 1.35 tonnes rice per year—and for the poor, this is such a lot. It makes the Rice Banks so important for the long-term sustainability of rural communities. For further information contact Email: [email protected] Ph: 1300 763 407 Web: www.alws.org.au
Member of the Rice Bank Committee at the Ta Nol Village in Cambodia, Mrs Sath Chim, says, “If there is no rice bank, we must buy rice from the market or borrow from relatives. But if there is a drought, then no one has rice. The advantage of the Rice Bank is it is easy for us to borrow rice. When I have a food shortage, now I go to the Rice Bank. I no longer have difficulty.”
Australian Lutheran World Service Awareness Week 2014 Village Life in Cambodia
Dare to Dream a Different World
