By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
10 August 2009

While most Cambodian farmers prefer to use chemical fertilizers on their crops, hoping to boost the yield of their rice, fruit and vegetables, agricultural experts warn that the use of such chemicals can damage health, soil quality and natural diversity.

Not only can it be harmful to humans, they say, but it can hurt biodiversity, damaging populations of fish, frogs and crabs that farmers depend on to supplement their diets.

Instead, farmers should try to maintain the nutrients in their soil for long-term farming of quality agricultural products, according to Yang Saing Koma, president of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, or Cedac.