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| Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA and the Environment |
 Home Overseas Projects Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA and the Environment Projects
Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA in mainland Asia
Union Aid Abroad-Apheda is involved in projects in South East Asia, specifically in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and along the Thai/Burma border.
In Cambodia, partner organisations are the Women's Development Centres (WIDCs) (which are local agencies for the Ministry of Women's Affairs) which offer training in regional areas for women in a broad range of areas including health, HIV awareness, basic nutrition, vocational training, academic subjects such as vocational literacy, human rights and trade union organisation. Projects more specifically related to agriculture and the environment include fish farming, organic vegetable growing, farmer training methodology, small scale fish hatchery operations and management.
In Cambodia, trainees attending WIDC's programmes are selected from subsistence rice farming families with little cash income and are from limited educational backgrounds, wives of demobilised soldiers or those with a disability. Physical disability is more prevalent in Cambodia than other nations due to the existence of land mines and other unexploded ordnance (bombs). Bombs were dropped in Cambodia during the late 1960s and early 1970s by the United States during the war in Vietnam, mines were laid during the Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s and during the subsequent civil war which continued on into the 1980s. Few records were kept of mines which were laid and many of the bombs and mines can remain active for up to 50 years.
Skills learned in WIDC courses are important because many participants have a limited knowledge of nutrition. They grow their own vegetables and rice and have their own animals. However, the variety of food grown is limited. A wider variety of vegetables are imported from Vietnam and Thailand but are too expensive for these families. The provision of agricultural training helps support sustainable living and reduce dependence on aid. Skills obtained in other areas provide alternative methods of earning income, providing the ability to purchase more food needed by the family and further minimising the need to rely on aid. Fish farming is another alternative in providing an extra source of food, nutrition and income (to purchase medicine and afford education). Establishing fish farms reduces the potential for over reliance on natural sources of fish which can lead to the depletion of fish in the natural environment.
Other projects in Cambodia include the Fish Farm project at Chhouk Fish Station in Kampot province, run in conjunction with Kampot Provincial Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Research is being conducted into a cheap and suitable source of fish food to be used widely in fish farms in Cambodia. For fish farming to be successful, fish food needs to be readily available and affordable to the local population. So far, the most successful fish food is a mix of dried red earthworms (70%) and Leucaena toowoomba (30%). Leucaena toowoomba, is a plant used as fodder for cattle and pigs with a high protein content. It is almost cost neutral to produce. When grown, it returns nitrogen into the soil and its extensive root system prevents soil erosion during heavy rain. Further research is underway to develop methods of cheaply producing earthworms for the use in the fish food. The provision of fish farms in Cambodia alleviates potential environmental problems. Fish in the natural environment are a finite resource, and extensive fishing could potentially lead to an extinction of local species of fish. Fish farming has the potential to remove that threat.
Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is also involved in fish farming in Laos. The partner organisations are Luang Prabang Department of Livestock and Fisheries and the Luang Prabang Lao Women's Union. Participants in the programme included 17 women who were divorcees or widows. The division of labour meant that women were often involved in fishing whilst men completed farming and activities involved with rice crops. The aim of the project in Laos was to assist 108 farmers with fish ponds in Luang Prabang Province to expand their production of fish and increase their income whilst concurrently reducing their poverty. Those involved with fish farming had expressed an interest in the expansion of fish ponds and fish farm production but were unaware of the best techniques to implement this expansion. Training and fish were supplied and local people were involved in the in the decision making process and in participation of the project. This promotes flexibility within and ownership of the project.
The fish farming project reduced people's impact on the environment by providing an alternative form of food. People who live near creeks and rivers often ate fish which lead to the depletion of natural species within the natural environment. Fish farming removes this pressure from the local environment and promotes increased self reliance for the local population.
Other traditional forms of agriculture including the use of slash and burn techniques were heavily relied upon. Slash and burn techniques involve clearing some land by cutting down the vegetation and then burning that area. Fire produces nutrients for the soil, but after two or three harvests the soil has lost much of its nutrients, and the area is left to regrow into forest and the process is repeated in another area. Over-reliance on slash and burn techniques damages the environment. Areas which have been used, if returned to too frequently do not naturally regenerate, leave the soil low in quality for both agricultural purposes and natural regeneration. Without regeneration, soil erosion can occur, further impacting negatively upon the environment. Worldwide excessive use of slash and burn agriculture has caused the extinction of many plants and animals, resulting in the loss of potentially renewable resources. This is therefore an unsustainable practice. Fish farming attempts to alleviate the pressure on the natural environment, minimising further environmental damage and provide a more sustainable method of food production for people in Laos.
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