To Spray or Not to Spray?

“To spray or not to spray?” was my first Exploration of the sixth year at Liger. The scope of this project was to determine whether or not to spray chemical pesticides on our campus. So, to answer this important question, we need to understand the adversely effects and advantageous of pesticides. During the first week, we examined the contemporary controversy of pesticides usage, especially DDT. In Cambodia, many farmers apply synthetic pesticides to their crops because they kill harmful insects, and the farmers do not have to worry about the negative impacts of those organisms on their crops. However, they do not consider that these hazardous chemicals can have long term effects on their health. Additionally, according to the sellers in Kampong Cham, the farmers rarely wear protective gears during the spraying because they are accustomed to not wearing them. This is a serious problem that our government and other organizations need to get their hands on. So, CEDAC is the organization that is trying to promote organic farming across Cambodia and currently, there are 18 provinces that have already involved with their projects. To further our knowledge, we traveled to Snoul to look at an organic farm. Along the way, we stopped at various markets to interviewed agro-chemical sellers to find out about their perspectives on pesticides and how government regulates the import of pesticides. Moreover, we visited CEDAC offices to learn more about how they monitor the usage of pesticides and how they promote organic farming. After we gathered information via interviews, field works, and internet, we came up with the idea of creating our own magazine. So, we went through a writing and designing process. All of the picture in the magazine took by our members.  This magazine encompasses five main categories and my article is called “Present Pesticide Practice,” which is about public health in Cambodia. 

Going back to our essential question, our team decided that Liger should continue spraying pesticides but with rules and regulations. To know more about these precautions, please take a look at our magazine: