Market-Based Labor-Saving Weeder Promotion

Brian Lund and colleagues from Oxfam America in the U.S. will work in Cambodia to increase the use of labor-saving weeders by smallholder women farmers there. Rice cultivation is the primary source of food and income for these households, and weeding crops requires substantial time and physical effort. Cheap, easy to use, and effective mechanical weeders have been developed and tailored for smallholder women rice farmers, but they have yet to be widely adopted due to limited marketing and inadequate local fabrication and distribution capabilities. They will work with a group of local metal fabrication businesses and distributors to demonstrate the profit potential and train them to manufacture the weeders. They will also launch a marketing campaign, including local advertising and demonstrations aimed at women farmers, to stimulate demand.