Project 7-086 Cambodia

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT IN RESEARCH (PEER)
Cycle 7 (2018 Deadline)

Establishing a cropland database in Cambodia from remote sensing satellite data

PI: Sanara Hor (hsanara@rua.edu.kh), Royal University of Agriculture
U.S. Partner: Robert Hijmans, University of California, Davis
Dates: February 2019 - October 2021

Project Overview

Agriculture is a crucial sector in Cambodia, contributing more than one-quarter of the country’s gross domestic product and employing more than 8 million Cambodians. Having accurate information regarding land use in a user-friendly format would be a valuable tool for farmers and government planners alike. The overall purpose of this study is to establish cropland database in Cambodia using remote sensing satellite data. The specific objectives include (1) identifying appropriate satellite images and derived remote sensing products for cropland mapping; (2) developing a rapid cropland mapping tool based on cloud services for multiple time periods; (3) mapping different crop types across lowland and highland cropland regions; (4) exploring pathways to use the research results and technology to benefit Cambodian farmers; and (5) strengthening the research capacity of junior Cambodian researchers. Working in cooperation with their U.S. partners, the principal investigator and his team will examine remote sensing data from multiple sources including Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 and select the appropriate data for estimating cropland area in Cambodia based on availability, coverage, and cost. They will compile the data into a database that will cover specific sites representing complex cropping practices ranging from lowland to upland regions in the provinces located around Tonle Sap Lake. The team will present their results to various stakeholders through training programs, seminars, and lectures. The results and findings from the project will also be incorporated into the teaching curriculum at the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA).

In the past, cropland mapping has been unavailable to countries like Cambodia due to the cost. This project will provide an inexpensive means to map and monitor cropland from satellite images. The research will also provide basic cropland data that can be used in subsequent analyses like crop yield estimations or environmental impact assessments enabling better agricultural planning. Rapid crop mapping and measuring will also support the implementation of crop insurance products in Cambodia, which will be extremely beneficial for Cambodian farmers at risk of extreme weather events. In terms of facilitating better land use management, the project will also benefit government officials from various departments. The team will convey the results to them in an interactive way, using overlays in Google Maps, to assist in their planning efforts and encourage the diversification of agricultural land uses.

Final Summary of Project Activities

The project was completed with a significant effect on professional education on land management and land administration in Cambodia. The PI Dr. Hor reports that the project’s most significant achievement has been the introduction of remote sensing technology and related analytical methodology for students in the BSc program in the Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration at RUA. Currently, BSc students are required to achieve 146 credits to graduate within 4 years. Within that total of 146 credits, Dr. Hor and his team offer 27 credits of courses on land use survey, remote sensing, GIS, photogrammetry, cartography, geodesy, and data application. Using the methods and technology included in this PEER project, they improved the remote sensing and photogrammetry courses with a total of 6 credits. Project team member Dr. Pok Sophak used the data collected in the project as an example for his students to use in learning to classify images from Sentinel-2 and Landsat. As of early 2022 when the project ended, there were 183 students who had benefitted from the newly updated course. The new training program created under this project is available not only to students but also to faculty members, and eight faculty members have enrolled in MSc or PhD programs at RUA after being involved in the project.

RUA has seen a dramatic increase in the number of students enrolling in the Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration over the past several years. In 2016, 72 students enrolled for BSc program, but in 2020 there were 183 newly enrolling students. Hence, long-term investment focusing on professional education on land management and land administration should be a priority. To achieve program accreditation, infrastructure, laboratory, and human resources are crucial. In particular, improved computer lab infrastructure with hardware capable of handling graphic analysis and big data is essential.

Based on the team’s research results, the General Department of Geography and Cadastral, Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction, Cambodia, introduced Dr. Hor to Dr. Andrew Coote, a consultant for the World Bank, to discuss the Geospatial Information Framework, which the Bank is planning to introduce to the Cambodian government. Recently, Dr. Hor also reports that several private sector representatives, particularly from the agriculture sector, visited RUA to learn more about the team’s geospatial technology and see if it might be suitable to meet their needs. While pursuing these future opportunities, Drs. Hor and Pok have also received a new grant to support a project entitled “Crop simulation model for improving and supporting crop production using GIS and remote sensing application to influence on Cambodian economic changes.” This research aims at enhancing sustainable and efficient production of crops in Cambodia through integration of crop simulation models with GIS/remote sensing applications. The grant, in the amount of $54,000, is a part of RUA’s Higher Education Improvement Project, which is sponsored by the World Bank.

Dr. Hor reports that by implemented this project, he and his team have established a network working on remote sensing for spatial science. The members are primarily staff from Cambodian government agencies, which are potential partners that can put the research results into practice to support local people. For example, the most significant project is collaboration between the Department of Agricultural Land Resources of the General Department of Agriculture, which is interested in spatial science for mapping agricultural land suitability. The PEER team is providing the huge spatial dataset for GIS to apply land suitability assessment in the future.

Publications

Iwahashi, Y., Ye, R., Kobayashi, S., Yagura, K., Hor, S., Soben, K., and Homma, K. (2021). Quantification of changes in rice production for 2003–2019 with MODIS LAI data in Pursat Province, Cambodia. Remote Sensing, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13101971

Sok, S., Chhinh, N., Hor, S., and Nguonphan, P. (2021). Climate change impacts on rice cultivation: a comparative study of the Tonle Sap and Mekong River. Sustainability, 13(16), 8979. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168979

Sourn, T., Pok, S., Chou, P., Nut, N., Theng, D., Rath, P., Reyes, M. R., and Prasad, P. V. V. (2021). Evaluation of land use and land cover change and Its drivers in Battambang Province, Cambodia, from 1998 to 2018. Sustainability, 13(20), 11170. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011170

Tsujimoto, K., Ono, K., Ohta, T., Chea, K., Muth, E. N., Hor, S., and Hok, L. (2021). Multiyear analysis of the dependency of the planting date on rainfall and soil moisture in paddy fields in Cambodia, 2003–2019. Paddy and Water Environment, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-021-00863-6

Open Data

Data from the project are included in the Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) of 35,713 farm households in 32 countries, which is available at https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/TFXQJN

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