Farmers in Battambang, northwest Cambodia, operate in an agricultural landscape where pesticide use remains widespread, including in upland and lowland rice production. Around five to six pesticide applications are reported during the second production cycle, with lower use during the first. Against this background, national and local institutions and projects have promoted agroecological practices aimed at reducing reliance on external inputs and supporting more sustainable agricultural production.

This 2025 case study focuses on local practices associated with input reduction in horticultural production. It considers these practices within the wider agroecological transition underway in Battambang, addressing themes including integrated production systems, input reduction and recycling, environmental performance, biodiversity and farmers’ knowledge. Allelopathy—the use of interactions between plants and naturally produced compounds—is among the approaches highlighted in relation to reducing agricultural inputs and managing production systems.

Prepared by Hou Sorith, Mao Theara and Sin Sivnourn, the resource draws on work involving ECOLAND, GRET, CIRAD and the Agroecology Learning Alliance in Southeast Asia (ALiSEA). By documenting practices and experience from the field, it provides a locally grounded perspective on efforts to reduce dependence on agricultural inputs and on the role of knowledge and institutional collaboration in supporting agroecological practices. Available in English and Khmer, the case study contributes evidence from Cambodia to wider learning on agroecological transitions.