Experts are urging Cambodian farmers to diversify their crops. Most farmers in Cambodia grow rice. Many also may grow cassava and maize. But very few farmers in the country grow other vegetables. And more Cambodians are demanding organic produce. Sem Chantha is an organic vegetable farmer in Cambodia. She grows spinach, cauliflower, lettuce and collard greens on her six-hectare plot of land. She says farmers earn money growing vegetables instead of rice. She also says locally grown vegetables taste much better than imported vegetables. A recent study from the World Bank shows strong growth in Cambodia's agriculture industry. This has helped reduce the number of people in poverty from seven million in 2007 to three million in 2012. Part of this growth has come from increased land cultivation for rice farming. But growth has slowed in the past two years. The World Bank says farmers need to increase their yield and grow more kinds of crops, such as vegetables. The bank says vegetables earn average returns of $1,575 per hectare for small farmers. This compares to $544 per hectare of cassava and only $307 per hectare of rice.
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