“Urban farming falls under the agricultural umbrella but in order to grasp what it really is, it is important to know what agriculture is first. Agriculture can be well defined as the practice of farming by cultivating fertile soil to induce the growth of organic crops and also keeping animals and livestock. Not just any sort of animal but animals like cattle, sheep, goat in order to reap their benefits such as dairy products, meat and wool amongst many others. In other words, urban farming can also be referred to as urban agriculture,“ says Darren Yaw, founder of Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms speaking from the Malaysia office.
Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms was established after Darren Yaw Farms in Malaysia. It began when Darren Yaw decided to bring some innovative farming techniques to an outpost in Cambodia in 2020. Thus, the founder of Darren Yaw Cambodia farms started a joint venture with a Cambodian partner to start the farm.
Urban farming is practised in many parts of the world by different communities, environmentalists, gardeners only to name a few. Cambodia is known for having loads of empty spaces with fertile soil that is technically not put into use and thus Darren Yaw’s passion for creating the Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms urban farming project to give back to the community and promote the country’s food resilience.
On the brighter side as well, growing organic food is now the latest new concept as many of the foods available and sold to consumers on a retail level have become commonly artificial. Despite urban farming falling under the agricultural umbrella, there are different forms of agriculture and urban farming can easily be confused as community gardening or subsistence farming however it is completely different. Individuals do not need endless acres of land to practice this form of agriculture.
As we have mentioned earlier, Darren Yaw began the Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms project in order to increase Cambodia’s food resilience. Therefore what distinguishes urban agriculture from other forms of farming is the fact that the crops grown are for sale rather than for personal consumption. The gains from urban farming, that is the food produced, can be sold to anyone of your choice depending on who needs it and your target market and an example would be to farmer’s markets, restaurants or individuals.
The Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms founder thinks that with the current market of food, it has become quite difficult to distinguish the difference between organic and non-organic food. It has become so difficult that many of us have forgotten the importance of the consumption of organic foods. The benefits are endless from promoting and maintaining good health, good skin amongst many others.
The Darren Yaw Cambodia farms founder believes that as many of the people in Cambodia are trying to understand the food system in Cambodia. The citizens are beginning to look more into having a say on how they can grow and access food, whether the food is treated after the harvest as well to ensure their safety.
The Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms founder says that many of the citizens in Cambodia are now understanding the distance and time it takes for food to reach them as the consumers, without having a say on how it is grown, treated or transported to them for their consumption. This is one of the reasons Darren Yaw felt the need to begin urban farming.
“It has also been a way to encourage people to do the same for themselves because let’s be honest the benefits are endless, from growing your own organic foods, ensuring that it is safe for consumption and just like a cherry on top of a cake, earning money by selling and distributing these foods,” said the Darren Yaw Cambodia farms founder. He mentioned that it will not only benefit the people but also create a larger food system in Cambodia and an organic food system to be precise.
“Urban farming, also known as organic farming, has become a way to promote the increase of locally grown foods. I feel like it is very important for everyone to be educated on the importance of organic farming. This is because there are many aspects to food that we have lost, especially as a malaysians. After doing thorough research, I have discovered that most of the imported foods are not organic,” said Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms co-founder and CEO Sok Sopheap.
“It is important for everyone to be educated on the importance of growing their own food or rather getting food locally and more importantly knowing the best seasons that promote the growth of certain crops,” added Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms co-founder and CEO Sok Sopheap.
Despite there not being a variety of urban farms, the Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms co-founder and CEO believes that Cambodia had the potential to make urban farms the front line of the food system. This will promote more organic food systems. He says that just like every other sort of farming is different, so should be urban farming in Cambodia.
“As long as many are educated on the restrictions of animals that can be reared in Cambodia, education can play a big role in loosening these rules by expressing the importance of urban farming especially in Cambodia,” the Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms co-founder.
For more information on Darren Yaw Cambodia Farms, visit the official website for latest updates and official announcements. And follow Darren Yaw on twitter for latest news on the farm produce and more
