CAMBODIA agriculture on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Pic of the Day: Farming in Cambodia, 2012.

Malai District is located in the far west of Cambodia, in Banteay Meanchey province on the Thai border. The area is developing very quickly and many people from other parts of Cambodia continue to move here due to the opportunities that exist.

There are many business interests in the region because of the close proximity to Thailand, and the soil here is extremely fertile. This puts additional pressure on land - a huge issue in many parts of Cambodia - and more people are risking themselves by pushing into land contaminated by landmines. It is therefore no surprise that the majority of mine accidents happen in the west of the country.

This area was controlled by the Khmer Rouge for many years, and was the scene of extended periods of conflict involving the Khmer Rouge, Vietnamese and Government forces and more. The infamous K5 minebelt laid by the Vietnamese in the mid- to late-80s, covering a staggering 700 by 500 kilometres, also cuts through this area.

MAG has cleared and released a lot of highly contaminated land in the district since 1999.

www.maginternational.org