Rats and Rice: Belief Network Models of Rodent Control in the Rice Fields of Cambodia

In response to this, an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project titled “Farmer-based Adaptive Rodent Management, Extension and Research System in Cambodia” (referred to as the FARMERS project in this paper) has been trialing a physical method of rodent control called the Community Trap Barrier System or TBS (ACIAR 2001). TBS consists of a lure crop and trapping mechanism that attracts and traps rats from surrounding areas before the main rice crop is planted. This helps to reduce the rat population and provides a halo of protection that can potentially protect a large area of crop if groups of smallholder rice farmers cooperate in its implementation.