EM stands for ‘Effective Micro-organisms’ and is a method to enrich the soil with micro-organisms, which benefit the crops. Apart from applying it on garden beds, EM can also be used for fruit trees, it can be mixed with animal feed and it can be used to clean animal cages. EM is basically made by mixing organic material with sugar and closing it off of air to let it decay. This way the micro-organisms which are naturally present in the organic materials are fed and multiplied.

Vieng Phet and Phonh chose to make two different types of EM. For one type they used sweet fruit, such as ripe banana or papaya, with molasses. For the other method they used leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, with molasses.