The Issue
With the migration of labour forces from farming regions to the city, Cambodia is struggling to meet the increasing demand for higher quality and safer agricultural products. Meanwhile, farmers find it challenging to combat impacts of climate change, such as drought, without the adoption of modern agricultural technology. Livestock production has also become more costly due to increasing prices of animal feed and medication. Despite the presence of agricultural cooperatives (ACs) in Cambodia, only 14% of these are categorized as strong ACs by the Department of Agricultural Cooperative Promotion (DACP). This means that the majority of cooperatives need support to reach their full potential.
The Project
This DCA project aims to strengthen communities by increasing farmers’ income and food security. Farmers will learn how to produce safe, affordable food all year round using agroecological techniques. This also means building farmers’ resilience to climate change to enable them to adapt to climate risks and manage resources effectively. Farmers will develop practical skills, allowing them to be more than producers: independent business owners. The project also focuses on stregthening agricultural cooperatives through training in governance, finance, business management, and networking. Being members of strong agricultural cooperatives allows farmers to connect to other farmers, exchange valuable insights, and confidently advocate for their needs.
The Results
Farmers were selected and trained on climate-smart and safe vegetable production as well as climate-smart chicken raising production. Two trainings were organized with 40 model farmers on photo and video production. They can now take quality photos of their products to post on Facebook and share their experiences on production techniques and market in Telegram groups. Furtermore, vegetable farmers producing more than 3,400,000 kilos of vegetables have been linked to the local markets, and so have 779 chicken producers.
Our Work
DCA works in Cambodia to promote sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers and to support increased agricultural production and income. This is done by facilitating knowledge sharing, introducing innovative drought-resistant agricultural technologies and agro-ecology, and by working with farmers to design and manage systems to minimize external/artificial inputs. Agro-ecology also shortens the food chain and empowers smallholder farmers to strengthen their relationships with consumers, promoting the resilience of our food system. Together, these initiatives support DCA’s goal of building resilient communities.
About the project
Full title: Building Resilient Community
Period: January 2023 – December 2025
Partner: Development and Partnership in Action
Funding: 1,484,154 DKK
People reached: 2,237 direct beneficieries and 8,040 indirect beneficiaries
Main Donors: Danida
