Government Coordination Mechanism

Background

As a response to the need to transition towards regenerative agriculture, CA and SI relevant projects and programs stakeholders discussed and initiated in 2018, the Royal Government of Cambodia decided, through a decision letter, to establish the Cambodia Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Consortium (CASIC). CASIC was established through an official endorsement by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (MAFF) decision No. 201.SSR.KSK, dated 21 May 2020. CASIC is a national coordination mechanism established to collaborate and coordinate with a network of organizations that are implementing activities related to Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Cambodia such as marketing, research, policy, and service delivery etc. by promoting CA practices, creating demand for CA machinery and implements, increase the diversiﬁcation of crops, the accessibility of cover crops, and the participation of the private sector to meet the needs.

CASIC is a platform with a vast network of organizations that are working on regenerative agriculture in Cambodia. To guide the coordination of priorities in CA and SI development and the operation of CASIC, a roadmap for the years 2022-2026 was initiated and developed under the technical and financial support from Swisscontact and French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). Swisscontact currently serves as a member of the Executive Board of CASIC and supports on CASIC’s Sub-committee on Promotion and Sub-committee on Research for Development (R4D).

Aims and Objectives

The mission of CASIC is to coordinate and support research for development; invest into knowledge management; create an enabling environment for policy dialogues and public-private partnerships. value creation: and explore market opportunities and enhance collaboration between various stakeholders in conservation agriculture, sustainable intensification, and agroecology.

Institutionalisation Vision

CASIC was established under the leadership of MAFF and governed by a Steering Committee chaired by HE Om Kimsir, Secretary of State/MAFF with members from Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Environment (MoE), Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM), and Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC). The Steering Committee plays a crucial role in leading, directing, and supervising the progress of CA & SI and agroecological development in Cambodia, with main responsibilities in reviewing, monitoring, and approving action plans, budget, and reports of CASIC.

At the implementation level, CASIC is led by an Executive Board chaired by HE Dr. Chan Saruth, Under Secretary of State/MAFF and consisting of representatives from the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) and the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) as the vice chairs, and members from the Department of Agricultural Engineering (DAEng), the Department of Agricultural Land Resources Management (DALRM), the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Department of Extension for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DEAFF), Swisscontact and CIRAD. The main responsibilities of the Executive Board are to develop and monitor the implementation of action plans, advice and facilitate 13 all CA & SI and agroecology related activities, liaise, and collaborate with relevant government agencies, development partners, private sector and other stakeholders in CA & SI and agroecology related interventions. Therefore, CASIC has already been well institutionalized within the government system.

CASIC in the making

2018

Need for a coordination mechanism

Building on the success of the work done in the R4D initiatives, there was a realization for the need for a coordination service between various stakeholders, e.g., the government, research institutes, NGOs and the private sector, to promote CA. Relevant projects and programs stakeholders discussed and initiated in 2018 the establishment of Cambodia Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Consortium (CASIC).

2020

Official endorsement of CASIC

The Cambodia Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Consortium (CASIC) was endorsed by the Minister of MAFF and officially launched in mid-2020 after an official endorsement by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ (MAFF) decision No. 201.SSR.KSK, dated 21 May 2020.

2021

5-year Roadmap of the CASIC developed

The Roadmap of the Cambodia Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Consortium (CASIC) 2022- 2026 was developed under the leadership of the Steering Committee and the coordination of the Executive Board of CASIC under the financial support from Swisscontact, French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN). The roadmap was launched in September 2021. The activities as per the roadmap are being carried out.

2022

5-year roadmap activities commenced

CASIC accomplished 15% completion under its Strategic Objective 1 i.e., CASIC and relevant stakeholders strengthened and coordinated, 31% completion under Strategic Objective 2, i.e., Knowledge and research on CA & SI and agroecology enhanced and 21% completion under Strategic Objective 3i.e., CA & SI and agroecology services improved and scaled up. This progress included but was not limited to, strengthening of sub-committees' support, organizing field visits, integrating CASIC in the national curriculum of RUA along with establishing an information storing platform with an e-library for public access. CASIC also strengthened its collaboration with stakeholders and the private sector. The consortium also represented Cambodia in national and international platforms to promote and raise awareness on CASI in Cambodia and organized its 3rd regional workshop in Siem Reap Province on Regenerative Agriculture through Agroecology, Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization, Bio sequestration, and Water Management. Furthermore, CASIC expanded its membership, adding new members to the steering committees including the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport, while International Cooperation Department; the Planning, and Statistics Department; the General Directorate of Animal Health, and Production and the Director of Mondulkiri PDAFF were added in the executive board members.

2023

Enhanced collaborations and ensuring Roadmap targets are met

In 2023, CASIC aims to enhance its collaboration with local and international institutions through engaging in CA/SI promoting platforms. The CASIC dashboard will be used to monitor the sub-committee activities as per the commitment made in the annual plan. In this way, the roadmap can be monitored through the dashboard. Furthermore, a landscape approach towards regenerative agriculture requires that both agriculture and forestry land are to be considered. CASIC will be speaking with the different stakeholders on a landscape approach which will help the promotion of Conservation Agriculture and sustainable intensification through agroecology. A fourth international workshop is planned to be held in November 2023. Finally, CASIC intends to support the implementing departments by identifying new partners to support the various initiatives under the integrated approach. Some of the new partners that have been recently identified are the Nurture project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by HEKS and Caritas. CASIC will continue to foster relationships with other projects and development partners to support the initiatives.

Resource Documents

Downloads

CASIC Brochure in Khmer and English

2 MB

CASIC 2022 Annual Report in English

9 MB

CASIC 2022 Annual Report in Khmer

9 MB

CASIC Roadmap 2022-2026 in Khmer

5 MB

CASIC Roadmap 2022-2026 in English

2 MB

Events & Article

01.11.2023

CASIC's International Workshop on Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture Marks Success in Cambodia

Siem Reap, Cambodia - CASIC's Transitioning Towards Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture: A Contribution to Food Systems Transformation (TARASA23) was successfully concluded on October 27th, 2023.

Government Coordination Mechanism (CASIC)