Innovación para una agricultura sostenible (ingl.)

In line with the aspirations of the Royal Government of Cambodia, ISA will work to make the Cambodian agriculture sector move towards sustainable intensification. The project will support existing public and private institutions to provide appropriate sustainable technologies and techniques to smallholder farmers.

The vision of change for the target group: farmers will be able to increase income and improve livelihood by increasing agriculture productivity due to better soil in their land. For university students, the employability will increase as they get practical training and experience along with their education through an internship process.

The vision of change at the service level: farmers will be able to gain and improve access to appropriate technologies and extension services on sustainable intensification. Private companies will be able to sell technologies (including inputs) that promote sustainable intensification to service providers and farmers. Stakeholders and policy makers will have better coordination, resulting in making sustainable agriculture technologies and practices widely advocated and promoted. Universities will be able to offer internship programs to their students. ISA foresees four key functions that it will strengthen the system around sustainable intensification, as below:

• Networking and coordination service: increased coordination would increase growth of business with focus on sustainable agriculture. The private sector would support coordination as it would help them with lobbying for conducive policies.
• Extension, promotion platform, and training service: since extension is primarily a public service, this service may still be offered by the Government since Conservation Agriculture (CA) extension may take time to be in the hands of the private sector. However, the public sector would help in opening-the-market for the private sector through a model called “Met Kasekor”. The private sector could co-fund some extension work. For the Government this will also help achieve the targets set in the National Program to Combat Land Degradation (2018-2027).
• Information, promotion, CA farm technology (no-till, inputs) services: increased market will interest the private sector to promote and sell technologies and related services.
• Human resource (internship program): the prrivate sector and the academic institutions will benefit from a functional internship program.

Development Plan

• To strengthen coordination and sharing of information and knowledge
• To promote ‘’Met Kasekor’’, literally translated as farmers’ friend, an opening-the-market conservation agriculture/sustainable intensification extension service model
• To promote sustainable agriculture techniques and technologies
• To increase knowledge of system actors by collaborating with universities and research institutes.

Expected Results

Access Outreach: To reach 9,050 smallholder farmers with 2,715 female (30%), and 62 students with 20 female (30%)

Benefit Outreach: To increase the income of 2,987 smallholder farmers with 896 female (30%) and 32 students with 10 female (30%)