We connect farmers with skills, knowledge and networks to increase their productivity and access markets.
While almost 75% of people in Cambodia are employed in agriculture, decades of civil war and economic stagnation have hampered production for the nation’s smallholder farmers. A lack of tools and resources, including market information, technology and financial services, prevent farmers and their communities from investing in and scaling their agribusinesses and competing in larger markets. Though demand for chicken, vegetables and other agricultural commodities has increased in recent years, the potential benefits are not being maximized.
Heifer Cambodia’s goal is to help 300,000 farming families optimize their production and earn a sustainable living income by 2030.
We partner with smallholder farmers in 14 provinces, investing in market-led, inclusive agricultural value chains and supporting farmers and their communities to envision their own path toward economic development.
This work includes strengthening self-help groups and farmers’ cooperatives to function as agricultural business entities. These strong networks enable individual farmers to join forces to share skills, increase production of goods, access financial capital and improve market access.
In 2021, we collaborated with the Cambodian government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to form a Social Entrepreneurs Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (SEUAC), an organization of 15 cooperatives across six provinces engaged in our Poultry Project of National Pride in Cambodia. The SEUAC works at the national level to broaden access to agriculture-related services, improve production quality and capacity, develop infrastructure and advocate for the interests of farmers.
Across the country, our initiatives advance women and youth leaders; increase food security; build agricultural skills and investment; integrate micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises into domestic market systems; promote technology and renewable energy; and foster sustainable community development at the local and provincial levels.
The Poultry Project of National Pride in Cambodia aims to scale up the development of the Cambodian poultry sector by equipping farmers with tools to meet domestic demand and fetch fair market prices, while building cooperatives’ institutional capacity and ability to invest in market infrastructure, including processing plants, hatcheries, collection centers and transport vehicles.
The Cambodia Vegetable Value Chain Development project strengthens the vegetable value chain by integrating innovative technologies and inputs, including affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable power and water services, and digital business tools. The project also enhances post-harvest management, including grading, processing and packaging before vegetables reach the market.
Heifer International invests in farmers and business owners around the world, because we know having a secure source of income can be truly transformational for families and their communities. With support from our in-country teams, project participants build sustainable businesses to close the living income gap.
Living Income is the amount of money each person in a household needs per day to live a dignified life.
In Cambodia, we are currently using US$3.10 in Southeast and Northwest.
