Cambodia has been identified as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, given the predicted changes in temperature and precipitation, the share of labor in agriculture, and the country’s low adaptive capacity due to widespread poverty. In this study, we use climate data from four general circulation models (GCMs) to evaluate the impact of climate change on agriculture in Cambodia by 2050. We used the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer crop modeling software to evaluate crop yields, […]

During the last decades, Cambodia’s economic structure has gradually shifted from agriculture to industry and services. This change, coupled with deepened ASEAN integration, has posed new challenges for transforming and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education to ensure that the economy is competitive regionally and globally. This paper discusses the rapidly changing Cambodian economy through the lens of labour force requirements to identify how TVET and higher education can better contribute to supporting these changes. A […]

The district and provincial council elections in May 2009, for the first time, offered communes the opportunity to choose councillors from whom they can demand accountability, and introduced a new relationship between commune councillors and higher councils. The main goal of this survey is to gauge the view of commune and district councillors and district boards of governors on accountability, fiscal assignment, service delivery, division of labour between the commune and district, gender issues, unified administration and the reform in […]

In Cambodia, two thirds of the population are economically dependent on agriculture and most farmers are poorly equipped to adapt to climate change. Because of international linkages through trade and prices, any complete analysis of the potential domestic effects of climate change must consider impacts on a global scale. This paper highlights a set of model projections for global food prices and production, and trade and food security outcomes for mainland Southeast Asia, and reports projections of global rice and […]

Through comparison with other countries in Asia, this paper analyses the patterns of hunger and malnutrition in Cambodia and possible pathways to ensure the country’s future food security. In the face of increased inequality and high population growth, Cambodia has managed to make considerable progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition especially in rural areas. Since 1993, staple food production has more than doubled and poverty has dropped by more than one third. The prevalence of child malnutrition has declined at […]

This paper first reviews the performance of the rice sector and rice-related government policies and interventions and then explores a possible development path for rice by comparing the current situation in Cambodia with the early development stages of Thailand and Vietnam. With strong government support, rice production has grown rapidly since 2003, but only a small portion goes to foreign markets. As Cambodian rice varieties are fetching a premium price due to superior taste and quality, Thailand’s experience suggests that […]

Cambodia experienced a decade of rapid economic growth until 2007, but that growth depended significantly on exploiting its  natural resource base and was marked by an unusually rapid rise in inequality. While investments in health, education, rural infrastructure and microcredit are essential to improving the asset portfolio of vulnerable households, one of the most pressing needs is to improve security of access to the natural resources that underpin rural livelihoods. This report tries to outline the critical role of natural […]

Two decades of civil war caused extensive damage to Cambodia’s physical, social and human capital and left the populace, especially rural people, in a state of chronic poverty and vulnerability. Despite pro-poor targeting and massive efforts by the government and its development partners, a large proportion of the population in need of support does not benefit from social protection programs, the effectiveness of which is undermined by limited resources, lack of coherent strategies and appropriate targeting. The paper proposes focusing […]

The Cambodian government articulates its agriculture policy in the Rectangular Strategy: “To improve agricultural productivity and diversification, thereby enabling the agriculture sector to serve as the dynamic driving force for economic growth and poverty reduction.” To this end, it developed the National Strategy for Agriculture and Water, which involves five major programs: institutional capacity building, food security, agriculture and agribusiness, water resources management, agricultural research and development. Line ministries have since adopted specific policies relevant to their own sectors. This […]

This study tries to map the current state of research in selected Cambodian universities, with special focus on research capacities – the factors that facilitate (or hinder) research, especially applied research with a direct relevance to Cambodia’s development challenges. It seeks also to identify opportunities to seed development research through modest financial support and to improve research and research capacity in universities. It aims to provide baseline data that can inform conversation on how to support public universities so that […]

The rising fuel and food prices Cambodia experienced in 2008 pushed year on year inflation above 20 percent in March – August. Although high food prices negatively affect everyone, they impact more severely on the poor, especially net food buyers. In Cambodia, the poorest 40 percent of the population spend 70 percent of their income on food. Most of these food-insecure households live in poor rural areas, particularly the Tonle Sap and Mekong Plain regions. The urban poor were also […]

This study examines the development, features and implications of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA) on regional economies. It focuses on the economic benefits of the ASEAN-China FTA from the perspective of Cambodia, the potential impacts of the Early Harvest Program (EHP) on its agricultural sector, and recommended policy responses for Cambodia to derive the greatest benefits from EHP. Analysis is based on in-depth consultation with stakeholders, and secondary data on China-Cambodia trade patterns with some references to trade between […]