The Evolution of Demoncratic Process and Conflict Management in Cambodia: A Comparative Study of Three Cambodian Elections
This study examines the evolution of mechanisms for conflict management since 1998, and their effectiveness in preventing conflict escalation during the general elections of 2003. The study draws on extensive field research carried out by CDRI researchers on the 1998 and 2003 elections, and on the practical experience of conflict management gai...
Domestic Fish Trade: A Case Study of Fish Marketing from the Great Lake of Phnom Penh
This study investigates the domestic freshwater fish trade in Cambodia, focusing on the marketing chain from the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) to retail markets in Phnom Penh. As one of Cambodia’s most traded commodities, freshwater fish play a vital role in rural livelihoods and food security. The research examines market structures, transaction dyn...
Trading Forest Products in Cambodia: Challenges, Threats, and Opportunities for Resin
Forests support rural livelihoods in Cambodia in a number of important ways. Almost all rural Cambodians use forest resources for cooking fuel and construction materials. Many also collect other products for household use and income generation through trade, such as bamboo, rattan, resin, wild fruits and vegetables, and medicinal materials. In...
Fish Exports from the Great Lake to Thailand: An Analysis of Trade Constraints, Governance, and the Climate for Growth
Fisheries play a vital role in supporting rural livelihoods throughout Cambodia, but especially around the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) area where more than one million people depend on the fisheries sector for employment, income, and food security. With large surpluses of fish caught during peak fishing periods, fish trade and export is critical to...
Off-farm and Non-farm Employment: A Perspective on Job Creation in Cambodia
In rural Cambodia, options to maintain sustainable livelihoods have been limited to subsistence agriculture for reasons that are largely historical. Efforts to modernise the economy during the 1950s and 1960s bore some fruit, but the real impact was restricted to a few urban areas. During the 1980s and 1990s, some activities fanned out into the...
Facing the Challenge of Rural Livelihoods: A Perspective from Nine Villages in Cambodia
This working paper presents findings from a comprehensive field survey conducted by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) across nine villages representing Cambodia’s four agro-climatic zones. The study investigates rural livelihoods, land distribution, farm productivity, food security, and vulnerability to crises. Data from 1,005 hous...
Natural Resources and Rural Livelihoods in Cambodia: A Baseline Assessment
Of the more than 10 million Cambodians currently living in rural areas, over 8.5 million depend on natural resources to support their livelihoods. Most are subsistent, relying on one crop of rice per year, fish and other aquatic resources, and a range of forest products. Although rice farming remains the dominant activity in rural areas, fishe...
Land Transactions in Cambodia: An Analysis of Transfers and Transaction Records
This working paper investigates the dynamics of land transactions in Cambodia from 1995 to 2001, focusing on both residential and agricultural land. Drawing on official records from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and supplemented by qualitative field inquiries, the study reveals significant trends in formal and inf...
Land, Rural Livelihoods and Food Security in Cambodia: A Perspective from Field Reconnaissance
This working paper presents findings from field studies conducted in six Cambodian villages to assess rural livelihoods, land use, and food security. Despite an initially equitable land distribution following de-collectivisation in 1989, the study reveals growing land inequality and landlessness, exacerbated by population growth, land atomisation,...
Cambodia 1999-2000: Land, Labour and Rural Livelihood in Focus
This working paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Cambodia’s macroeconomic performance and rural development challenges during 1999–2000. It is structured in three chapters: the first outlines macroeconomic trends, highlighting a return to growth and stability following the 1997 crises, with GDP growth reaching 4.5 percent in 1999, driven by...