Promoting Resilience of Agriculture sector and Coastal Zone of
Cambodia through LDCF resources
Adaptation Practitioners Days
Presented by SUM Thy
Director of Climate Change Department
Ministry of Environment , CAMBODIA
Cambodia’s vulnerability to climate change
• Cambodia is very vulnerable to climate change due to:
– Low adaptive capacity
– Cambodia's Economy is little diversified and depends heavily on
a few sectors
– Most of Cambodians are living in rural areas and (to a certain
extent) from low productive agriculture systems
– Cambodia's agriculture depends heavily on rice production
(80% of total agric. production) – little diversification
– Most of rice fields are rain fed and depend on wet season
rainfall
– Common property resources (food/income from forestry,
fisheries) are important for poor people but affected by
unsustainable use.
Climate Change Impact in Cambodia
• Flood: Between (1987 to 2007), faced 12 serious
floods that cause approximately 1,125 death and 327
Million dollars loses.
• Droughts: Five extreme drought affected 6.5 miliion
people and damaged 128 million dollars (SNC.2012).
• The most recent flood in 2011 affected 1.5 millions
people, killed more than 250 lives and caused dam
ages worth around 520 millions dollars (NCDM, 2011).
• GermanWatch rated Cambodia as second country
among 10 most affected countries in the Climate Risk
Index for 2011.
The Cambodia’s National Adaptation
Programme of Action to Climate Change
(NAPA) was completed in March 2005
and endorsed by the Royal Government
of Cambodia in October 2006.
Current status of NAPA implementation:
1. "Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural
Practices in Rural Cambodia“.
2. “Vulnerability assessment and
adaptation programme for climate
change within coastal zone of
Cambodia”
3. “Strengthening the adaptive
capacity and resilience of rural
communities using micro watershed
approaches to climate change and
variability to attain sustainable food
security”
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The project began with a vulnerability reduction assessment (VRA) to understand sources of
vulnerabilities for farmers and their needs for climate change adaptation.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
Rapid Gender Assessments (RGAs) was an important part of the VRA. The project team
recognized various differential impacts of climate change on women and administered
surveys targeting women and men separately. The survey included questions about their
concerns and needs.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The findings from RGAs were immediately reflected in the project design. For example, the
project team now proactively reaches out to women to engage them in community water
management activities and the project decided to establish women groups which act as a
messenger of early warning information of floods and other climate risks.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The results from the VRA are being used to achieve the first outcome of the project
"Improved capacity within local institutions to manage agricultural water resources in a
changing climate." To this end, the project also provides a platform to farmers and policy
makers to exchange opinions and discuss climate change impacts on livelihoods.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
Enhanced understanding about sources of vulnerability and farmers ability to adapt to
changing climatic conditions is a critical input for climate resilient Commune Council Plans
and budgets. The project also provides trainings for Commune Council Committee members
so that they can better understand and integrate climate risks into their development plans
and budgets.
The second expected outcome of the project is to demonstrate locally appropriate
adaptation options to reduce exposure to climate risks. Field testing of drought- and floodresilient rice varieties is one of the key project activities. Special technical assistance is
provided by the Cambodian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI).
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The yield for IR 66 rice variety distributed reached an average yield of 3.25 tons which is 18%
higher than traditional varieties. 26 tons of IR 66 rice seeds have been distributed to 793
families from 45 villages as of 2012.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The project organizes events such as Farmer' Field School and Farmer' Field Days to
showcase the result of demonstrations so that they can learn and apply new techniques in
their fields.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
After demonstrations, farmers voted on their preferred rice variety so that the project can
make the most voted rice variety available for farmers for the next farming season.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
The project also provides formal trainings on climate change and climate change resilient
farming practices.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
On-farm water resource management and rehabilitation of irrigation canals are an
important input to make agriculture in rural Cambodia more resilient to climate change
impacts. This picture shows a tertiary distribution channel that is hardly serving its purpose,
which is very common in rural Cambodia
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
Farmers are thoroughly consulted for their inputs to ensure usability and sustainability.
UNDP-GEF/LDCF: Promoting Climate-Resilient Water
Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia
Capturing the lessons from the project and disseminating them for replication is the third
outcome of the project. This photo shows filming of a knowledge sharing session to be
disseminated on national TV and radio programmes. The project also intends to use the
global information sharing networks, such as the Adaptation Learning Mechanism, to
facilitate cross-country sharing of lessons learned.
UNEP-GEF/LDCF: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme
for Climate Change within the Coastal Zone of Cambodia
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Furthermore, the vulnerability maps will
identify areas or communities within the
coastal zone which are particularly vulnerable
to projected climate change risks. Such maps
can be used to earmark areas or communities
to be priority recipients of future adaptation
funding/efforts.
UNEP-GEF/LDCF: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme
for Climate Change within the Coastal Zone of Cambodia
The project works with communities living in low lying areas along the coast impacted by
floods and heavy winds. The photo shows the water gate and dyke to protect against floods
and impacts of sea level. The dyke protects 10,000 ha of agriculture land. The LDCF project
is expected to rehabilitate it so It can cope with future climate change impacts and build
resilience in the communities.
UNEP-GEF/LDCF: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme
for Climate Change within the Coastal Zone of Cambodia
Situation where dyke and agricultural land was flooded in 2009. As part of the project plans
will be developed for rehabilitating part of the dyke. The area under concern is the most
important rice growing area in the coastal area. As a pilot activity it is expected that 7 km of
existing dykes will be rehabilitated beyond baseline measures in Ouk Okna Heng and Toul
Tokoeng (Prey Nup District) to protect agricultural fields from increased flooding as a result
of climate change. The inner dykes will be stabilised by planting of trees.
UNEP-GEF/LDCF: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme
for Climate Change within the Coastal Zone of Cambodia
In Koh Kong extensive areas of the coastal area a covered with mangroves. The mangroves
play an important function in relation to ecosystem based coastal adaptation. The project
will rehabilitate areas of degraded mangrove forests in order to improve their efficacy as
natural barriers to tropical cyclones, strong winds, SLR, storm surges and related flooding
incidents. In so doing, the project will reduce the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure and
rural communities to such threats.
UNEP-GEF/LDCF: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Programme
for Climate Change within the Coastal Zone of Cambodia
Project funds will also be allocated towards identifying and piloting alternative livelihoods to
reduce the pressure local communities place on natural ecosystems, such as mangrove
forests.
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