Supporting the Transformation of Livelihoods: Village Development Funds Managed by Self-Help Groups

This primer is used to train, monitor, and coach communities implementing the Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project (BCCP) in Cambodia on Village Development Funds, which aims to help villages effectively achieve better livelihoods and infrastructures in their communities

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technology Portfolios for Rice-Based Systems (Saline, Upland, and Lowland Ecosystems)

This Primer for Cambodia is describing ways to improve rice productivity by improving the management of soils and crops such as: further diversification of varieties, the inclusion of stress-tolerant rice varieties, the introduction of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), re-introduction of legumes, and management of crop residues and fertilizers

A Financial Analysis of Homestead Native Chicken Raising: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Option Adopted in the Province of Koh Kong, Cambodia

In 2018, the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) and the Cambodian Center for Study and Development for Agriculture (CEDAC) under the Asian Development Bank’s Cambodia Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project (BCC) implemented the Community Development Funds Project in the Koh Kong and Mondul Kiri provinces which included the capacity building activity on improving native chicken production for smallholder farmers specifically, broiler production, and hatchery. This study supported by the International Research and Development Center (IDRC) analyzed the financial benefits gained by households in the Koh Kong province from this climate smart agriculture approach to small scale poultry production. When native chickens were raised for meat purposes (broiler production), the total net income received by the households amounted to USD 6,286.00 in 2019, and USD 8,003.00 in 2020. As the volume of sales increased, the average net income showed an increasing trend while the production cost per kilogram of broiler sold decreased. The study also revealed that profitability was highest among households that sold more than 100 kg of broilers compared to other households with lesser sales volume (using the Operating Profit Margin Ratio as a gauge). Hatchery operators earned a total net income of USD 10,136.00 in 2019 which increased to USD 13,604.00 in 2020. Broiler production and hatchery operation can be useful climate resilient enterprises to supplement the household income while complementing the existing economic activities of the village households such as growing crops and raising small livestock. Local food systems are enriched in the process and agrobiodiversity of small livestock is conserved through their sustainable use. This native chicken project was also gender fair and of special relevance to women in the communes

COVID-19 impact on local agri-food system in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines: Findings from a rapid assessment

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent enforcement of mobility restrictions have created bottlenecks in the agri-food system. When the food supply chain is disrupted, economic loss occurs, putting rural households, already in poverty, into severe food insecurity. A survey was conducted to assess the impacts of restrictions brought by COVID-19 on local food systems operations of Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The rural and traditional food systems of agriculture-based villages continued to operate with minimal adjustments during the course of COVID-19 restrictions. Our findings showed high mean household dietary diversity scores in Chhouk CSV (6.4), Htee Pu CSV (8.2), and Himbubulo Weste CSV (7.2) despite significant perceived changes in the availability and prices of certain food groups. Complementary and diverse food production and access to informal food outlets were essential parts of the local food systems and played critical roles in supplying food commodities to the population during the pandemic

Microcredit and savings associations for building rural household resilience: A case study of selected village development fund and savings groups in Koh Kong and Mondul Kiri, Cambodia

This case study was conducted to generate insights on the financial sustainability of selected VDFSGs and to gather information on members’ perceptions of the usefulness of these institutions in coping with household and climate change-related shocks or stresses. Financial sustainability was analyzed by conducting a detailed financial analysis of six selected VDFSGs to determine the sufficiency of interest payments as revenue to cover total costs as well as to evaluate loan recovery and equity build- up. Members’ perception of the usefulness of VDFSGs in helping them to cope with and adjust to family and climate change-related shocks/stresses was determined by conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) among selected representatives of VDFSG members. Useful feedback of the financial performance and areas for improvement were generated. The Pu Hong, Pu Chhob, and Prek Svay VDFSGs were considered financially sustainable based on the results of the study. The study also revealed that the VDFSGs are considered most useful when there are crop failures due to extreme weather events and when there are medical emergencies in the household. The FGD participants and key informants expressed confidence that they are in a better position to cope with their vulnerabilities due to the presence of a VDFSG in their village

Extreme enrichment of Se, Te, PGE and Au in Cu sulfide microdroplets: evidence from LA-ICP-MS analysis of sulfides in the Skaergaard Intrusion, east Greenland

The Platinova Reef, in the Skaergaard Intrusion, east Greenland, is an example of a magmatic Cu–PGE–Au sulfide deposit formed in the latter stages of magmatic differentiation. As is characteristic with such deposits, it contains a low volume of sulfide, displays peak metal offsets and is Cu rich but Ni poor. However, even for such deposits, the Platinova Reef contains extremely low volumes of sulfide and the highest Pd and Au tenor sulfides of any magmatic ore deposit. Here, we present the first LA-ICP-MS analyses of sulfide microdroplets from the Platinova Reef, which show that they have the highest Se concentrations (up to 1200 ppm) and lowest S/Se ratios (190–700) of any known magmatic sulfide deposit and have significant Te enrichment. In addition, where sulfide volume increases, there is a change from high Pd-tenor microdroplets trapped in situ to larger, low tenor sulfides. The transition between these two sulfide regimes is marked by sharp peaks in Au, and then Te concentration, followed by a wider peak in Se, which gradually decreases with height. Mineralogical evidence implies that there is no significant post-magmatic hydrothermal S loss and that the metal profiles are essentially a function of magmatic processes. We propose that to generate these extreme precious and semimetal contents, the sulfides must have formed from an anomalously metal-rich package of magma, possibly formed via the dissolution of a previously PGE-enriched sulfide. Other processes such as kinetic diffusion may have also occurred alongside this to produce the ultra-high tenors. The characteristic metal offset pattern observed is largely controlled by partitioning effects, producing offset peaks in the order Pt+Pd>Au>Te>Se>Cu that are entirely consistent with published D values. This study confirms that extreme enrichment in sulfide droplets can occur in closed-system layered intrusions in situ, but this will characteristically form ore deposits that are so low in sulfide that they do not conform to conventional deposit models for Cu–Ni–PGE sulfides which require very high R factors, and settling of sulfide liquids

Homestead Agriculture in Drought and Salinity Affected Areas: Addressing climate resilience, livelihoods and nutrition challenges

The primer is offering new options or opportunities for households in Cambodia to prepare for future climate change, by diversifying their livelihoods with crops, trees and small livestock in their homesteads