FARMER COOPERATIVES AND CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT IN SIEM PEAP, CAMBODIA 2014 – 2016

For a three-year period, ADDA has worked in Cambodia to improve the standard of living for poor farmers in the country side in the Siem Reap province for a three-year period. Our focus has been on female farmers, as they amount to the majority of the farmers while they simultaneously are the poorest, thus most vulnerable. Our method has been to support and strengthen the woman’s self-help-groups (SHGs) and small agricultural co-operations, so that they collectively and cooperate to better their financial circumstances and living standards.

In total, ADDA has strengthened and trained 158 SHGs. The women received training in how to cultivate their land more efficiently with a focus on sustainability and climate friendly techniques such as utilizing biodynamic fertilizers instead of pesticides. The combination of knowledge of employing efficient cultivation methods, which has caused in increased financial output, has led to both an increase of membership but also a shift in value.

Now, the SHGs focus more on increasing the groups’ collective savings. This approach has inspired other farmers to start up small businesses as well as it has given the women an increase of confidence to engage in local politics, where they advocate for the establishment of new roads, wells, channels and tin roofs for the poorest families among other things.

Read the final evaluation rapport here.