Environmental research

During a VRA conducted in six out of 15 villages, a discussion was held to formulate a project in response to issues facing local communities in the above target area. The VRA assessment identifies most of the villagers in the area to have been faced with adverse effects as a result of CC including prolonged droughts for the last 3 to 5 years and it occurs 2 to 3 times a year with an unexpected timing and durations. Another issue is the limited knowledge among local communities of the climate resilient agricultural techniques, particularly in the face of droughts. To respond to the above issues, the project was formulated to mitigate the hardship facing the communities with initiatives such as household and communal pond rehabilitation with a particular focus on poor households and female headed families in order for them to be able to hold water for domestic use and for irrigation in the drought period and each pond, particularly the household ponds, will be used to raise fish for self-consumption. The project will, in collaboration with the provincial DoA, also deliver training to members in target groups on potentially appropriate and climate resilient agricultural techniques such as vegetable home gardening, system of rice intensification (SRI), chicken, duck, pig and fish farming, and composting, to ensure that farmers in the project area develop their capacity to adapt to CC. The project will facilitate meetings in the 15 target villages to raise awareness on CC and its impacts and so that the community can prepare themselves for eventual climate extreme events. The project will also organize a major campaign to raise awareness on impacts of chemical and pesticide application on soils, biodiversity, health and the environment so that the communities are informed of the appropriate use of chemicals in their farming practices and that they turn to compost and manure. Existing nine rice banks in the target villages will be strengthened and new ones will be developed in the new villages to provide the communities with access to seeds and food during their hard time. 1.2 Project Goal To ensure that local people in the project target area have access to sufficient food. 1.3 Project outcome Outcome 1: Access to sufficient water is attained by 67 households for rice irrigation and for home gardening in both dry and wet seasons; Outcome 2: Local people in target area have access to and apply drought resistant agricultural practices; and Outcome 3: Local people are aware of the CC and impacts of chemical and pesticide application on the environment and health. 1.4 Expected outputs and main activities Output 1.1 (Output 1): Two communal ponds and 25 household ponds are rehabilitated and 7 models of integrated home gardening developed and demonstrated, with 25 households with access to sufficient water for home gardening and with 18 households with access to sufficient water for rice irrigation over 6.7 ha against the current 8 households with access to sufficient water for rice irrigation of 1.20 ha. Activities - Select, in collaboration with local authorities, farmers ponds that need rehabilitation and encourage them to set up demonstration integrated home gardening, with the focus on volunteered female-led households and poor households; - Meet with local villagers to share information on how to build ponds and guidance on the use of pond water; - Conduct, in coordination with local authorities and commune procurement committee, a procurement of services for pond rehabilitation and sign the contract; - Rehabilitate 2 communal ponds, 50m x 30 m x 2.5 m, in Chambak and Taproy villages; - Rehabilitate 25 household ponds, 10m x 10m x 2.5 m, with the potential for integrated home gardening implemented with 7 households in 15 target villages; and - M & E on the performance of service provider with regard to pond rehabilitation. Output 2.1 (Outcome 1): 285 farmers, 130 female, received training and engaged in the demonstration of drought resistant agricultural practices; Activities: - Discuss with local authorities and community committees to set up criteria for selecting 285 farmers (130 female), to receive training; - Deliver, in coordination with provincial DoAFF, training on SRI techniques for 30 farmers (20 female); - Deliver, in coordination with provincial DoAFF, training on vegetable home gardening for 60 farmers (25 female); - Deliver, in coordination with provincial DoAFF, training on how to improve soil quality, and composting for 60 farmers, 25 female; - Deliver, in coordination with DoAFF and local hatchery operators, training on fish raising technique including pond and rice field fish raising, for 45 farmers (20 female); - Deliver, in coordination with provincial DoAFF, training on pig and chicken raising techniques for 90 farmers (40 female); - Establish, in coordination with local authorities and CBOs, saving groups; and provide fund for selected participating members in the above farming groups - rice, vegetable, fish, livestock - and develop by-law, structure, and other rules relevant for the saving groups; - Organize study tours for 23 participants (10 women), to learn from successes in other areas; and - Conduct 2 reflection workshops to learn from successes and failures and to guide further implementation with 140 participants (60 female).

Cambodia