Environmental policy and administrative management

This project will explore and experiment with production systems, income generation activities, and community organization and networking in order to allow communities to live sustainably within the Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary and the Central Cardamom Protected Forest. The project implementation will therefore concentrate on developing agricultural improvements and establishing an ecological agriculture training centre in Pramaoy commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province. The project will focus on discovering livelihood strategies and methods of agriculture that are compatible with living within a protected area. Differences in ethnic and cultural make up, community solidarity, exposure to destructive natural resource influences and market pressures, will be taken into consideration when transferring/introducing livelihood-enhancing experiences and processes. The main task of this project is therefore to ensure that the maximum number of farmers possible can access technical innovations and successfully implement the ecological options. The project will focus on supporting farm families in applying innovations such as, agro-forestry, the principles and techniques of system of rice intensification (SRI), improved home gardening, chicken raising, fruit tree planting and replanting cardamom in degraded forest areas. The project will also work on improving; green manures, making composts, wild fish management, community non-timber forest product (NTFP) exploitation, livestock rearing and at the same time work to reduce forest cutting through introducing improved cooking stoves which can reduce the need for fire wood by 50%. Through promoting environmental awareness of conservation, the project will also work with farmers to find alternatives to clearing old/mature forest areas for upland agriculture. At the end of the project it is expected that around 60% of the families in the area will be able to increase food production by approximately 100% and to increase income by about 50%. This will result from improved access to technical and social innovations, marketing and credit. We also aim to assist farmers to set up at least 18 farmer associations and a network of farmer associations at the district and national level by building the capacity of 33 farmer experts and 40 farmer leaders, among them 5 commune council representatives and 25 marketing leader representatives. This building of community institutions is a long term process which will go beyond the present project cycle.

Cambodia