Some key results from 2007

Renewable Energy
The National Biodigester Programme, with technical assistance from SNV, achieved the following results:

• 1,150 biodigester plants were built, benefiting about 7,000 household members. Each of these households saves on average US$130 per year by substituting domestic energy sources such as fuel wood, charcoal for cooking and kerosene for lighting. Households reported that smoke has been reduced and the home environment is cleaner, leading to a healthier family. In addition, women save a lot of time by not having to collect fuel wood.
• 920 households are actively using digested dung as an organic fertiliser, saving about US$50 each household per year on chemical fertilisers.
• About 2,381,000 kg of firewood was saved in 2007 (7.5 kg per household on a daily basis).
• 200 masons have been certified in biodigester construction and are now making a living in this sector
• 3 enterprises are manufacturing the appliances for the biodigester systems
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has fully accepted the Biodigester Programme as one of its core activities. Biodigester technology is now being integrated in a number of agricultural development programmes/projects.
  
  Pro-Poor Sustainable Tourism
  

• The National Ecotourism Policy has been drafted in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism. The process followed a multistakeholder approach with 60 stakeholder consultations, 3 regional workshops (141 participants), a tour operator survey (73 operators), and a visitor survey (1,144 visitors) being conducted.
• The Kratie Tourism Master Plan was completed as part of the Mekong Discovery Trail Project. It is expected that 3,500 people in Kratie and 700 people in Stung Treng will be employed directly and indirectly in the tourism sector by 2017. 4,800 people are estimated to benefit from CBT development in the 4 communities included in the Mekong Discovery Trail.
• A development programme for the provincial tourism departments and management committees in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces commenced in December 2007. Implemented by the Cambodia Community Based Ecotourism Network (CCBEN - a local capacity builder), and supported by SNV, the programme will benefit around 5,000 people in the Northeastern Provinces of Cambodia.
• A Train-the-Trainers course in community based tourism development was implemented by CCBEN with SNV’s technical support. 46 representatives from provincial tourism departments and NGOs attended the first course; and 31 were selected to continue to the second phase. The trained trainers are expected to provide training to 900 people around the country.