More income and market access to Svay Rieng farmers

A recently published report "Supporting the Vegetable Value Chain: Approaches, Lessons and Innovations in Svay Rieng" gives an overview of how SNV in Cambodia is working closely with the Federation of Farmer Associations (CFAP) to give smallholder farmers opportunities, through the vegetable value chain, to connect to markets and improve their family income.

The report states that there is a growing demand for fresh vegetables, not only in the local and provincial markets, but more so in the more recently established special economic zones (SEZ) in Cambodia. However, smallholder farmers in Svay Rieng and other provinces experience difficulties in connecting to these increasing demands and traders often choose the easy option of importing from Vietnam or Thailand.

For the last two and a half years, SNV is working closely with the Federation of Farmer Associations (CFAP) in Cambodia to give smallholder farmers opportunities, through the vegetable value chain, to connect to markets and improve their family income.

SNV signed a 3 year memorandum of understanding with the CFAP in 2010 aimed at improving income for producer groups in Svay Rieng province from fresh, safe, vegetable cultivation for the domestic, and potentially export, markets.

Over this period SNV conducted a baseline study of CFAP's activities and organisational capacity, provided trainings in developing entrepreneurial and marketing skills, developed training packages in vegetable production, leadership and product advisory skills along with a study of farmer behaviour and household decision making in the targeted province.

With SNV's support, CFAP's has been providing leadership training for their community farmer associations (CFAs) and community based organisations (CBOs) and introduced model farms, village study tours and other events for their members, all aimed at improving technical knowledge and peer to peer knowledge transfer.

Key triggers for change in 2012 and beyond will include the reduction of CFAP's dependency on donor support. Hence, CFAP will increasingly focus on marketing and successful negotiations with enterprises in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to purchase quality vegetables from their member associations 2012 onwards. In parallel CFAP will work towards the successful introduction of farmer groups as it is unlikely that any single farmer can provide produce in the quantities required by businesses and hotels in the SEZ.

(The text above is a brief introduction to the report. Please click here to read the full report. )