Fostering a safe and sustainable vegetable sector
In Cambodia there is strong market demand for local, high quality, safe fresh vegetables, however, the vegetable sector in Cambodia currently supplies less than half of the domestic demand. Key challenges within the sector include (1) low yields and difficulty producing in the wet season; (2) poor competitiveness with regional neighbours; (3) post-harvest losses as high as 40%; and (4) product that does not conform to quality and safety demands of consumers.
Subsequently, there are many opportunities for smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the supply chain to benefit from improved connections, collaborations and adoption of sustainable production practices. The vegetable sector offers smallholder farmers an opportunity to diversify their production systems and market options, improve household nutrition and increase incomes. Importantly, it also offers women a source of income, and can help improve household food security. As the sector develops, opportunities for market engagement, input supply and agroprocessing will increase.
The challenges facing the sector can be addressed in many different ways, with all participants benefiting from the input and knowledge contributed by a wide range of stakeholders. In Cambodia, there are many public, private and development partners working to improve the productivity and profitability of the vegetable sector. Bringing these stakeholders together is a way of understanding the current situation in Cambodia and creating potential networks to foster sustainability in the sector.
The Cambodian Vegetable Forum has been held on 20th October, 2017 at Cambodiana Hotel, Phnom Penh.
This forum had several objectives including to:
• Highlight the current status and opportunities of the sector;
• Share learnings and practical examples in research and development ctivities;
• Forge networks between public, NGO and private sector professionals for
ongoing communication and collaboration.
‘Fostering a safe and sustainable vegetable sector’ is the theme of the first forum proudly sponsored by SDC-CHAIN project, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Life With Dignity (LWD) and World Vision. The ACIAR project ASEM/2012/081 is a collaboration between the University of Adelaide, General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) and iDE global.
All the presentations of this forum are accessible below
Book-Cambodia Veg Handbook 2017 -Update
S1-[Trade Vegetable and their commercialisation-Mr Puthea]
S2-[CamGap and CamOrganic Road Mapping-Mr Chhun Hy]
S3-[Risk assessment in leafy vegetable production systems in Cambodia by Dr Khay Sathya