The Angkor Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is one of the largest archaeological sites in operation in the world. Nestled among the forests and temples are over 100 villages, spread across the boundaries of the world heritage site.
Climate change has increased the intensity of drought impacts in Cambodia’s dry season. It has also induced more rainfall in the wet season, leading to flash flooding. These events are having dramatic effects on villagers who live in the Angkor Park and depend on it for their livelihoods.
It is for this reason that working with local farmers is a priority of the Angkor Water Resilience (AWR) project. The AWR team has worked with commune leaders and village chiefs to nominate ‘lead farmers’ who will promote sustainable climate-smart agriculture practices in their villages, after they receive training from Live & Learn Cambodia.
From over 200 nominated farmers, 34 (13 male/ 21 female) were selected to be lead farmers for the project. These lead farmers were selected based on their positive attitude, their willingness to learn and their desire to share knowledge with others.
The AWR team conducting Farmer consultations
With the support of iDE and the APSARA National Authority in Cambodia, the first workshops have already taken place which focused on 11 different climate-smart agriculture topics, including water sensitive design, composting, mulching, crop rotation and more. The second round of workshops with lead farmers will take place in January 2025 and will focus on setting up homestead gardens.
AWR Project Manager, Sim Kong, says, ‘Livelihood activities of farmers and local people are as much a part of the park as the temples. A homestead garden is part of good village culture, where people can come to buy produce and engage. There is a lot to explore with the local and traditional food they produce.’
Training on homestead gardens and heritage crops are designed to active include female-headed households and households that include a person with a disability. The lead farmers will act as a source of knowledge for people in their village, sharing learnings from Live & Learn workshops and promoting best practices.
Lead farmer training
As the AWR team weave their way through vibrant rice fields to visit local farmers, Partnership Manager, Roam Vichet, says, ‘This project has brought very significant changes in knowledge for villagers, in terms of heritage protection. We have changed a lot of perceptions but there is still a lot of work to do. We have many activities that help people understand and become aware of environmental protection.’
The AWR team makes their way to a farmers home for consultation
Additionally, the delivery of tools and establishment of multiple plant nurseries as part of the project will support farmers to grow fresh local produce. After meeting with a lead farmer, Vichet says, ‘Old villages are very important for us to protect. We want their livelihoods to rise alongside conservation for the park.’ AWR acknowledges that it is the people of the Angkor Park who will lead it into a more resilient future.
The Angkor Water Resilience Project is a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative, implemented by Live & Learn Environmental Education in partnership with the APSARA National Authority.
