The Promoting Climate-Resilient Livelihoods in Rice-Based Communities in the Tonle Sap Region (PCRL) works in five target provinces around the Tonle Sap Lake i.e. Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, and Kampong Thom, covering a total of 40 communes in 24 districts, where are the major rainfed rice-growing region ,and vulnerable communities that have little adaptability to climate change.
In the baseline scenario, Cambodia faces increasing vulnerability to climate change, including in its efforts to increase rice production. Low capacity and insufficient access to technologies, compounded by an inadequate policy environment, keep producers in a situation of high vulnerability to climate risks and hazards, and lead to a gradual decline in agricultural-based livelihoods. Without the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) intervention, Cambodia’s agricultural sector will increasingly suffer under the impacts of climate change. Agricultural production and livelihoods, particularly the majority of smallholders in rural areas, will remain impacted by a variety of climate hazards.
Because of the small size of landholdings and high levels of poverty in the target provinces, farmers currently do not have the resources to climate-proof their agricultural practices and businesses without external support. Given Cambodia’s status as a least developed country, the available public budget to support the types of activities envisioned in the project is limited.
