Climate Adaptive Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience (CAISAR) in Cambodia

Cambodia faces increasing climate risks, with rural communities particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The country’s agriculture sector, which employs over 70 per cent of the population, is highly exposed to climate hazards, resulting in reduced crop yields, income loss, and food insecurity. Limited access to climate information and early warning systems compounds these challenges, leaving communities unprepared for extreme events.

This project aims to strengthen the climate resilience of Cambodia’s agriculture sector and rural communities by improving climate-smart agricultural practices and enhancing the sustainability of rural road infrastructure in the country’s most at-risk regions, Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, and Pursat provinces.  It will also develop integrated climate information and early warning systems to strengthen Cambodia’s capacity to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate risks and enhance the availability and accessibility of climate data, enabling farmers and local authorities to make informed decisions about agricultural practices and risk management.

Key activities include enhancing the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers through climate-smart agriculture (CSA), value chain development, and improved access to agrometeorological information; upgrading and climate-proofing irrigation infrastructure to ensure water delivery and drainage year-round; and strengthening institutional capacity and environmental governance of national and sub-national institutions to improve planning, coordination, and oversight of climate-resilient agricultural and irrigation systems.