Remarks on Demand-driven, Participatory Agricultural Extension Services for Cambodia William Bradley, Agriculture Officer USAID/Cambodia

Agricultural Extension Services  Agricultural extension has to do with educating farmers– teaching farmers how to grow crops, raise livestock, or market farm produce.  Extension services are essential to modernize agriculture– farmers need education to adopt new practices like improved rice or corn, new breed of livestock, or new ways of marketing their produce.  Extension is effective when: - Farmers receive research-based information or recommendation - Farmers increase their production efficiency - Farmers adopt new and improved practices that are sustainable

Agricultural Extension Services  A good extension service requires: - Well trained extension professionals– so quality agricultural training is important - Recommendation on new technology from Agricultural Research Service - Timely supply of high quality inputs from the private sector – e.g., seed, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.  Extension is effective when farmers have access to: - Farm-to-Market roads, irrigation/drainage facilities - Timely market information – so they get the best price for their produce - Education & training on production, processing, nutrition, marketing, etc.

Agricultural Extension is Changing!  From publicly-funded to public-private partnership (PPP)  From supply driven system to demand-driven system  From top-down structure to decentralized system managed at district level  From centrally directed system to participatory system  From single extension service provider to pluralistic service providers (NGOs, PVOs, CO, etc.)  Serving primarily the male farmers to both male and female farmers

Agriculture in Cambodia  Agriculture accounts about 1/3 rd (34%) of national GDP  Agriculture sector employs almost 80% of the workforce  Rice is the main crop. Livestock is an important component of the farm. Aquaculture & fishery are equally important for food security and nutrition.  Agriculture is characterized as subsistence-based agriculture  Low agricultural productivity  It is classified as one of the food insecure countries

USAID’s Support to Food Security  Cambodia HARVEST -- a five-year integrated food security and climate change program supported by the American people.  The project also aims at increasing the capacity of the public and private sectors and civil society to support agricultural competitiveness.  Specific objectives include:  Increase incomes for 70,000 rural households;  Accrue economic benefits for 140,000 people;  Develop income-generating activities for 7,000 "extreme poor" households;  Diversify cropping systems for 31,500 households; and  Generate $28 million in incremental new agricultural sales.

USAID/Cambodia's Feed the Future: Cambodia HARVEST  It targets four provinces around the Tonle Sap Great Lake:  Battambang, Pursat, Siem Reap, and Kampong Thom  According to findings from the baseline survey:  Over 90% of households are rice producers  Average yield of paddy rice is about 2000Kg/Ha (national average:3000Kg/Ha)  Vegetable is grown in a small piece of land, i.e., 0.09 Ha  Only few farmers raise fish in the ponds  There is a need for strong agricultural extension service in the area. I believe it is equally important in other provinces.

Key Interventions of Cambodia HARVEST  Disseminate modern agricultural technologies and management practices.  Enhance national capacity for adaptive research  Increase crop diversification  Promote efficiency improvements across value chains  Improve market awareness and connectivity to production outputs.  Promote women's economic empowerment  Increase access to credit to support producer  Improve quality assurance on inputs.  Enhance the policy, legal, business and regulatory framework  Establish new models for agricultural extension services to help farmers with technology adoption. The essence of this workshop!

USAID/Cambodia's Feed the Future: Cambodia HARVEST  In addition to several intervention described earlier, Cambodia HARVEST supports:  Policy formulation (in agriculture and natural resources management areas)  National dialog/workshop to strengthen extension management  Innovative ways to strengthen education and training institutions  Ways to strengthen linkages between agricultural research and extension  Ways to promote partnership between the public and the private sector  I hope this workshop will contributes to these goals! I wish you will have a productive discussion on extension.  Thank you.