Climate resilience
Sustainable Livelihoods
Over 75% of people in Cambodia live in the countryside, making their living from small-scale agriculture, fishing and occasional labour and small businesses. Their livelihoods are primarily dependent on available natural resources and are influenced by factors which are often beyond their control.
Through the development of counseling, veterinary, technical, and other services available for farmers, we help people improve their livelihoods and escape the cycle of poverty. We also share with them our knowledge of how to use alternative and renewable sources of energy such as, biogas and solar energy, and educate them on livestock breeding. Last but not least, PIN co-creates a network interconnecting livestock breeders, service providers, and market participants and thus participates in building and strengthening local markets.
We work with local organisations and other stakeholders to strengthen market value chains and ensure sustainable livelihoods within Cambodia’s strong and growing agricultural sector.
Green Energy
Under the Green Energy department, there are two respective projects that focus on the promotion of renewable energy, specifically solar energy.
SWITCH to Solar project was conceptualized by People in Need along with EnergyLab and Sevea funded by the European Union through the SWITCH Asia Network Facility and the Czech Republic Development Agency (CzDA). The project is implemented across the Tonle Sap Region of Cambodia to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to adopt solar-based technologies with the purpose of promoting clean energy and fostering green employment in the agri-fishery sector.
Past Activities
Promoting the Use of Solar Technologies for Agricultural and Rural Development in Cambodia
For Cambodia, approximately 7,000 direct beneficiaries are targeted including local market agents who will act as the middleman in transacting the agricultural goods, farmer producers who gain from innovative agricultural techniques to enhance productivity, and experienced women entrepreneurs who are targeted for capacity-building.
The objective of the project is to increase resilience of agriculture sector in Cambodia to climate change through a three-pronged interventions: (i) supporting the uptake of resilient agricultural practices, (ii) enhancing the agricultural value chain and (iii) promoting and scaling up the adoption of solar technologies for water pumping and powering market facilities.
SWITCH to Solar
As Cambodia continues to harness clean energy potential around the country, the European Union has signed two project agreements worth EUR 5.3 million to promote sustainable consumption and production of energy sources and to put local SMEs on a track to a green recovery in Cambodia.
The SWITCH to Solar project will promote production patterns in Cambodian agri-fishery sector with a focus on agro-processing by encouraging (MSMEs) to adopt solar solutions; and fostering replication through demonstration and access to finance. Awareness raising on sustainable production will also be promoted, policy dialogues will be organised, line ministries will be involved in demonstrations about sustainable production practices and interactions between MSMEs and financial intermediaries will be supported.
The project main objective will be achieved by reducing the environmental impacts of MSMEs energy consumption and generating green employment opportunities. More specifically, the project aims to improve production pattern and behaviours in rural areas of Cambodia by supporting MSMEs to switch from unsustainable energy to solar energy sources.
RECOVER: Rural Employment for COVID-19 Economic Recovery
The action is focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on the Tonle Sap region and includes districts with the highest number of returned migrants. Returned migrants are specifically targeted by the action for inclusion in training and business development opportunities, either to start their own small business or for employment with service providers to existing small and medium agro-enterprises. The action utilises a market-systems approach to boost the production of high-value products and add value in the horticulture and poultry value chains. Linkages are strengthened with buyers, who are technical partners, in order to increase sales and thereby income for small and medium enterprises. PIN is working with various beneficiaries such as agricultural cooperatives (AC), producer group (PG), framer trainers, local vet shops, chick producer, demonstration farms, slaughterhouses, veterinary companies, and social enterprises.
The project aims to contribute to inclusive economic recovery in the Tonle Sap region by improving food security, income, and employment opportunities for fishing and farming communities and returnee migrants by leveraging existing relationships with the private sector and local civil society partners to further strengthen value chains by linking producers, processors, and buyers of the products.
The project ensures that smallholder farmers and fishers have increased food production and consumption in the horticulture and livestock value chains through their use of effective agricultural practices, products, and services.
Returning migrants and laid-off workers in COVID-19 affected sectors have improved access to market-relevant skills, affordable finance, and social protection.
