CIRD works to support organizations of family small-scale farmers who need to secure their food supplies and access to markets in order to sell the surplus of their produce. Facilitating the access of good quality agricultural products produced by rural households to the markets is a key strategic area of our intervention to enable farmers to generate their incomes and for poverty reduction within rural society.

Agriculture and Rural development

CIRD develops and implements agricultural productivity improvement projects to raise food security, quality and safety. On-farm research, training and dissemination of research innovation results are our key methodological process. CIRD advocates the government and donors to invest in agriculture in ways that promote food security, through crop diversification, more sustainable water management and eco-friendly land-use. This will help to reduce the proportion of poverty in rural areas and help to foster a sustainable agriculture system compatible/consistent with current environment and conservation policy.

Sustainable livelihood and natural resources conservation compatible system

CIRD works at many levels with partners and communities to improve the livelihoods of poor farmer households and their right to earn a decent living. We work with partners and communities to implement programs that lead to self-sustaining livelihoods, better working conditions with a strong focus on women and children and better protection of the natural resources on which poor communities depend.

Promotion and protection of agricultural product quality standards through law and policy advocacy and community support

CIRD facilitates the access of farmer households to markets by upgrading the quality standard of their potential agricultural products with protected geographical indication, organic, wildlife friendly and GAP trade labels to suit national and international markets product standards.

CIRD is carrying out agricultural law and policy advocacy at several levels, from lobbying national government and regional institutions, to working directly with civil society actors in agriculture, rural development and eco-friendly livelihoods systems.

CIRD provides lectures, conferences, seminars and workshops on topical issues. It promotes alternative sustainable eco-friendly agricultural practices through its networks.

Project development and implementation

CIRD will provide capacity building and organizational and institutional support to farmer organizations through the implementation of its integrated community development projects which combine agricultural & rural development with conservation of natural resources activities.

To introduce innovative ideas and technologies, both Volunteers and Internships are encouraged. Qualified volunteers with innovative ideas and concepts will be recruited, placed and supported to assist in project implementation. Interns with appropriate qualifications and skills can assist in CIRD’s conducted researches or in the production of documents for CIRD’s publications.

Research-Development and Training

CIRD is conducting action researches to find innovative solutions on agro-ecology, agricultural marketing and farmer organization in order to reduce poverty and promote a sustainable rural development policy in Cambodia. Short course trainings are also organized for farmers and development workers from different organizations so that innovative solutions found can widely applied and extended within Cambodian rural areas.

Innovative, relevant and pertinent rural education and training system

Investing in the future through support to a rural education system capable to provide relevant and efficient trainings in technical and managerial skills to the rural youth and young generation of farmers to ensure they build and strengthen their capacity to access to rural employment and income generating business opportunities. This innovative rural education system will produce a qualified human resource, crucially needed in the poor rural areas, with capacities to transform a rural subsistence economy to a sustainable eco-friendly income generation economy and uplift Cambodia’s agriculture to full national economic sector strength. This training system will empower the rural youth with capacities to sustain their rural livelihoods and the technical and managerial competences to take over their aging parents’ farm and transform it into a modern agricultural family enterprise. In particular, CIRD will promote and support an innovative and pertinent rural education and training system inspired from the MFR concept (Maison Familiale Rurale).

CIRD believes an access to quality education will help lift people out of poverty and human suffering, thus allowing them to assert their dignity and guarantee a sustainable development.

Cooperation with the private sector:

We also work with businesses that are committed to making a positive impact in reducing poverty. Many local communities are organizing themselves, demanding that businesses – at the regional, national and international level – invest in communities around which they work.  CIRD supports these entrepreneurs, family businesses, producers and workers, helping them to make a success of what they do, and find lasting solutions to their poverty. CIRD and its partners have provided successful support to the Inter-professional Associations of “Kampot Pepper Promotion Association: KPPA” and the “Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion Association”.

Biodiversity, environment and climate change:

CIRD will work to enhance the environment protection, natural resources and biodiversity conservation.

CIRD will provide technical support to adapt present livelihoods systems to cope with the threats introduced by the Climate Change.

Climate change will affect everyone, but it will most affect poor people in Cambodia. It is changing rainfall patterns, drying up river beds, giving rise to newer and more harmful pests and creating a situation where natural disasters like cyclones, floods and landslides in developing countries are becoming more common, serious and widespread.

Poor communities already live on the front lines of pollution, disaster, and the degradation of resources and land. For instance, they are often forced to live in temporary settlements, on land which is prone to flooding, storms and landslides.

Climate change poses a further threat to their livelihoods, economic sustainability and health, for instance by making planning of crops unpredictable or making availability of water difficult – all this often in an already precarious and conflict prone context.

Adapting to climate change and mitigating its negative impacts on livelihoods

CIRD is working to help people adapt to the effects of climate change. Our experience as a development organization is instrumental in assisting communities to build their resilience to more frequent and extreme droughts, floods and weather events. We do this through new technologies, diversifying livelihoods, disaster risk reduction and by helping people organize themselves to determine solutions and receive help.

Networking

CIRD supports the initiatives of small farmers groups in Cambodia by providing them with the capacity building and links to knowledge resource centers. Network with other affected people so they can share coping strategies, join forces, and strengthen their abilities to bring about change.