USAID Cambodia will launch its development program "HARVEST Phase II" soon

Tin Sokhavuth

Madame Polly Dunford, USAID Cambodia Mission Director, meet with Mr. Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, to talk about the launching of HARVEST program phase II. Photo supplied

Madame Polly Dunford, USAID Cambodia Mission Director, met with Mr. Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), on Thirthday, to talk about the U.S. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY 2017-2021, and its implementation in Cambodia, in close cooperation with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), especially the MAFF.

According to the MAFF's Facebook page, Madame Dunford said that the new US global food security strategy is aligned with the Cambodian development program conceived by the RGC. For this reason, Madame Dunford would like to invite the minister to participate in the annual meeting with USAID Cambodia once or twice a year, in order to follow closely the implementation of the US global food strategy in the kingdom.

She also expressed her intention to invite the minister to participate, in the near future, in the launch of a development program called "HARVEST Phase II" that will follow the success of the "HARVEST Phase I" that was the first step of the implementation of the US global food strategy.

As for Mr. Sakhon, he urged USAID Cambodia to technically help Cambodian people in the field of agricultural product packaging for them to be able to follow the international standards of packaging and selling their product on the international market. He also would like the US private sector to come to invest in the Cambodian agricultural sector as many as possible.

In Response to the future inauguration of "HARVEST Phase II" program, Minister Sakhon said that he will be happy to participate in the launch, and he hope this USAID's new project will help to improve Cambodian agricultural sector. He also said that he would like to visit the United States in a view to learn about the development of agricultural sector in America so that he could share this experience with Cambodian farmers.

According to Cambodia HARVEST’s website, HARVEST program is aiming to increase the incomes for the 100,000 households living around Tonle Sap Lake. This also means to increase economic benefits for 283,500 people. The development of different activities to generate income for 8,500 “extreme poor” households is also another goal of the program.

Moreover the program is taking in account the diversification of cropping system for 56,000 households in order to generate about $40 million in the sales of agricultural products.

To deliver technical assistance and business services to smallholders, Cambodia HARVEST has hired companies and NGOs to do the job.

On the other hand, all initiatives carried out by the program are well aligned with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s national strategies for food security.

In a view to expand the outreach, impact and sustainability of the program, Cambodia HARVEST is cooperating with many researchers and consultants such as Auburn University, Faura and Flora International, Institute of International Education, Aruna Technology, Advancing Engineering Consultants, and Emerging Market Consultanting.

As mention before, HARVEST Phase II is the implementation of the U.S. GOVERNMENT GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY 2017-2021 in Camboida. This strategy is mainly aiming to increase "availability of food, generating income from production, creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities throughout value chains, and spurring growth in rural and urban economies," wrote USAID on its website.

Another objective of the strategy is to help children around the world to grow up normally, "as undernutrition, particularly during the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, leads to lower levels of educational attainment, productivity, lifetime earnings, and economic growth rates," read the U.S. GOVERNMENT GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY 2017-2021

In sum, according to USAID, the main goal of the strategy is to free the world from hunger and extreme poverty by increasing income for all people. The strategy was designed to help to accelerate inclusive and sustainable economic growth around the world.