UTIA IN CAMBODIA. David Ader- Office of International Programs

Transcription

1 UTIA IN CAMBODIA David Ader- Office of International Programs

2 US Government s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative ~ 800 million people suffer from chronic hunger; often rooted in poverty Poor nutrition costs up to 8% of potential economic growth ¾ of poor live in rural areas; rely on agriculture for their livelihood

3 Feed the Future: Focus on specific topics to help reduce food insecurity and increase agricultural production

4 Child Health: Undernourishment Focus on improving nutrition First 1000 days after conception (baby and mother)

5 Improvements Made

6 Gender in Ag: Integration Women contribute heavily to Ag labor; unrecognized Women s access to land limited Limited legal control over the land they farm (land tenure) Evidence shows status of women improvement correlates with: Increases in agricultural productivity Reduction in poverty Improvement to nutrition

7 Research and Capacity Building Feed the Future Research Strategy (2012) 50 experts were consulted during the strategy framing process Presents a global research portfolio to create: more productive crops sustainably intensify agricultural production systems ensure food security enhance access to nutritionally improved diets

8 Feed the Future Innovation Labs Innovation Labs draw on the expertise of top U.S. universities and developing country research institutions to tackle some of the world s greatest challenges in agriculture and food security. 24 Labs, managed by US universities

9 Innovation Labs around the world

10 Feed the Future: Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) USAID/Kansas State University- SIIL Management Entity $50 million The lab will focus on countries in West Africa, east and south Africa, and South Asia.

11 Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) Women in Agriculture Network Cambodia: Gender-and Ecologically-Sensitive Agriculture Empower women in Cambodia Improve participation in rice/horticulture value chains Improve household nutrition/dietary diversity Provide a scientifically rigorous and comprehensive understanding of the nexus of gender and SI

12 Women in Agriculture Network Cambodia: Gender-and Ecologically-Sensitive Agriculture USAID/Kansas State University- SIIL Management Entity Penn State University (Lead institution) - Plant Sciences, Gender in Agriculture Royal University of Agriculture-Phnom Penh, Cambodia Kasetsart University- Thailand ECHO Asia AVRDC- World Vegetable Center University of Battambang Conservation Agriculture Service Center (CASC)

13 Cambodia- ~15 Million People

14 Rice Basin of South East Asia Feed the Future Zone of Influence is around TonLe Sap Lake High rates of stunting Malnourishment High dependency on Agriculture

15 Agricultural Livelihoods Neak Sre- Rice People Fewer options for depending on agriculture

16 Social Change: Out migration Development of the country has been slow recovering from the devastation of civil war Over half of Cambodian s are under the age of 25 and only 20 percent live in urban areas People who have received high school education find it difficult to effectively use their skills and knowledge in agrarian environments. Rural population is migrating to urban areas

17 Rural to Urban Migration three-quarters of both women and men migrants identified employment as one of the main reasons why they migrated.

18 Stresses of Agriculture frequency of environmental distress distance from markets low profit typically attained through animal husbandry and agriculture risk perceived to be involved in rice or crop intensification village-based livelihood strategies as impossible or unwise

19 UTIA in Cambodia Two visits in 2016 to gather data Baseline quantitative household survey Identify gender-sensitive SI technologies and practices in rice and horticulture value chains Identify enabling conditions and social networks for women to fully participate in horticultural and rice-based food production Build capacity in local agricultural institutions, NGOs, and international universities and research institutes, to scale up and out innovations in gender and ecologically sensitive SI.

20 Next Steps Analyze quantitative baseline data Return to Cambodia-Dec/January Qualitative data gathering: Interviews, Focus groups, community activities Trial SI technologies with demonstration sites Work with farmers to trial various techniques Adapt modules for educational programs

21 Questions?