Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project in Kratie, Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri
Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project in Kratie, Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri
Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project in Kratie, Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri
The grant approved under the debt sustainability framework (DSF) helps finance a project for rural development that targets poor people in 84 poor communes in three provinces, with the goal of improving their livelihoods. The objective is to make a positive and sustainable impact on agricultural development. The target group includes poor people who have little land, people who are landless, indigenous peoples and ethnic groups, and households headed by women, particularly those with young children and/or many dependents. About 22,600 poor households, or 30 per cent of the population of the designated area, should benefit from the project’s activities.
The project specifically targets poorer villages where there is a potential for increased income generation and better natural resource management, and communities composed of ethnic minorities. Commune councils will help identify the poorest villages, and local extension workers and village elders will assist in targeting the poorest groups within the community.
Poor people will participate directly in planning and implementing project activities to ensure that they reflect local priorities and aspirations for social and economic development. Activities include a focus on:
- capacity-building
- skills training
- technology transfer
- improvement of food security, agricultural productivity and natural resource management
- income generation through on-farm and off-farm activities
- development of market-oriented production
Participants will also have a role in monitoring the project’s performance and in assessing its impact on their communities.
Through the grant, IFAD supports project activities that will help poor rural people:
- gain access to more advanced agricultural technology to improve household food security and incomes and agricultural productivity
- diversify their on-farm income opportunities
- form linkages with markets and development led by the private sector
- build the capacity of commune councils and village-based organization to plan and monitor economic development activities
The project will also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to formulate pro-poor policies and poverty reduction programmes.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) will administer the IFAD grant.
Source: IFAD
