Farmer Market Development

Assisting young women and poor farmers long after
their vocational skill training has been completed

Poor farmers, especially young women, are under pressure to find short term solutions for household support. They and their families badly need a minimum daily income to cope with daily survival. Vocational skills gained from FLD training projects respond to their immediate needs. But those skills may require more time and experience to generate real income and they may earn less than expected from lower prices, quality, volume or losses.

Both on- and off-farm vocational skills are needed to improve agricultural production and income. The Farmer Market Development Model (FMDM) was established to market their produce, supplying the right quality and quantity at the right time. FMDM has retail shops and also distributes to retailers in Phnom Penh and Svay Rieng.

Micro Credit Operations

FLD’s rural micro credit programme was licensed in March 2009. Its aim is to promote job creation in rural communities, giving members better access to micro finance as an effective means of securing and sustaining a better income and living.

Training

Between 2002 and 2007 FLD received funding from New Zealand’s NZAID and Canada’s CIDA to fight rural poverty in Kompong Speu and Kandal Provinces. A series of food security projects were designed to train farmers in family fish farming, small scale hatchery management, animal husbandry, livestock raising, home gardens, rice production and post harvest management. Short of funding support since then, and to maintain its focus, FLD further developed its training services into a commercial and self-financing enterprise, while delivering various agricultural courses.