FLD's Livelihood Development Programme
FLD believes in an integrated approach to alleviating rural poverty, and has adopted a practical and innovative livelihood development programme that enables poor rural households (farmers and their families) to secure their family's income and food supply. The FLD focus is on:
- food security initiatives - agricultural diversity and technical training
- income generating activities - vocational skill training and business group formation
- raising farmers' awareness and voice' - better support services for agricultural techniques and product marketing
- climate change - adaptation to sustain livelihood activities.
The following projects are examples of the breadth of FLD's projects, innovation and field experience.
I. SAFPHAM Project
Sustainable Actions to Fight Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition (SAFPHAM) is a joint, four-year project with World Vision that focuses on poor and very poor rural villages - 39 in Oddar Meanchey and 30 in Preah Vihear - totaling 4,093 direct beneficiaries. Funded by the European Union (EU), the focus is to improve food security, capacity building and agricultural development through training. Topics include rice intensification, vegetable and mushroom production, chicken and pig rearing, and fish farming. Other important elements include: vocational skill training for young people; forming farmer associations; and building community networks for primary health care with local public service providers. SAFPHAM runs from February 2010 to January 2014.
II. YWED Project
The Young Women Entrepreneur Development project (YWED) began in 2010, by continuing and refining the very successful three-year EEOYW project funded by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Australia, who also fund the current project. YWED works with 1,793 young women in Kompong Speu, Kandal, Battambang, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, and Preah Vihear Provinces on vocational skills training. In addition, 66 disadvantaged young women have been granted scholarships for advanced skill training or study at a tertiary institution. YWED has also assisted 1,251 of the vocational trainees to form 128 business groups in the six provinces. The project started in March 2007 and will conclude in February 2013.
III. Kuoy Entrepreneur Development Project (KED)
The ILO funded KED project ended in December 2010 and worked with 90 trainees in six groups who were trained in either stone carving or one of two weaving skills - one with bamboo, the other with Kchheng leaves. Representatives from each group attended courses in business planning and finance and a shop selling their goods was opened. Both the KED and YWED projects work with women aged 18 to 27 who are also an important labour force for their families, though the KED project had the flexibility to include other interested members. The project ran from January 2010 to September 2011.
IV. Market accessibility of Kuoy cultural products
The Asian Community Trust (ACT) has funded this project since March 2007 – ending 30 March 20This was financed by the UNDP's Cultural Industry Support Programme (CISP): to improve the socio-economic status of poor rural Kuoy people in Preah Vihear Province so they have more choices to gain a decent living. In keeping with the CISP project's ideals, at the same time as improving their livelihood skills, their Kuoy cultural identity has been enriched. The project also created a market infrastructure for their products. This KED project ran from September 2010 to August 2011to benefit 90 rural entrepreneurs in Preah Vihear. It will continue to do so with the vocational skills it instilled, and the market infrastructure it created.
V. Farmer Opportunity Project
In the first half of 2010, with Asia Foundation funding, O-kes Kassekar (Farmer Opportunity) broadcast 22 live, rural radio discussion and talkback programmes for farmers and rural business people. A post-series survey showed 85 per cent of listeners gained new ideas, knowledge and confidence and wanted more of the same. A broader based, two-year Farmer Opportunity project began in November 2010 and includes 40 O-kes Kassekar programmes and continues the work of two other FLD projects. The Village Market Network programme is being intensified in Preah Vihear and Kampong Speu. And in both provinces the new Commune Forum concept of quarterly, whole community meetings about agricultural matters is now established. The project will also introduce another Cambodian first, a phone-in farm consultancy service. Farmer Opportunity will be implemented throughout 2011- 2012, as part of the Demand for Good Government Programme, funded by the World Bank through the Asia Foundation.
VI. Young Women in Business (YWIB)
With EU funding, this project works with young rural women in 50 villages, 14 communes and five districts in Koh Kong Province, in partnership with CARE International. The project began in February 2011 and will end in January 2014. YWIB will benefit 1,700 young rural women by providing vocational skills training, market linkage, and creating an enabling environment for young people to participate in the commune council development plan.
VII. Food Security and Nutrition Initiative (FSNI)
The project started on 5 October 2011 for an18-month period with finance from USAID, in partnership with the FINTRAC/HARVEST programme. It will benefit 360 food-poor households in 12 villages. Eight of them are in Battambang's Thma Kol, and Bavel Districts and four in the Phnom Kravanh District of Pursat. FSNI aims to improve physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food throughout the year. It targets food-insecure households to meet both their food preferences and dietary needs to create and support more active and healthy lives.












