Summary country scoping study CCA in Cambodia (2009)

1. Summary country scoping study CCA in Cambodia (2009) Muanpong Juntopas) Sam Chanthy Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Center

2. Concerned locations • Tonle Sap Floodplain and Mekong (Delta) – prone to flood and drought • North-eastern Cambodia – in terms of lowest adaptive capacity • Coastal zone – vulnerability to sea level rise

3. Key Vulnerable Sectors • Agriculture • Water resources • Natural disaster –flood/draught

4. Agriculture • Agriculture is the main economic sector – generating 37% for national GDP ( 63% crop and 37% of fisheries, forestry and livestock) • Gives Employment/livelihood: 60% rural population derives their livelihoods from this agriculture sector (only 7% is irrigated land) • Rice is the primary crop covering about 90% of the cropped land which 80% of cultivators is farmers.

5. Water Resources • Important base for agriculture- both rice and fisheries • Not enough irrigating infrastructures • Though there are irrigations, people still cannot access to them due to geography, facilities and management

6. Natural Disasters • Prone to flood and drought • Mainly affect rice cultivation and fishery • Insufficient climate proof infrastructures

7. Responses

8. Response overall • Most CCA work in the water, agriculture, and disaster risk management sectors vis-à-vis projects born out of NAPA • challenges for Cambodia is Water Resources • how it addresses water scarcity that jeopardizes sources of safe drinking water and agriculture • conversely how it copes with excessive water

9. Response 2 • activity around NAPA focus on increasing water management to increase agricultural productivity, understanding country’s vulnerability to the CC hazard • disaster risk management, and to a lesser degree, the protection of coastal area

10. Agriculture • NAPA activities related to climate change adaptation through the • improvement of rainwater harvesting facilities at the village level; • System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to reduce vulnerability to changing rainfall amounts and patterns; • modifications to the designs of reservoirs and irrigation channels

11. Response3 • 3 projects on coastal protection ( Mangrove Restoration) to stabilize coastal shorelines to reduce sea water intrusion, and to protect coastal areas from storm damage. • underscore the shift in NAPA initiatives to a more robust ecosystem-based approach

12. Water Resources • As Cambodia’s agriculture sector is prone to both drought and floods, some ongoing adaptation measures • training of ‘adaptation experts’ in agricultural extension teams; • rainwater harvesting techniques • Conduct pilot projects in local communities; • measures to decrease soil erosion • changed design of reservoirs and irrigation channels to prevent risks from increased peak flows; and

13. Natural Disasters • small bridges to facilitate evacuations; • culverts to help floodwaters recede faster; • dams that facilitate evacuation, but also allow the impounding of water to irrigate a second crop. • village’s disaster preparedness: build capacity of communities, reduced dependency on external assistance.

14. Mechanism/support • Climate change adaptation activity in Cambodia is coordinated through four (4) central bodies • the National Committee for Disaster Management • Climate Change Department • National Authority for the Clean Development Mechanism • National Climate Change Committee. • These bodies work with a) Ministries of Water Resources and Meteorology b) Environment b) Ministry of Health c) Planning d) the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries.

15. National Climate Change Committee Cambodian Interim DNA - MoE Climate Change Department UNFCCC & the Kyoto Protocol Focal Point Secretariat Ad hoc Inter-ministerial Working Group on Energy Ad hoc Inter-ministerial Working Group on Forestry Green House Gases Inventory Green House Gases Mitigation Vulnerability and Adaptation UNFCCC Implementation National Climate Change Committee’s organizational relationships National Climate Change Committee’s organizational relationships

16. CCA actors /support -NGOs • Support Farmer to Farmer Extension groups, innovation in farming systems, crop research, and in disaster preparedness and risk management • NGOS work at the field /National level ( i.e ACIAR) • technical research with local people • Support forums & networks geared to climate change adaptation • build capacities in government ministries in areas of risk reduction planning and disaster response, e.g. climate modeling, forecasting, and vulnerability assessments.

17. Some initiatives Oxfam America is raising public awareness on CCA climate change ( w/ government bodies i.e. Dept Meteorology, CCCO) 2010 • public awareness campaign: production of visual communication materials (photos) to record the impact of climate change • Network: Share ‘best practices with members National Climate Change Network & convene forum for capacity building and awareness campaigning • awareness building initiatives for relevant government officials and awareness campaign which will also include a perception study on climate change.

18. Planned adaptation Mostly by NGO - better crop seeds, digging wells, and training on agricultural techniques ( by external NGO) • pump wells provided by Santi Sena, rice seed by PADEK • water pumps provided by Oxfam, Cambodia Red Cross’s water storage ponds and irrigation canals

19. Needs for small-scale and subsistence farmers and fishers • knowledge and mechanisms are required to strengthen small scale producers adaptive capacities - field based adaptation and innovation in agriculture • Access to usable scientific information on climate and weather patterns at the local level • Hence, there are still significant grey areas in how livelihood security of small-scale fishers and farmers may be threatened by climate change & other social and environmental stressors • strong need for enhanced knowledge bases for decision-making support. • (1) improved monitoring • (2) improved groundwater mapping, and compilation of existing (but scattered) knowledge about groundwater availability and quality • (3) improved availability and accessibility of data for decision making processes • (4) a supporting management capacity at the province and commune level, and at the irrigation scheme level.

20. Need for support1 • Funding Support to the GCCA programme/projects identified in NAPA 'Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into National Strategic Development Plans” • focuses on capacity for institutional coordination – ministries and local planning (Decentralization process in Cambodia)

21. Need for support 2 • capacity for flood and drought warnings - identified in the NAPA as a problem area. • Raising awareness on climate change: local planners, development ministries ( sectors) , schools. Mitigation VS adaptation • Mainstreaming CCA in local development planning • Scenario based planning /climate scenarios /Risk assessment • Producing trainers/ training package “CC/ CCA” • Executive briefing • Managers/ officers • Field practitioners/ local planners

22. Needs for support 3 • need quality climate data to enable the generation of improved climate change scenarios and projections ( CCD) • climate data management, forecasting and automated weather stations (Danida, 2008).

23. Needs 4 • Currently there are limited platforms and networks in Cambodia dedicated to climate change adaptation for development workers • Those present are seemingly for the experts, and not for those that play an ‘everyday role’ in rural development outside of Phnom Penh

24. Need 5: Structure and mechanism • Need for “Structures’ to house and support the generation & of CCA knowledge • Also to coordinate / facilitate capacity development at the national & commune level ( to help mainstream CCA to development programs/ projects) • to ensure that all institutions involved in climate change adaptation initiatives have adequate skills and capacities to fulfill their obligations

25. In summary • literature review & Interview, Cambodia’s understanding of CCA is still young; yes experts are emerging, but on a country scale, even those tasked to research adaptation needs and implement adaptation initiatives have many question that need answering and clarity. • Knowledge remains in the hands of those generating it…highlights the ‘newness’ of the subject matter nationally