Case Study1 2 en V3

CASE STUDY 1:
Development of water supply for promotion

of local livelihood of Kraing Serei Community
Forestry in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia
CASE STUDY 2:
Improving a community’s capacity to adapt to
climate change in Seang Kveang commune,
Kamchay Mear district, Prey Veng province
Acknowledgments
This publication is made possible through the kind support of theSwedish International Development Agency
(SIDA) and theAustralian Agency for Internal Development (AusAID), through thestrategic guidance of United
Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, and input
from the Cambodia Community Base Adaptation Programme (CCBAP) team, CCBAP grantees, Cambodian
government representatives and community level beneficiaries. The case study report was written by a
Consultant Dr. Oeurng Chantha.
Case Study 1:
Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of
Kraing Serei Community Forestry in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia
CONTENTS
1. Background and objectives 2
2. Methodology and approach 4
2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community 4
2.2. Construction of water reservoir and pipe network installation 5
2.3. Establishment of water management committee and management of water fees 6
2.4. Capacity building 7
3. Interim achievement and results 8
3.1. Improved water security to adapt to climate change 8
3.2. Training and capacity building 10
3.3. Improvement of livelihoods and other alternative options 11
3.4. Social and environmental impacts 14
3.5. Sustainable management of community water supply 16
4. Main Challenges 17
5. Good practices and lessons learnt 18
6. Conclusions and recommendations 19
7. References 20
case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 1

1. Background and objectives
Kampong Speu province is an area of Cambodia frequently season. According to a Vulnerability Reduction Assessment
affected by drought. Specific characteristics of climate (VRA) conducted in September 2011, Krang Serei village has
change have been observed in the province, including been affected by increasing droughts and irregular rainfall
unpredictable delays in the arrival of rainfall in the early wet since the 1980s. Consequently, the whole community
season; erratic variations in the arrival of wet-season rainfall; has faced difficulties due to water scarcity, including for
the amount of rainfall or duration of the season; and the farming, cooking, bathing, home gardening and livestock
early end of the wet season. Mini droughts have occurred raising3.
almost twice every year for the last 20 years between
Due to the geographical area of the village, being bordered
July and August and between October and November1,
mainly by Kiriwoan Mountains, drilling wells for domestic
causing stress on the water supply for domestic use and
water supply in the dry season is expensive and is not
agricultural crop production. Among the 420 communes
successful. Some villagers spent an average of four hours
affected by the 2002 drought, Kampong Speu province
per day fetching water from a public pond some four to
was most severely affected2. Farmers recognize that
five kilometres away for cooking and drinking. As their
droughts have had a significant negative impact on their
children were also responsible for fetching water from the
livelihood (including poor health, family violence, irregular
ponds so far away, they could not attend school regularly.
school attendance by their children, few opportunities to
Community members without labour or transport had
generate income, lack of community solidarity and lack
to buy water from another. They paid US$2 for 400 litres
of food security). Farmers face challenges in finding other
of water, which was only one day’s consumption for
livelihood options, as the surrounding environment is not
each family. This was a significant financial burden for the
abundant in natural resources.
villagers, considering the Cambodian poverty line is 3,871
Surrounded by mountains, Krang Serei village is located riels (less than US$1)4. The major challenges for the Kraing
in Kiriwoan commune, Phnom Srouch district, Kampong Serei community included insufficient water for their
Speu province. There are 67 families and a population of crops, livestock and farming, and particularly for domestic
335 people (179 females). The villagers’ occupations are consumption and sanitation. Hence, the community has
farming, collecting wood, hunting and collecting non- faced food shortages, disease and low levels of hygiene.
timber forest products (NTFP). However, hunting and forest These problems negatively affect the community’s welfare
clearing stopped after the Kraing Serei Community Forestry and particularly make small children, housewives and the
(KCF) for natural resource management was established elderly susceptible to hygiene-related diseases. Some
in 2004. The community members say their livelihood women and children have poor health due to lack of water
problems have been exacerbated by water shortages for sanitation (Vong, 2014).
for both humans and animals, particularly during the dry
1 NGO Forum. 2012. “Impact of climate change on rice production in Cambodia”. NGO Forum on Cambodia: Phnom Penh.
2 National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). 2008.
3 VRA Report. 2011. Vulnerability Reduction Assessment in Kraing Serei Community Forestry, Kampong Speu, p.25
4 Vong, M. 2014. Project “Water Supply System Development and Livelihood Improvement- (WSSDLI) for Krang Serei Community Forestry
members”. Paper nominated for Equator Prize 2014, p.6
2 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

In response to these challenges, KCF, assisted by the
Mlub Baitong organization, proposed a project called,
“Development of water supply and promotion of local
livelihood of Kraing Serei Community Forestry”. The main
goal of the project was to promote the livelihood of local
community members of KCF and enable them to adapt to
climate change. The project had three main intervention
activities:
2. Construct a 90m x 60m water reservoir with a depth

of 4m and a levee at the downstream part of the
reservoir;
3. Install a piped water network (1,600m) connecting

the reservoir to 67 households and establish a water
management committee with a clear bylaw officially
recognized by local authorities to manage and
maintain the water supply system;
4. Build the capacity of the community to improve

income-generating activities by providing training on
appropriate agricultural techniques and find markets
for the local products.
The project received financial support from Sweden

through the Cambodia Community Based Adaptation
Programme (CCBAP) managed by UNDP’s Small Grant
Programme. The project was implemented from December
2011 to November 2012, with total funding of US$60,257
(UNDP/GEF SGP US$49,832, World Vision US$5,700 and
in-kind contributions from the community of US$4,225,
including land for the reservoir, labour costs and US$500
from H.E Mr. Roath Sovannara, Provincial Chief of Forestry
Administration).

2. Methodology and approach
2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community
KCF members were informed about climate change and a water management committee to manage the reservoir
its impacts on the community. KCF conducted the VRA in and water pipelines; strengthening local knowledge on
collaboration with the commune authorities to identify climate change; increased support to saving groups;
climate change impacts and priority needs. Working and improved tree planting and training on agricultural
within the constraints they faced in their community, resilience techniques and animal raising for diversifying
members said the priority activities needed to include: the livelihood options.
construction of a water reservoir; building the capacity of
Community meeting during VRA

2.2. Construction of water reservoir and pipe network installation
There was a potential location for the reservoir A main pipeline of 2,892 metres was installed to transport
approximately one kilometre upstream from the village, water from the reservoir to the village. The connection was
at an elevation of 94m above the mean sea level. Water set up with four main lines (Line 1 was 440 metres with
drained from approximately 15 hectares of forest catchment a pipe diameter of 150 mm; Line 2 was 440 metres with
area, flowing into the reservoir and filling it during the rainy a pipe diameter of 100 mm; Line 3 was 288 metres with
season. During the first phase of construction, the reservoir a pipe diameter of 80 mm; and Line 4 was 1,724 metres
was built at a length of 90 metres, width of 60 metres and with a pipe diameter of 49 mm). The pipe installation was
depth of 4 metres. It was then expanded, with an additional set up using a topographical survey and was assisted by a
area of 50m x 30m x 3m of good quality construction. The technical officer from PDOWRAM.
reservoir can store 25,000 cubic metres of water.
The dike surrounding the reservoir was built at a length

of 250 metres, a bottom width of 10 metres, a top width
of 4 metres and a height of 4 metres. A box culvert was
annexed to hold water in the reservoir. Technical staff
from the Provincial Department of Water Resources and
Meteorology (PDOWRAM), Kampong Speu province,
supported the construction.
Labourers installing the pipe network

Constructing the reservoir to support from the water reservoir to residential
a community water supply system areas in Kraing Serei village

2.3. Establishment of water management committee and
management of water fees
A water management committee and sub-committee were while the sub-committee had five members (two women).
set up after an election by the community forestry and its The tasks and responsibilities of the management
community members in 2012. The water management committee can be seen below.
committee consisted of seven members (one woman),
Chief of  Overall management & coordination

Committee  Planning & financial management
 Meetings & communication
 Conflict resolution
Deputy Chief
of Committee
 Water fee collection

Sub-committee
 Operation & maintenance
The committee played an important role ensuring the the reservoir, monitoring the piped water network and
management and maintenance of the reservoir and piped collecting water fees from the community beneficiaries.
water system, including water meters, during and at the end Water usage fees (US$0.12 per cubic metre) went directly to
of the project. They also had to ensure fair water distribution the committee and were used to finance the maintenance
to community members and sustainable water use for one of the pipe network and other community development
year in the village. They created water-use regulations with activities.
eight chapters and 20 articles. Their tasks include operating
Meeting for election of water management

committee

2.4. Capacity building
The project provided capacity building to the water implementation, villagers were trained on using water
management committee and community members by from the piped system, agricultural techniques and
training them on finance and reporting so they could raising livestock.
perform their duties transparently. During the project
Community participating in training on water supply management

3. Interim achievement and results
3.1. Improved water security to adapt to climate change
During the wet season, water for household consumption, During the rainy season, water flows from a catchment
crops and animals is not a major problem, as people area of 15 hectares into the reservoir, which is generally full
generally use rainwater. However, water shortages for both during September. This means the community could have
domestic use and crop cultivation during the dry season water security during the dry season, especially when there
have caused problems for the Kraing Serei community. is erratic rainfall, prolonged drought and little water from
The construction of the reservoir, which has a storage nearby natural ponds. The newly constructed reservoir has
capacity of 25,000 cubic metres, has given new hope to the supported 67 KCF households.
community for coping with the impacts of climate change.
Water in the newly constructed reservoir for community water supply

Water flows through the pipeline to the residential area per month. The community consumes only about 1,000
approximately 900 metres away, at an elevation of between cubic metres per month, more than enough for domestic
74 metres and 82 metres (12 metres to 20 metres below the consumption during the six-month dry season, given the
reservoir level). From here, the villagers can connect to their reservoir’s capacity of 25,000 cubic metres. The remaining
households; all households within the community have water in the reservoir can be used for other purposes,
connected. They contributed their own money to connect including an expansion of the piped network to nearby
from the main pipe system (for pipes and water meter). The villages. The reservoir had the capacity to extend the
villagers are very pleased with the new water system. They system to two neighbouring villages and 20 households in
no longer need to transport water for up to four hours per Kantout Chhrum village in 2013, as well as 35 households
day or buy water from surrounding villages. During the in Chhrak Chhar in early 2015.
first year, each family had a quota of up to 15 cubic metres
Access for community households to piped water supply

3.2. Training and capacity building
After providing training on managing the water supply The community reported that after the project ended in
system, as well as basic financial management and late 2012, more families were adopting home gardening
reporting, a sub-committee to manage the water supply and animal raising for their own family consumption,
system was created and functioning well. The sub- while selling any surplus at the market. It was observed
committee had its own regulations and was created using that knowledge provided to the community helped them
a participatory approach involving representatives of each manage and improve their living conditions and cope with
household in the village. Several training sessions were the difficulties resulting from climate change.
held on vegetable gardening techniques, animal raising
methods and skills for micro-businesses. Twenty-eight
members were trained for two days to help them improve
their alternative business activities.
Training provided to community members in Kraing Serei Community Forestry

3.3. Improvement of livelihoods and other alternative options
KCF members found it difficult to find water for both human water from other places. Before, they paid US$2 for 400
and animal consumption before the project. Community litres of water (0.4 m3), which would last only one day. Based
members would have to stay overnight at remote water on the regulations established by the water management
springs far from the village to collect as much water as committee, the KCF villagers now spend only 500 riels
possible. Sometimes, this led to conflict and violence (US$0.12) for one cubic metre (1 m3) of water and each
among others in search of water, as well as within families. family can consume a maximum of 15 cubic metres per
These difficulties meant people wasted valuable time month. Therefore, they need to spend only US$1.87 per
looking for water, rather that creating income-generating month for 15 cubic metres.
opportunities. The water supply from the reservoir has not
Before the project, 10 households bought water from
only supported KCF for domestic use but also for home
the neighbouring village for a three-month period when
gardens and livestock.
there was no rainfall or any water source. They spent US$5
Before the project, villagers did not have enough water per cubic metre, while 50 to 60 households transported
for personal consumption, making it very hard to pursue water themselves and spent at least US$10 per month on
alternative livelihood options. If they bought enough water motorbike transport. Most households now spend less
for one month, they would spend too much money and than US$2.50 per month on water fees, even during the dry
create a financial burden. Since the project, villagers have season. This could save some households up to US$58 per
not needed to spend money buying and transporting month (Table 1).
Table 1: Budget spent by a household on water fees before and after project implementation
water use in Before After Remarks

dry season Unit (m ) 3
Price (USD) Unit (m ) 3
Price (USD) People could save
Per unit 1 5.00 1 0.125 about $58/month
Per day 0.4 2.00 0.5 0.0625
Per month 12 60.00 15 1.875
This project has significantly improved livelihoods within them to focus on livelihood-improving activities. Some
KCF communities, particularly the 67 households which families have started to grow vegetables and crops near
stand to save between US$1,000 and US$1,500 per month their houses and some raise animals. More than 50 percent
(US$6,000 to US$9,000 in total for six months in the dry of total households use piped water to grow vegetables
season). In the second year of implementation, the project during the dry season from November to June and some 30
also helped two neighbouring villages of 57 households to percent use piped water for raising animals. These income-
access the piped water supply. Currently, 124 families have generating activities help them improve their adaptive
benefited from this project. capacities in response to frequent droughts, in both the
rainy and dry seasons, in their community.
Since the project began, KCF people no longer need to
search for water. This saves them a lot of time and allows

The project provided three ponds to KCF to improve
alternative livelihoods, through fish raising and storing
rainwater for crop cultivation in the early part of the dry
season in November.
The positive impacts of fish raising increase adaptive

capacities of some farmers and ensure food security.
After harvesting the fish, they can use the water to grow
vegetables from November onwards.
Improving crop cultivation and animal raising using community water supply system

Community pond for fish raising and irrigating vegetables
The project supported community members to improve prolonged droughts. By early 2015, the savings in the four
four existing saving groups. Each saving group received groups increased (see Table 2). Without the saving group,
start-up capital of US$500. Each member contributed community members would have to take loans from private
between US$2.50 and US$7.50 per month to the saving moneylenders or local banks, where interest was much
groups. Members could pool the money in case of higher. There was an increase in borrowing from saving
emergency and get low-interest loans to start a small group members to finance livelihood-improving activities
business, buy agricultural materials and pay for health care. (19 percent used loans for business capital, 13 percent for
Community members agree that the saving groups are easy animal-raising capital, 43 percent to buy agricultural inputs
sources of loans at affordable interest, which can give them and materials, 28 percent for health care and 14 percent to
additional support during natural disasters, particularly send children to school)5.
Table 2: Funds from four saving groups in Kraing Serei Community
Saving group Establishment date Start-up fund Total saving fund (at February 2015)
Supported Saving fund by Project fund and saving fund by

by project (USD) community (USD) community
Group 1 January 2012 500 875 1,750
Group 2 January 2012 500 1,125 3,500
Group 3 January 2012 500 750 1,625
Group 4 January 2012 500 750 1,625
5 Evaluation Report. 2012. Water Supply System Development and Livelihood Improvement (WSSDLI) for Krang Serei Community Forestry
Members, p.24.

3.4. Social and environmental impacts
Children in the community attending school https://lyrathana.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/phaao_schoolkids-e1278578741873.jpg
Since the project was implemented, there have been Having access to pipe water from the community water
remarkable changes in social and environmental issues. supply system has led to significant improvements in
Before the project, the community faced family violence, sanitation in the village, and children are going to school
poor health, irregular school attendance and time lost in regularly. The majority of community members did not
fetching water. have toilets before the project was implemented, and
practiced open defecation. Now, of 65 households, 40 have
toilets with a piped water connection, compared to only
two before the project. The local people can now take a
bath more often than before. They can also consume
healthier food as they now grow vegetables during the
dry season for their own consumption and for sale. It was
observed that the number of people visiting the local
health centre for water-related diseases such as diarrhoea
and strep throat has decreased by nearly 70 percent (Vong,
2014). School teachers reported that children now attend
class full-time and more regularly as they no longer need
to spend time fetching water for their family. Deforestation
has reduced as community members have turned their
Access to clean toilets using the community water supply system attention to income-generating activities.

Women in the community were encouraged to be their home vegetable gardens, and raising livestock and
involved in implementing the project. Starting from the fish to earn money for their families. The community
design stage, women were consulted and their concerns members have a better understanding of the relationship
and views were included in the VRA report that formed the between the forest and water, which has encouraged
basis of the project design. They were also inspired to take them to protect the forest around their community. They
part in meetings and training, and to make decisions. For know that deforestation leads to water scarcity. This kind
instance, the four saving groups, which aim to enrol women of awareness had increased the community’s participation
in family income-generation, are made up of women from in protecting their forest from illegal logging. They also
all families in the community. With the US$500 that the understand that protecting the community forest will
project contributed as capital for each group, the women help absorb more water to be stored in the reservoir.
can pool money for savings and collect interest later. They The amount of wildlife such as wild pigs and deer has
can also borrow money from the saving group at lower increased due to forest conservation and water availability.
interest rates than commercial microfinance services in The availability of water will also enable people to save
case of emergency or for starting up a small business. the forest in case there is a fire, especially during the dry
season. The community now understands the relationship
The number of villagers entering the forest to collect non-
between catchment management, natural resources and
timber forest products has declined. As they no longer
livelihood improvement.
need to spend several hours per day fetching water, they
can pursue other work such as in construction, tending
Preserving forests to improve natural resources and water in the reservoir

3.5. Sustainable management of community water supply
The water management committee is the principle fees, as well as borrowing money from its network. The
mechanism to ensure project sustainability. The committee committee used water fees for various purposes. In 2013,
has played an important role in ensuring good management spending/saving for operation and maintenance (O&M)
and maintenance of the reservoir and piped water systems, of the water supply system was estimated at US$100. The
including water meters, both during and after the project. remaining money from O&M was used to top up the saving
The training they received will enable them to manage group. Another portion of the water fees was allocated to
this system in the long term. For example, the water supporting volunteers to patrol the forest for illegal loggers
management committee was able to extend the water and prevent forest fires.
pipeline to other villages using money collected from water

4. Main Challenges
Even though this project was successful, there were The quality of the water in the reservoir will need to be
challenges. There should be more technical support and monitored if community members begin to cultivate
time allocated to the water management committee to crops upstream using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
practice their role and work professionally. The construction Poor-quality water from the reservoir could cause diseases
of the reservoir helped community members improve if the water is untreated. Regarding fee collection for the
their livelihoods. If these members use water for irrigation water system (500 riels or US$0.12 per cubic metre), the
and animal raising, the water management committee management committee will need to develop a budget if
could encounter new challenges, such as management it wants to expand to other villages, as the current fees are
of water use and water pollution from these activities. low. These fees would not cover severe damage, should it
Some community members did not comply with the occur. The water management committee receives a very
water use regulations and used too much water to irrigate low incentive to manage the system (5,000 riels or US$1.25
their plantations and rice fields. The rising number of per month). Therefore, it is doubtful that members would
beneficiaries each year (67 families in 2012; 20 families in want to volunteer long-term to manage the water supply.
2013; and 35 families in early 2015) could pose challenges
for the committee in managing distribution and income.

5. Good practices and lessons learnt
Even though the project has only been implemented for reservoir turned a water-scarce community into a
one year, there have been some visible good practices and community with surplus water for domestic use and
lessons learned. alternative livelihood options, such as home gardening
and raising animals.
Good practices:
Highlighting the real challenges of the community
Cooperating with partners who supported the
(shortage of water for household use) attracted
project. For instance, the Mlub Baitong organization
donors who supported the project and encouraged
facilitated the VRA process and assisted in developing
the community to own it.
the proposal and writing the report during the project
implementation. World Vision Cambodia contributed Good management of the water committee led to an
to the installation of the pipeline. The commune increase in the number of project beneficiaries, from
council played a role in the project implementation 67 households to 124 households. The experience can
and worked closely with the community forest be replicated in other project sites.
committee to collect contributions from villagers to
The availability of piped water improved the sanitation
connect from the main pipeline to their houses.
standards of families. Many families built toilets and
Selection of project site: water flowed by gravity, bathrooms and ceased practicing open defecation.
alleviating the need for a pump.
Good cooperation with local authorities made the
Regular meetings with project beneficiaries to reflect project sustainable.
on the status of the water management system and
The project enabled villagers and other donors to
budget management. This avoided internal conflict
support community development, such as constructing
and conflicts of interest.
toilets, without funds from outside. It taught agricultural
Promoting ownership and providing capacity techniques that the community could put into practice,
building to improve decision-making during project using the water for irrigation. The project demonstrated a
implementation. good model for managing water and adapting to drought
in higher areas, and provided a good example to replicate
Strong support from local authorities for the project
to other projects, such as those under Word Vision and
implementation and working closely with the water
RWC. In addition, KCF had an opportunity to build capacity
management committee to collect funds from each
in managing small businesses and community-based
villager to connect from the main pipeline to their
water supply.
houses. Strong support from elders in the village
increased solidarity. Since the end of the project, the commune authority has
observed improvements in people’s livelihoods and is willing
Provision of technical skills to the chief of KCF
to support them in the long-term. The commune chief
to become a technical expert in water pipeline
requested that the project donor consider implementing a
connection and management. He was then able to
similar project in a nearby community forestry that had been
share his expertise with one World Vision project and
suffering from water scarcity and livelihood difficulties. The
two Rain Water Cambodia (RWC) projects.
achievements and socio-economic benefits of the project
Lesson learned: inspired commune authorities to integrate climate change
adaptation into commune development programmes.
Development of a piped water supply from a gravity

6. Conclusions and recommendations
The project had positive impacts, accomplished the fee from each household to support the maintenance
general objective and ensured its sustainability. The of the reservoir and the piped system. The initiative
outcomes respond well to the needs of the community enjoys the recognition, support and participation of the
and beneficiaries. KCF has the capacity to manage the villagers and commune authorities. KCF worked closely
community water supply and is supported by the local with the commune council when managing the saving
authority. The project can be considered a good model for group and helped guard against financial conflict within
other communities with similar geographical conditions. the community. This displayed cooperation in solving
communal problems and other issues, and the commune
Water security was identified as a main challenge in the
authority has now considered including this type of project
community and this project is recognized as a long-term
in its commune development plan.
solution to reducing poverty among KCF members. The
construction of the water reservoir and installation of the Recommendations for improving similar projects or
piped water system have reduced the stress of drought continuing existing projects:
and water scarcity for all the community members.
Produce a map of the piped water network to improve
Managing water from upstream can help the community
maintenance work.
adapt to irregular rainfall, changing rain patterns and
prolonged drought. There is now sufficient water supply for Develop a budget management plan for efficient use
household use for the whole year. The project has turned of fees.
the community around, from suffering water shortages to
having a surplus that could supply other villages. Several Monitor the reservoir’s capacity and take immediate
training sessions, including management of the water action to regulate water consumption when the water
supply system, basic financial management, report writing, supply falls to a level where only consumption for
home gardening and livestock raising, were provided to basic needs is allowed.
the committee and community members to enhance Improve water use regulations for other purposes,
their capacity for alternative livelihood options. They have such as irrigation and animal raising in order to reduce
reduced the time they spend collecting water, enabling conflicts due to benefit sharing among community
them to pursue alternative livelihood options. As a result, members.
the livelihood of the community has been improved and
they have increased their adaptive capacity to cope with Promote catchment management to maintain health
prolonged droughts resulting from climate change. and water quality by improving forest cover and
reducing external pollutants that can eventually reach
From the beginning, the community members identified household taps. Likely pollutants are from fertilizers
this project as their top priority. They formulated the and pesticides used in farmlands around and upstream
project by integrating their priority needs into the project of the reservoir. It is highly recommended that KCF
implementation. This promoted ownership and active create a mechanism to control this possible pollution.
participation after the VRA consultation. The VRA process
involved all villagers in making decisions on what they Replicate the project to other nearby communities
needed and what they would do next. The community where there is a potential location for construction of
took ownership in deciding on the appropriate water a reservoir and gravity water supply distribution.

7. References
[1] NGO Forum. 2012. “Impact of climate change on

rice production in Cambodia”. NGO Forum on
Cambodia: Phnom Penh.
[2] National Committee for Disaster Management

(NCDM) report, 2008.
[3] VRA. 2011. Vulnerability Reduction Assessment in

Kraing Serei Community Forestry, Kampong Speu,
p.25.
[4] Vong, M. 2014. Paper nominated for Equator Prize

2014, p.6.
[5] Evaluation Report. 2012. Water Supply System

Development and Livelihood Improvement
(WSSDLI) for Krang Serei Community Forestry
Members, p.24.

Case Study 2:
Improving a community’s capacity to adapt to climate change in
Seang Kveang commune, Kamchay Mear district, Prey Veng province
CONTENTS
1. Background and objectives 26
2. Methodology and approach 28
2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community 28
2.2. Promoting stakeholder participation and collaboration 28
2.3. Constructing irrigation canal and new road 29
2.4. Formulating farmer water user committee (FWUC) and rice bank 30
2.5. Formulating saving groups 31
2.6. Capacity building and community empowerment 32
3. Interim achievement and results 33
3.1. Improving rice cultivation through canal rehabilitation 33
3.2. Capacity building on canal and rice bank management, and agricultural techniques 35
3.3. Successful approach in canal operation and maintenance (O&M) and rice bank management 35
3.4. Livelihood improvement after the project implementation 36
3.5. Improving the integrated participatory approach for project sustainability 38
4. Main Challenges 40
5. Good practices and lessons learnt 41
6. Conclusions and recommendations 42
7. References 43
1. Background and objectives
Prey Veng province is 90km from Phnom Penh, in southeast 2011, which were above 1,700mm annually” (NGOF, June
Cambodia. It has a total land area of 4,883km2, of which 2014)4.
some 63 percent is agricultural land and 4 percent is forest1.
There were 13 villages in Seang Kveang commune,
The most severe impacts of climate change witnessed here
Kamchay Mear district, Prey Veng province selected as
are floods and droughts, low crop yields, water shortages
the project target area. They include the villages of Lvea,
and water-borne diseases2. Prey Veng was identified as
Sangkae, Opakma, Leak Nuem, Tnaot, Bos, Ruessei Chuk Ty
the province most vulnerable to floods and second-most
Mouy, Ruessei Chuk Ty Pir, Chong Boeng, Toul Sophi, Bayab,
vulnerable to droughts. Prey Veng was highlighted among
Krous and Chuk. There are 2,757 families with a population
17 provinces in Cambodia as most vulnerable to climate
of 10,635 people (5,483 women)5. The main occupation is
change in the Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for
rice cultivation with 97 percent of total families doing this,
Southeast Asia3.
while the other 3 percent are involved in small enterprises
“The average mean temperature for 25 years from 1987 or middle-man activities6. They also grow vegetables,
to 2011 was 28.2oC, the maximum mean temperature raise animals, work as labourers in the local area (spraying
was about 33oC and the minimum mean temperature pesticide and cropping) or migrate to other provinces
was 23.3oC. The average annual rainfall for the 27 years and cities for factory work. Some, particularly the young,
from 1985 to 2011 has fluctuated between 949mm and migrate to Thailand or Malaysia.
1,867mm, based on peak years of 1996, 2000, 2010 and
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_Veng_Province retrieved on 20 November 2014.

2 CCCA Project Factsheet August 2012: Together addressing climate change initiative - Prey Veng (TACCI-PV).
3 Yusuf & Francisco, January 2009. Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia. Economy and Environment Program for Southeast
Asia (EEPSEA): Singapore.
4 NGOF, 2014. Farm conservation and sustainable use of cereal diversity through participatory plant breeding and securing local seed systems
in climate vulnerable provinces of Cambodia, by Mr. Kim Soben.
5 Seang Kveang commune population data in 2011.
6 Seang Kveang commune situation Data Book 2011.
26 case study 2: Improving a community’s capacity to adapt to climate change in

According to a Vulnerability Reduction Assessment (VRA) To combat this, Community Resource Improvement for
conducted on 27 April 2011, most villagers in the target Development (CRID) initiated an adaptation project with
area have experienced several negative impacts of climate financial support from Sweden. It was channelled through
change in the last five years, including long periods of the Cambodia Community Based Adaptation Programme
drought and unpredictable delays in rainfall, resulting in (CCBAP) and managed by UNDP’s Small Grant Programme.
water shortages for irrigation and livestock. Faced with Grants included US$52,354.55 for the first project, made
frequent droughts, villagers decided to dig a well for up of US$42,528.84 from UNDP/GEF SGP and other in-
underground water for their farming. However, this did not kind contributions from collaborating partners (CRID and
yield enough water, and it was expensive to use a pump. It beneficiary farmers) totalling US$9,825.71. UNDP/GEF SGP
negatively affected the daily consumption of the villagers. financed the second project with US$46,142.00. The first
project ran from December 2011 to November 2012 and the
One existing old canal named “Bra Lay Rorng Klab Kour” or
second project from December 2012 to November 2013.
“Bra Lay Tra-Loung Trom” could not be used as it could not
The main goal of the project was to reduce communities’
store enough water for agricultural purposes in the rainy
vulnerability to droughts and enhance their capacity,
season (see photo above). Farmers could only harvest one
particularly poor farmers and women-headed households,
crop as they depended heavily on rainfall. They sometimes
to adapt to changes in rainfall patterns. This was done via
faced mini-droughts during the rainy season, from late
rehabilitating canals, establishing a rice bank and building
July to the middle of August, resulting in a low rice yield.
capacity on improving technical knowledge and skills on
People in this area have limited access to farmland, due
agricultural productivity. The two main objectives were:
to the lack of a proper road to access the rice fields and
to transport agricultural products to market. Traditional Increase effective management and use of irrigated
farming practices, as well as the inappropriate application water among 2,246 local villagers (1,141 women)
and overuse of chemical fertilizers for cultivation, result in in the three villages of Seang Kveang commune for
degraded soil, reducing the rice yield to below 2.3 tons per agricultural productivity from a canal rehabilitation of
hectare. Farmers use around 100-150kg/ha of chemical 2,100m.
fertilizer and pesticide, which increases their daily expenses.
Increase the rice yield of 260 households (at least 100
This also affects people’s livelihoods, particularly the
women) in 13 villages of Seang Kveang commune
vulnerable and poor people, women-headed households
from 2.3 tons to 4 tons per hectare by applying new
and farmers themselves. Environmental degradation
varieties and knowledge gained from agricultural
occurs in both surface and underground layers7. These
training provided by the project.
impacts could affect food security and the health of people
in this area.
The canal before the project was implemented
7 CRID proposal on “Community’s capacity improvement for adaptation to CC in Seang Kveang, Kamchay Mear district, Prey Veng province”,
December 2011.
case study 2: Improving a community’s capacity to adapt to climate change in 27

2. Methodology and approach
2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community
Based on the VRA, common climate change-related priority activities would include canal rehabilitation, a
problems faced by the target communities were: water canal management committee, capacity building on
shortages for agricultural practices, such as improving the improved agriculture technologies (particularly System of
number of rice crops and raising livestock, limited access Rice Intensification (SRI)), a rice bank and a saving group to
to farmland and traditional farming methods. To respond support each other’s livelihood improvement.
to these issues, the target communities agreed that the
2.2. Promoting stakeholder participation and collaboration
The involvement of all relevant stakeholders, especially people at the right time. The commune council promised
community members, commune authorities, technical to contribute commune funds for canal and road operation
line departments at sub-national level and NGOs was a and maintenance (O&M), PDA provided technical support
key factor in the project’s success. The project engaged to ensure communities could apply knowledge learnt
beneficiaries to implement interventions in all stages in training sessions to their agricultural activities, and
including project development, planning, implementing, PDOWRAM cooperated with the organization to provide
monitoring and evaluation. Farmer beneficiaries, technical support for canal construction and to establish
including men and women-headed households, worked the canal management committee. This ensured the
collaboratively to identify the problems caused by climate functioning and distribution of irrigated water, as well as
change and set the priority needs to improve their living conflict resolution. The Development Khmer Community
conditions. They contributed their own money and labour (DKC) organization provided saplings to plant along the
for canal rehabilitation, road construction and maintenance, dike to prevent soil erosion and improve the environment
they planted saplings on the dike and contributed rice in the canal area. There was close collaboration between
seed for rice bank sustainability. The local authorities, CRID staff, local authorities (including the village chiefs of
including the commune council, village chief and technical the target areas) and the Seang Kveang commune council
line departments (PDA and PDOWRAM) worked closely to form a procurement committee to select a contractor.
with each other to ensure the project benefited the right This was done with transparency and accountability.

2.3. Constructing irrigation canal and new road
Without enough rainwater and/or streams, ponds and in Lvea village, was completely restored by the end of
rivers to support agricultural activities, some 97 percent March 2012. This was the first phase, with support from
of households (240 households) in Lvea, Sangker and the Seang Kveang commune procurement committee,
Oub-ma villages of Seang Kveang commune had organization staff, commune council members, the canal
experienced food insecurity and food shortages8. The management committee and technical support staff of
shallow existing canal could not store enough water Prey Veng PDOWRAM. The second phase saw a 1,400m
for agricultural cultivation during periods of drought in canal extension, with the same dimensions, supported by
the rainy season. To adapt to prolonged drought in the UNDP’s Small Grant Programme (CCBAP), bringing the total
rainy season, the first priority for immediate intervention canal length to 3,800m (Lvea and Chiklang villages). The
in the project target area was water management, irrigated water from the canal could potentially support
while canal rehabilitation was the main priority for 321 hectares of rainy season rice for 313 households in five
farmers. The 2,400m canal (bottom width 2m, depth 2m, villages (Lvea, Sangker, Oub-ma, Chiklang and Chhker Korn)
top width 5m), which exceeded the project plan of 2,100m of Seang Kveang and Chiklang communes.
Canal construction in March 2012
The excavated soil was turned into a dam along the both
sides of the canal to manage the water in the canal. The
dam became an important road (see picture) for villagers
to access their rice fields and other villages in the area. The
dam along the canal will be used to collect run-off water
from upland areas. This road connects Seang Kveang to Chi
Klang commune, making it easy for farmers to access their
land and transport their agriculture products.
Road construction along the canal

8 Data from Kveang commune in 2011.

2.4. Formulating farmer water user committee (FWUC) and rice
bank
Establishing a farmer water user committee (FWUC) villages of Lvea, Oub-ma and Sangker, with facilitation
was the key factor to ensuring the sustainability of the and technical support from the Prey Veng PDOWRAM
canal’s O&M. This was done through collecting water (see picture). Recognized by the local authority, the
fees and donations, and managing water distribution FWUC was responsible for managing and monitoring
and conflict resolution among the FWUC in the project the canal rehabilitation, water distribution and conflict
area. The FWUC members were elected from the three resolution, planting saplings, and rice bank processing.
The FWUC played an important role in collecting money

to repair the canal and dam and to communicate with
the commune council. This was done with support from
CRID, who communicated with the district governor and
PDOWRAM to form a transparency and accountability
procurement committee. The committee hired a qualified
canal dredger and contractor to install a sluice gate at a
reasonable price. The committee was the key group tasked
with dealing with conflict resolution and making sure
irrigated water was distributed equally among each farmer
FWUC members were elected by their communities
in the target area.
The committee was also responsible for ensuring the

canal operated well and was protected from soil erosion
and ecological system damage. They encouraged
local communities such as teachers, students and local
authorities to contribute labour. A total of 300 people
planted 1,350 saplings on the dike.
Canal maintenance, sufficient stocks of rice and food

security were the main reasons for sustaining the irrigated
water use in the community. The FWUC was given the
additional role of Rice Bank Management Committee,
responsible for the rice bank management approach,
formulating the rice bank terms of reference, including
borrowing and returning, and structure of borrowing and
returning process sheets. Farmers who used the water from
the canal for one hectare of land provided 5kg of rice seed
to plant after harvesting. The seed was kept for the next
borrower. In the beginning, the project provided 1,093kg of
seed for the rice bank. To encourage the community to use Planting saplings along the new canal
the rice bank, farmers could borrow pure rice seed without

interest the first time they borrowed (Sen Pidor, Roum
Dourl and IR 66). This method was applied both inside
and outside the target area to ensure sufficient use of rice
seed in the commune as a whole. The rice seed was not
100 percent pure, as borrowers had no experience in seed
purification. The rice bank was charging 2 percent interest.
Because of this, the rice seed provided to the bank was
used for many functions. Some was sold to raise money for
canal O&M, water fees and road maintenance, while some
villagers sold it and used the money to buy pure seed for
cultivation. The rice in the bank increased by 1,414kg.
Rice seed was stored in the rice bank for the next borrower
2.5. Formulating saving groups
Forming a saving group was another mechanism to an additional budget of US$568. This totalled US$2,568 in
maintain livelihood stability and climate change adaption the fund and US$356 in interest from the project and the
in the targeted communities. There were four groups of saving fund contribution. This approach led to a significant
20 people each. The saving group committee was elected livelihood improvement for villagers involved in the groups,
by the villagers and was recognized by the commune as they could repay the money they had borrowed at high
council. Four training sessions on borrowing, saving and interest rates from micro finance institutions in their area.
returning processes were provided to the saving group Five households borrowed money from the saving group to
committee and the 80 members (64 women). In January raise hens (8 hens), while another 11 households borrowed
2013, each saving group (in Lvea, Oub-ma, Doun Yu and money to raise pigs (11 pigs).
Prey Rusey villages) was given US$500 by the project, with
Forming the saving groups

2.6. Capacity building and community empowerment
A three-day training course on canal and rice bank

management was provided to the FWUC. The course
focused on methods and mechanisms, including O&M,
FWUC fee collection, in-kind fund raising contributions,
suitable storage places for stocking and dividing rice seed
varieties, returning the proceeds of rice seed processing
to the bank, and reporting sheets for loans. Ten training
sessions (three days each) on SRI were provided to 266
participants (183 women) from 13 villages in Seang
Kveang commune. They covered new techniques and
selecting resilient seeds that would provide high yield
while needing only a small amount of water. The project
provided training of trainers (ToT) on SRI protocols and
selected 40 key farmers for knowledge application. SRI
can provide more yield than traditional methods. These
agricultural methods are appropriate to apply in this target apply the SRI method as they have small farms. The other
area, as it faces climate change challenges, particularly long farmers could not use the method, due to large farms (2-3
droughts. With this application, farmers only use 15-20kg ha). This method can also only be applied where farmers
of rice seed per hectare and can increase rice cropping have enough labour for SRI cultivation.
to two times per year. Only farmers in Lvea village could
SRI training and field demonstration

3. Interim achievement and results
3.1. Improving rice cultivation through canal rehabilitation
The new 3,800m canal was successfully renovated. It harvests

enough water to irrigate the rice fields during prolonged
periods of drought in the rainy season, and has a storage
capacity of 25,000m3. At the upper part of the canal, about
2,050m, there is a lake approximately 250m wide, 1,000m
long and 1m deep. This lake is the main source of water to
flow down/fill the canal for irrigating rice fields, especially
late in the rainy season. The canal is located in a lowland
area and receives good water flow from upstream. Two
dams in the canal hold water upstream to cultivate the rice
fields in the early part of the rainy season, as well as during
prolonged droughts. The canal and dams are important for
managing water in the rice fields located upstream and
provide resilience to droughts during the rainy season. The
canal is also connected to the district canal, which is the
main source of water from the main canal constructed by
the Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology. But to get
water from the district canal, communities would have to
pay for a machine to pump it, as the district canal is lower
than the new canal and does not have the right structures
at the connecting point.
A box culvert was constructed to keep the water level and

distribute the flow from the canal to the farmlands. This
canal has provided new hope for the farmers. They will
have enough water to cultivate rice and possibly to double
their crop harvests in the early part of the season (33 ha)
and the late part of the season (26 ha). Before, they could Newly renovated canal to irrigate rice fields along both sides of the
not cultivate in the early and late parts of the wet season. canal during prolonged droughts in the rainy season

New canal providing irrigated water for increased rice cropping
Before the project implementation, farmers in the target irrigated water provided by the project, they can start their
area (320 ha) only cropped rice once, in July, the middle of rice farming in May for the first crop, continue in August for
the rainy season. They had to wait until there was sufficient the second crop, and do a third round in early November
water in their fields, but they often faced long periods of (see Table 1) by pumping water from the canal. Around 20
drought. Since the project, 60 households with rice fields to 30 households who were previously not confident of
of some 53 hectares next to the canal in Lvea village can achieving even one crop per year can now look forward to
access water during the prolonged drought periods cultivating three times per year.
occurring in late July to early August. With the access to
Table 1: Change in farming activities before and after the project implementation
Agricultural practice May June July August September October November December January February
Before the project

Long term rice
After the project

Early cropping Middle cropping Late cropping

3.2. Capacity building on canal and rice bank management, and
agricultural techniques
Capacity building on agricultural methods to the They can identify climate change risks in their area and can
target beneficiaries, including the canal and rice bank set up financial and technical support, through this project
management committee and selected farmers, improved as well as their in-kind contributions. Farmers can now
their initiative and ownership over the project. The FWUC generate more income from the project as they can apply
managed their time effectively and ensured the functioning agricultural techniques, particularly on selecting resilient
of the canal O&M and the rice bank. They received strong rice seeds that provide greater yield (more than 3 tons/ha),
support from Seang Kveang commune councillors. The and they have access to adequate water supply from the
communities built solidarity through working together. canal.
3.3. Successful approach in canal operation and maintenance

(O&M) and rice bank management
The FWUC, with technical and administrative support from or to ensure canal O&M and rice bank processing. They were
PDOWRAM, PDA, local authorities, and project staff in the willing to contribute, as infrastructure development is one
target area achieved many things. An accountability and of the main sectors of commune development and farmers
transparency procurement committee, which included benefit from the canal and from the road being in good
the local authorities and FWUC, was selected to recruit a condition. They can travel safely to their rice fields and they
contractor to rehabilitate the canal at a reasonable cost. The can reduce the cost of transporting agricultural products
cost of rehabilitating the canal was less than estimated, so the and materials. Moreover, the road is a shortcut connecting
renovation was able to go beyond the target, from 2,100m the villages in Svay Antor district.
to 2,400m during the first phase, and a further 1,400m in
While water management is an important component of
the second phase (total 3,800m). The rest of the budget
resilience agriculture during prolonged droughts in the rainy
supplemented road construction, which was not targeted
season, rice seed is another key resilient adaptation. Using a
under the project. The project was even more successful
rice bank mechanism in areas vulnerable to climate change
because of in-kind support from the farmers, under the
ensures there is enough seed, even during drought or flood.
intervention of the canal committee. Water was distributed
Before the project, farmers had to spend a lot of money buying
equitably and a conflict involving three households around
rice seed for their crop. However, after the rice bank was
a 300-metre rice field next to the canal was solved by an
established, farmers did not need to buy seed from outside as
intervention by the commune council and PDOWRAM. By
they could borrow from the bank in advance, then return the
seeing the livelihood improvements of not only the farmers
seed to the bank for the next borrower after harvesting. The
but also the FWUC members themselves, the FWUC regularly
rice bank functions well due to two main mechanisms: the
monitored and evaluated the use of the canal and the
management committee’s knowledge of administration and
road. If there were any problems, they took action as soon
management, and the legal acknowledgment of the bank
as possible, for example by not allowing cattle or buffalo
by the commune council. There are 231 households from
across the dike in the rainy season but allowing bicycles to
Seang Kveang and Chiklang communes involved in this rice
use the road. Another time, when water almost overflowed
bank. By the end of the project period in November 2013,
from the dam, FWUC called an emergency meeting with
the amount of rice seed increased from 3,293kg to 4,058kg.
commune authorities to raise money from the commune
This approach is not only useful for the project target area
and members of FWUC to do maintenance. The members
but also in the other villages of the commune.
of FWUC contributed their in-kind support and water fees to
re-construct the dam along the canal when it was damaged,

3.4. Livelihood improvement after the project implementation
The project improved the livelihood of farmers in the target has around one hectare of land). Seven households out of
area by changing agricultural practices (one cropping 20 that apply the SRI method reached yields of up to four
per year). Farmers in this area usually practiced traditional tons per hectare, compared with the previous year of only
rice cropping, which could not be adapted to the current 2.6 tons per hectare. However, SRI is only suitable for small
climate change patterns (drought). As a result, they had a plots, as this method requires a lot of labour.
low standard of living9.
In the early rainy season, about 15 hectares could be
Rehabilitating the canal had a positive impact in this area, cultivated using the supplementary water from this
with improved access to water for rice fields, particularly the irrigation canal. Farmers could cultivate about 10-15
fields along the renovated canal, and changes in farming hectares by the end of the rainy season. Generally, about
activities (early rainy season, middle and late cropping). four tons have been harvested per hectare, with average
Managing the water in the canal has increased soil moisture production costs of around US$500 per hectare (Table 2).
around the canal and changed soil structure. The community Thus, farmers could earn between US$250-350 per hectare
now has an opportunity to cultivate other crops such as (if 1kg of rice = $0.2 or 800 riels).
watermelon or cucumber in the early dry season, after
The newly constructed canal can generate rice profits in
harvesting rice in December. With seed loans from the rice
both early and late wet season of between US$7,000 and
bank, the saving group and the application of SRI method,
US$10,000 per year (newly cultivated land in early and late
farmers can improve rice production at affordable prices
wet season of 20-30 hectares). If the canal can produce
and they understand that SRI is a good method for rice seed
between 200 and 300 hectares of wet season rice in the
purification. They only need to use around 15-20kg of rice
target area during periods of mini drought, the canal
seed per hectare of cropping. On average, three tons of dry
rehabilitation can be considered extremely cost effective
season rice has been produced from 15 hectares of land
for community-based adaption.
belonging to 17 households in Lvea village (each household
Dry reason rice cropping using irrigated water from the canal (10-15 ha)
9 CRID, 2011. Full proposal on “Community’s capacity improvement for adaptation to climate change in Seang Kveang, Kamchay Mear district,
Prey Veng province”.

Table 2: Average cost of rice production (3-4 month growing period) based on focus group discussion with
more than 10 farmers in the target area
Item Cost of rice production Remarks

per hectare (US$)
Land preparation 75 Ploughing machine and personnel fee
(only one time/cropping)
Seed (Rumdol, Senpidor variety) 50 200kg/ha (traditional broadcasting method)
Fertilizer 150 30 US$/package (5 packages/ha)
Herbicide 10 4 packages/ha
Petroleum for pumping 65 1.5 containers/ha (1 container = 30 litres)
Harvesting 75 Harvesting machine and personnel fees
Personnel costs 50 Broadcasting, fertilizer and herbicide work, pumping
Miscellaneous 25 Local transportation, water fees and others
Total 500 Total rice production cost/ha
A new 4km road (width 3m) was constructed after the canal
rehabilitation. This can connect to another road at the end
of the canal, making it easier for farmers to access their rice
fields (not set as a project indicator). Before the project, it
took farmers around 30 minutes to commute from home
to their fields. They also had to use the rice field dike as the
main road for transporting seeds (for broadcasting and
after harvesting) and fertilizers. Some farmers had to drive
15-18km to reach the district market. But with the new
road along the canal, they now spend only 5-10 minutes
commuting from home and it is now only nine kilometres
from the village to Svay Antor market. Two years after the
project, new houses have been built along this road, saving
farmers even more time. They can use this time to explore
alternative livelihood options such as home gardening,
Farmers use the new road to access their land and district markets
other cropping activities, and/or animal raising to improve
their living conditions.
With more and deeper water in the canal, farmers have around US$600 to US$900 per household per year. The total
observed environmental and ecological improvements, income from fishing could reach US$10,000 per year for the
including more fish. About 10-20 households can now 10-20 households. This is an indirect benefit of the project,
catch an average of two kilograms of fish per day, earning where the canal has turned threats into opportunities,
them some US$5 per day each. The fishing season runs allowing farmers to build their adaptive capacity to
for four to six months per year (June to November), so this cope with climate change impacts and to improve their
alternative livelihood option has the potential to generate livelihoods through fishing.

Fishing in the canal in December 2014
3.5. Improving the integrated participatory approach for project

sustainability
This project not only had socio-economic benefits for the participatory approach to community-based adaptation.
target beneficiaries, but built cooperation and commitment Management committees supported their communities
among villagers, local authorities, technical departments on a voluntary basis, using their own time, mobilizing funds
and other local organizations based in the area. The role in the community for O&M and ensuring the rice bank was
of women on the management committee was a catalyst meeting farmers’ needs.
for the integrated participatory approach. Women were
The most successful approach was seeking in-kind
involved in the design and intervention of the project which
cooperation with relevant stakeholders. Communities
benefited both men and women. The project also involved
themselves contributed their own farm land and labour
women in leadership positions from its early stages,
for canal rehabilitation, road construction and sapling
with two women being elected to the six-member
planting, as they believed their contribution would improve
canal and rice bank management committee. Their
their livelihoods. The integrated participatory approach for
involvement, commitment and knowledge from the
project sustainability saw:
project demonstrated the benefits of the integrated

266 households (200 of Lvea, 33 of Sang Ker and 33
of Oub-ma villages) contribute US$228 of their own
money for canal rehabilitation.
Two roads totalling 295m in length (width 3m) and

costing US$960 were built with funding from 170
households. Each household contributed between
US$2.50 and US$7.50. Three households whose land
was located in the project area (about 300m) allocated
their land for canal construction.
DKC provided 1,350 saplings for the community to

plant on the dike to protect the soil from erosion. Some
300 people, including youth, communities, teachers,
local authorities and management committee
members participated in planting the saplings.
Farmers contributed in-kind support to repair 35m of

damaged road along the canal, using 26 trucks full of
soil.
The commune council used the commune budget for

the canal and road rehabilitation and considered this
project a commune development project.
The above results were achieved through the efforts

of the FWUC, which cooperated with the commune
council to deploy money from the commune fund for
infrastructure development. PDOWRAM cooperated with
the management committee to help the community form
FWUCs. This community was registered and recognized
formally by the commune council.
All relevant agencies cooperated with each other, extracting

the right skills from each sector to boost socio-economic
improvements in their areas.
Both women and men were involved in all stages of the project
Both women and men were involved in all stages of the project

4. Main Challenges
The rehabilitated canal can only be used for a few years, rice fields, thus, if there is no rainfall, it is likely to be dry. It
and can only supply water to farms nearby. Irrigated water will be a challenge for the FWUC to manage any expansion
from the canal rehabilitation could only be distributed to of rice fields in the late rainy season if the irrigated area is
the rice fields in Lvea village, which is nearest the canal; increased to more than 20 hectares. Conflicts could arise
others could not access the water. Only 10 percent of with regard to sharing water.
the target beneficiaries could access the water. While this
The duration of the project (only one year) was too short for
strategy can help communities adapt to climate change
target beneficiaries. The canal and rice bank management
during prolonged droughts in the rainy season, a cement
committee struggled to adapt and be independent in
canal would be the best method of adaptation in the long
choosing which method of agricultural cultivation and O&M
term. However, it would be expensive.
was best for sustainability. The ability of the FWUC and rice
If farmers need more water from the district canal to bank management committee to manage their roles and
increase the number of crop cultivation cycles, they will responsibilities is still limited. This is particularly true with
need to use a pump. This would make rice production regard to collecting water fees for O&M and providing clear
more expensive. The rehabilitation of the canal did not guidelines to farmers on how to select the best rice seed
help farmers whose land was further than 500m from the to return to rice bank. This can affect the quality of seed
canal. It is important to build a sub-canal that could bring used in the next cropping season by the next borrower. The
more water to support the downstream rice fields that are training provided on SRI did not fit the needs of the people,
far away from the main canal. This canal primarily depends as they had less labour available to them and large farms;
on rainfall, and mainly drains run-off water from upland 50 percent of trained farmers could not apply SRI.

5. Good practices and lessons
learnt
Even though the project only operated for one year, there procurement. The project’s budget met demands
were several major achievements and good practices in the beyond its targets. There was good cooperation between
target areas. Communities received strong support from associations, farmers, contractors and local authorities,
PDOWRAM, as well as commune and village authorities. including the commune council, PDOWRAM, DKC
There were good opportunities to bring technical staff organization and other partners. The contribution of the
and local authorities together to discuss issues with Climate Change Fund allowed local authorities and project
communities. They were able to address problems related beneficiaries to manage and sustain the project outputs.
to the canal rehabilitation, climate change and other needs. This project was the best starting point for communities
The participatory approach worked well and gave relevant and local authorities to build their ownership, as well as to
stakeholders, particularly villagers, the opportunity to set build a culture of collaboration with each other towards
up project activities while collaborating with the project improving their standards of living.
‘owner’ and commune council members. As a result,
Another good lesson learnt which should be applied to
communities were empowered to take ownership on O&M
the next project is the practice of gaining rice yields after
and agriculture. The FWUC functioned after the project
harvesting instead of collecting cash through water fees.
finished, even with limited capacity to manage the canal,
This method could make farmers feel more secure, as they
as the commune council still recognized it and it had the
would not need to pay to use water. However, this could
formal support of PDOWRAM. Farmers understand the
be risky for FWUC on O&M if farmers could not generate
importance of agricultural techniques; some apply SRI and
adequate rice yield compared to their total expenditure on
some are changing from SRI to drum seeders, depending
rice cultivation.
on the condition of the land. They intend to apply this
method, which could help them adapt to the changing By using the VRA, not only the communities themselves but
climate in their area and reduce the use of pesticides. Most also local authorities, particularly the commune council,
farmers contributed in-kind support for canal rehabilitation, could identify people’s main challenges and set priority
road construction and tree planting, etc. needs to be implemented in their area. This boosted the
socio-economic benefits for villagers’ livelihoods. This tool
The significant lesson learnt from this project is that
could encourage all relevant stakeholders to consider
farming communities could turn threats into opportunities,
the participatory approach, discussing ways to deal with
by constructing the canal to store and harvest water
problems together – it is different from the culture of
from upland areas of the dam. This works not just for
silence of Cambodian people. The implementation of
rice production but also fisheries, generating alternative
CRID, in cooperation with target communities and relevant
livelihood activities.
stakeholders, inspired the commune authority in Seang
It was also important to learn that accountability and Kveang commune to integrate climate change adaptation
transparency in the bidding process for canal rehabilitation into its commune development plan.
would save the project money in management and

6. Conclusions and recommendations
Choosing to rehabilitate two canals/dams along the canal A significant success of the project was the collaboration
proved successful in harvesting and managing water in the and participation among the communities, local authorities
canal. The areas up and downstream can keep soil moist and relevant technical departments. They will consider
longer during prolonged droughts in the rainy season. The using the commune fund and in-kind support of the
dam has become the main road in the target area to access villagers for future development activities.
rice fields and neighbouring communes and districts. This
Some recommendations for future improvement of similar
reduces the time and cost of transporting material inputs
projects or the continuation of existing projects are:
to the rice fields and transportation to outside. There were
unexpected outputs, such as increased numbers of fish The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic
in the canal, additional crop cultivation (watermelons or and Time-bound) approach is the key factor in achieving
cucumbers) and new residential areas for the villagers. The success within a short time period.
community increased their income and freed themselves
from debt. Some families can now send their children to Consider extending the project period from one to two
study at university in Phnom Penh. years, as either the project staff or beneficiaries (canal and
rice bank management committee, local authority and
The intervention responded to adaptation measures, with farmers) could strengthen their capacity and be able to
the community ensuring food security through harvesting adapt to climate change vulnerabilities in their area.
and managing water, and having enough water to cultivate
rice in the rainy season. Farmers closest to the canal could It is crucial to understand water sources, requirements,
increase their crop cultivation from one to three times per potential irrigated land for proposed irrigation projects,
year, fisheries improved, and there was enough rice seed identify canal dimensions and prepare sound water
stored in the rice bank. The saving group mechanism resources. It is important to strengthen the capacity of the
proved successful, with more money in the village fund, FWUC to push for more responsibility and for commune
and the new road improved accessibility to the rice fields authorities to be functioning well on canal O&M. Irrigated
and the market. water sharing must be well planned to avoid conflicts of
interest.
Through capacity building provided by the project,
including raising awareness on climate change, It would be more successful if the possibility existed to
management methods on canal O&M and rice bank build a sub-canal to bring more water from the upstream
processing, the communities and commune council have lake, and build another sub-canal to help farmers whose
been strengthened and have greater ownership to push for rice fields are located downstream far from the main canal.
socio-economic development in their area. This adaptive Many people, particularly young people, leave this area
approach has supported farmers to feel confident and in search of work in urban areas or other countries. This
change the way the cultivate crops, increasing cultivation decreases the amount of labour available for agricultural
and diversifying the way they farm. The fishery is increasing, work. Keeping the young generation nearby and
with the good environment and ecosystem in the canal providing them with more opportunities is an important
draining more water from upland rice fields. This has the consideration. If they can earn enough, they will stay in
potential to become a way for communities to generate their own country with their family.
income.

7. References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_Veng_Province
retrieved on 20 November 2014.
2. CCCA Project Factsheet, August 2012. Together

addressing climate change initiative. Prey Veng
(TACCI-PV).
3. Yusuf, A. and Francisco, H., 2009. Climate Change

Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia. Economy
and Environment Program for Southeast Asia
(EEPSEA): Singapore.
4. Soben, K., NGOF, 2014. Farm conservation and

sustainable use of cereal diversity through
participatory plant breeding and securing local seed
systems in climate vulnerable provinces of Cambodia.
5. Commune report, 2011. Seang Kveang Commune

population data.
6. Seang Kveang Commune Situation Data Book 2011.
7. CRID, 2011. Full proposal on “Community’s capacity

improvement for adaptation to CC in Seang Kveang,
Kamchay Mear district, Prey Veng province”.
8. Data of Seang Kveang commune in 2011.

United Nations Development Programme
Pasteur Street, Boeung Keng Kang
P. O. Box 877, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel : (855) 23 216 167 or 214 371
Fax : (855) 23 216 257 or 721 042
E-mail : [email protected]
www.kh.undp.org

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CASE STUDY 1:

Development of water supply for promotion

1. Background and objectives 2

2. Methodology and approach 4

2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community 4

2.2. Construction of water reservoir and pipe network installation 5

2.3. Establishment of water management committee and management of water fees 6

2.4. Capacity building 7

3. Interim achievement and results 8

3.1. Improved water security to adapt to climate change 8

3.2. Training and capacity building 10

3.3. Improvement of livelihoods and other alternative options 11

3.4. Social and environmental impacts 14

3.5. Sustainable management of community water supply 16

5. Good practices and lessons learnt 18

6. Conclusions and recommendations 19

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 1

2 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

2. Construct a 90m x 60m water reservoir with a depth

3. Install a piped water network (1,600m) connecting

4. Build the capacity of the community to improve

The project received financial support from Sweden

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 3

2.1. Identifying priority needs of the community

Community meeting during VRA

4 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

The dike surrounding the reservoir was built at a length

Labourers installing the pipe network

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 5

Chief of  Overall management & coordination

 Water fee collection

Meeting for election of water management

6 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

Community participating in training on water supply management

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 7

3.1. Improved water security to adapt to climate change

Water in the newly constructed reservoir for community water supply

8 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

Access for community households to piped water supply

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 9

Training provided to community members in Kraing Serei Community Forestry

10 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

water use in Before After Remarks

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 11

The positive impacts of fish raising increase adaptive

12 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

Table 2: Funds from four saving groups in Kraing Serei Community

Supported Saving fund by Project fund and saving fund by

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 13

Children in the community attending school https://lyrathana.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/phaao_schoolkids-e1278578741873.jpg

14 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

Preserving forests to improve natural resources and water in the reservoir

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 15

16 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 17

18 case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of

case study 1: Development of water supply for promotion of local livelihood of 19

[1] NGO Forum. 2012. “Impact of climate change on

[2] National Committee for Disaster Management

[1] NGO Forum. 2012. “Impact of climate change on

[2] National Committee for Disaster Management

[3] VRA. 2011. Vulnerability Reduction Assessment in

[4] Vong, M. 2014. Paper nominated for Equator Prize

[5] Evaluation Report. 2012. Water Supply System

Two roads totalling 295m in length (width 3m) and

DKC provided 1,350 saplings for the community to

Farmers contributed in-kind support to repair 35m of

The commune council used the commune budget for