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Rural poverty approaches, policies & strategies in Cambodia

Growth, employment, equity and efficiency are the key objectives of the Kingdom of Cambodia's poverty reduction strategy. This so-called Rectangular Strategy pulls together elements of the Millennium Development Goals strategy, the Socio-economic Development Plan 2001-2005 and the National Poverty Reduction Strategy 2003-2005. These elements are the basis of the National Strategic Development Strategy Plan 2006-2010, which affirms that poverty reduction in the fastest possible manner is the government's foremost priority.

The government's priorities include:

• promoting income-earning and employment opportunities
• improving the capabilities of poor people, strengthening institutions and promoting good governance
• reducing poor people's vulnerability
• promoting gender equity

To achieve macroeconomic stability the government is implementing reform programmes and providing supporting policies by:

• addressing the fiscal deficit
• overseeing the soundness of the financial system
• promoting bank reform
• improving revenues
• increasing spending for the social and economic sectors through sound budget management
• improving the investment climate
• carrying out civil service, legal and judicial reforms

The national agenda for improving income opportunities for poor rural people includes key areas such as land, water, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and transport, as well as decentralization.

In the agricultural sector, the government's aims are to:

• improve food security by expanding production of rice and other food crops
• promote exports
• improve the incomes of poor farmers by crop diversification, especially in rural households headed by women
• add value to crop and livestock production by developing agro-processing industries

Source: IFAD