As Cambodia’s agriculture sector develops, the changing landscape of agricultural practices is also shifting. The growing Agricultural Cooperative communities are invincible and inevitable to aid the development of Cambodian farmers. Consequently, Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has established Modern Agriculture Cooperatives to transition from traditional family-based farming to more organized and economically robust agricultural enterprises in Cambodia. Smallholder farmers, who dominate the agricultural landscape in Cambodia, are facing challenges — limited access to technology, financial services, market information, infrastructure support, and the impact of climate change — which requires immediate attention and support.
Aimed at contributing to the latest development of the farmers’ growth, Grow Asia-CPSA is working hand in hand with our partners to advance the development of the Modern Agriculture Cooperatives in Cambodia. Last week, we organized a Business Plan Validation Meeting had an engaging discussion with keys partners and other stakeholders working with Modern Agriculture Cooperatives in Cambodia to present the draft Business Plan template, developed by Grow Asia-CPSA with support from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), to collect constructive feedback and comments from experts in the Cambodian agriculture sector. Joining the validation meeting were representatives from Modern Agriculture Cooperatives, Members of CSOs, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
The objective of this meeting is to present the Business Plan Template for the Modern Agriculture Cooperatives developed by the Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (CPSA) with the support from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and gather the feedback and comments from relevant stakeholders to improve the development of the above-mentioned Business Plan Template.
Having a business plan has been identified as a key management practice to drive MACs success. This draft template provides the Modern Agriculture Cooperatives and supporting organizations with a tool to support business plan development with a view to addressing the key challenges faced by Agricultural Cooperatives in Cambodia, including sustainability and resilience to climate change.
Key discussion points include:
- Draft Business Plan Presentation: CPSA’s Country Director, Ms. Kimna LEAV, shared the content of the draft template with the participants, highlighting important points and keys sections.
- Feedback Session: The participants provided comments and expertise on the draft template, bringing real-time feedback from the fields to improve the current draft.
Throughout the meeting, participants engaged in personal reflections and shared their experience working with the farmers and Modern Agriculture Cooperatives. The result from the meeting indicated a consensus of collaborative works and the wealth of diverse experiences shared among experts. All participants expressed a desire to maintain connections for future collaboration and support, emphasizing a commitment to contribute to the Cambodian farmers.
As a result, the final version of the Business Template will be posted on the IISD website as an open source for public use. Stay tuned and follow us for more updates!
Special thanks to IISD, partners, experts, and Modern Agriculture Cooperative representatives for joining this fruitful discussion.