On 18th February 2021, Khmer Enterprise, a unit under the Ministry of Economy and Finance with a vision to become the national platform for promoting entrepreneurial activities, and the Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (CPSA), a multi-stakeholder partnership platform, have entered a partnership to promote entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector.
Both parties agree to promote innovation, technology adaptation, production solutions, business skills development, academia-industry linkages and entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector as well as to exchange information and data related to the sector with a purpose to build supporting mechanisms.
In this occasion, Khmer Enterprise and CPSA also launched the Agripreneurship Incubation Programme, a three-year project aiming to create a more sustainable and productive agriculture industry. It looks to address two main problems affecting the agriculture sector in Cambodia including low levels of skills as well as productivity and few youths engaging in the sector. It has two components, an “Incubation” where youths are trained for four months on agri-technical subjects, entrepreneurship and business skills, and an “Apprenticeship” where the youths are placed in one-year apprenticeships with Agricultural Cooperatives (ACs) in various provinces to improve farmers and the rural community.
Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, CEO of Khmer Enterprise, said “According to Cambodia’s Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the agriculture sector is expected to grow at 0.5 percent for 2020 despite the COVID 19 pandemic while other sectors such as manufacturing and service experienced some setbacks. In this context, it is expected that the increase of innovation and business skills at the community level could boost the sector to its potential. The agri-preneurship Incubation Programme can address the above needs by promoting entrepreneurship among youths, upskilling the capacity of ACs as well as farmers, and increasing innovation in the agriculture value chain.”
Mr. Chan Sereiratha, Director of CPSA, describes “this project, if well-executed, will transform the rural economy in several ways, first by attracting youth back to agriculture and thus bringing a newer mindset and contributing to the sustainability of the sector; moreover, there will be an impact on both cross-country and rural-urban migration.” He explains “if agriculture in rural areas proves to be economically attractive, youths, women and men will be more incentivized to stay and won’t be forced to look for employment opportunities elsewhere.”
The project will engage with various stakeholders including universities, farmers’ organizations, agribusinesses, government agencies, and CSOs. KE and CPSA welcome potential partners to support the implementation of the project.
About Khmer Enterprise (KE)
Khmer Enterprise with the support of the Ministry of Economy and Finance is established as an implementation unit to provide the support programs and directly work with partners and beneficiaries of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambodia. It aims to mobilize, invest and manage resources, from all legitimate sources, to support the development of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and to provide financial and non-financial support to related entrepreneurial ecosystem builders. They are entrepreneurs, innovative startups, potential SMEs, and partner institutions who participate in promoting entrepreneurial activities driving innovation and value-added creation in Cambodia’s economy.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Chea Sunsatya, Entrepreneurship Development Manager
- ed@khmerenterprise.info
- www.khmerenterprise.info
About Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (CPSA)
CPSA is a non-governmental organization, registered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia. CPSA brings together companies, government agencies, civil society organizations, farmer groups and financial institutions to link smallholder farmers to the market. Our shared goal is to improve farmers’ profits and productivity while increasing the environmental sustainability of their farms.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Chan Sereiratha, Country Director
- ratha@growasia.org
- www.cpsa-growasia.org