Pilot Case Studies of Climate Risk-coping Strategies of Small-scale Farmers in Cambodia

Abstract

Climate predictions for Cambodia are for increases in temperatures and rainfall with the likelihood of wetter monsoon seasons and less rainfall in the dry seasons. Developing countries such as Cambodia have few resources and capacity to adapt to climate change and are therefore considered to be the most vulnerable. Attention so far in Cambodia has focused on technical interventions and disaster relief rather than on planned adaptive responses. The aim of this study was to gain insights on how individual farm households cope with and adapt to climate variability and change. Here we present the results of pilot case studies to document climate risk-coping strategies currently employed by small-scale rice farmers in Cambodia. Community consultations and in-depth interviews with selected participants were conducted in the Communes of Trapeang Ruessei in Kampong Thom Province and Snam Krapeu in Kampong Speu Province in 2011. Data were collected by writing down notes to form the basis of the respondent’s narrative. Two in-depth interviews were done in each Province. It was immediately obvious from the narratives that the households studied could not survive from on-farm income alone especially during droughts. Our pilot interviews indicated that off-farm income might be the predominant coping strategy in the rice-based farming system. There appears to be a need for researchers and policy makers to shift from an agricultural systems/commodity mind-set to a household livelihood mind-set with regard to the ability of households to cope with climate variability and climate change. A complete breakdown of household income sources is an essential baseline requirement before an assessment of climate change resilience in the rice-based system can be made. A baseline assessment of vulnerability at the household level should be considered an essential prerequisite for developing research priorities and designing interventions.