Mr. Soeurb Soer, a 65-year-old farmer who lives with his wife and 4 grandchildren in Reach Donkeo village of Ek Phnom district.

In the past, Mr. Soer’s family’s living conditions were bad but he was able to farm and sell chickens to make a small amount of money for daily life. However, as the community grows and becomes more expensive, the chicken farmer’s livelihood can no longer bring in enough money to feed everyone in the home. Mr. Soer’s livestock raising technique was very traditional and does not meet the fast demand of today’s needs. Also, due to the climate changes of the village, there was a chance of the chickens dying and that meant there was a high risk of Mr. Soer and his family having no income at all. Mr. Soer said, “I could not raise the chicken well, while I use my traditional habit and old technique” understanding that these practices are no longer sustainable.

In 2015, Mr. Soer made a life-changing decision and registered as a member of the OPA in Reach Donkeo village and he was then selected to become one of the beneficiaries of the BMZ project in Ek Phnom district. Through the OPA,

Mr. Soer started to have new opportunities like attending capacity-building training on resilient cropping and livestock raising which assisted with adaptation to climate changes. Through the project, he also received farming materials, cropping seeds, and 5 chickens; “I have learned a lot on resilient farming and adaptation cropping from the OPA and project, I have applied this learning technique to my current livelihood”.

After the training, Mr. Soer has been able to update from the traditional raising techniques to the new techniques. This has resulted in Mr. Soer and his family having almost 60 chickens’, every 3 months and this has generated an income of between 250,000 Riels to 300,000 Riels ($62.50 to $75 US dollars). Mrs. Soer can now support the needs of his family and send all of his 4 grandchildren to school. They are now able to save money in case of any health emergencies. Mr. Soer shares these successful techniques with his neighbors and other members of the OPAs. Mr. Soer has expressed that “I am really happy to have joined as the member of OPA and received capacity building and support from the OPA. I now have more income from chicken raising and can save 5,000 Riels ($1.25 US dollar) every month to keep my family secure and pay for health treatment in any emergency cases”.

Cambodia is built on agriculture, this is one of the primary sources of income with 80% of the community living in rural villages. The program’s around training and sustainable practices assist farmers and community members with staying up to date with a fast-growing economy.