Summary country scoping study CCA in Cambodia (2009)

Muanpong Juntopas) Sam Chanthy

Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Center

Concerned locations• Tonle Sap Floodplain and

Mekong (Delta) – prone to flood and drought

• North-eastern Cambodia – in terms of lowest adaptive capacity

• Coastal zone – vulnerability to sea level rise

Key Vulnerable Sectors

• Agriculture • Water resources • Natural disaster –flood/draught

Agriculture

• Agriculture is the main economic sector – generating 37% for national GDP ( 63% crop and 37% of fisheries, forestry and livestock)

• Gives Employment/livelihood: 60% rural population derives their livelihoods from this agriculture sector (only 7% is irrigated land)

• Rice is the primary crop covering about 90% of the cropped land which 80% of cultivators is farmers.

Water Resources

• Important base for agriculture- both rice and fisheries

• Not enough irrigating infrastructures• Though there are irrigations, people still

cannot access to them due to geography, facilities and management

Natural Disasters

• Prone to flood and drought • Mainly affect rice cultivation and fishery• Insufficient climate proof infrastructures

Responses

Response overall • Most CCA work in the water, agriculture, and disaster risk

management sectors vis-à-vis projects born out of NAPA

• challenges for Cambodia is Water Resources – how it addresses water scarcity that jeopardizes sources of

safe drinking water and agriculture– conversely how it copes with excessive water

Response 2

• activity around NAPA focus on increasing water management to increase agricultural productivity, understanding country’s vulnerability to the CC hazard

• disaster risk management, and to a lesser degree, the protection of coastal area

Agriculture• NAPA activities related to

climate change adaptation through the – improvement of rainwater

harvesting facilities at the village level;

– System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to reduce vulnerability to changing rainfall amounts and patterns;

– modifications to the designs of reservoirs and irrigation channels

Response3

• 3 projects on coastal protection ( Mangrove Restoration) to stabilize coastal shorelines to reduce sea water intrusion, and to protect coastal areas from storm damage.

• underscore the shift in NAPA initiatives to a more robust ecosystem-based approach

Water Resources• As Cambodia’s agriculture sector is

prone to both drought and floods, some ongoing adaptation measures – training of ‘adaptation experts’ in

agricultural extension teams; – rainwater harvesting techniques – Conduct pilot projects in local

communities; – measures to decrease soil erosion – changed design of reservoirs and

irrigation channels to prevent risks from increased peak flows; and

Natural Disasters

• small bridges to facilitate evacuations; • culverts to help floodwaters recede faster; • dams that facilitate evacuation, but also allow the

impounding of water to irrigate a second crop. • village’s disaster preparedness: build capacity of

communities, reduced dependency on external assistance.

Mechanism/support

• Climate change adaptation activity in Cambodia is coordinated through four (4) central bodies– the National Committee for Disaster Management– Climate Change Department – National Authority for the Clean Development Mechanism– National Climate Change Committee.

• These bodies work with a) Ministries of Water Resources and Meteorology b) Environment b) Ministry of Health c) Planning d) the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries.

Cambodian Interim DNA - MoE

National Climate Change Committee

Climate Change Department

UNFCCC & the KyotoProtocol Focal Point

Ad hoc Inter-ministerial Working Group on Energy

Ad hoc Inter-ministerial Working Group on Forestry

Green House Gases Inventory

Green House Gases Mitigation

Vulnerabilityand Adaptation

UNFCCCImplementation

Secretariat

National Climate Change Committee’s organizational relationships

National Climate Change Committee’s organizational relationships

CCA actors /support -NGOs

• Support Farmer to Farmer Extension groups, innovation in farming systems, crop research, and in disaster preparedness and risk management

• NGOS work at the field /National level ( i.e ACIAR)– technical research with local people– Support forums & networks geared to climate change

adaptation– build capacities in government ministries in areas of

risk reduction planning and disaster response, e.g. climate modeling, forecasting, and vulnerability assessments.

Some initiatives Oxfam America is raising public awareness on CCA

climate change ( w/ government bodies i.e. Dept Meteorology, CCCO) 2010

• public awareness campaign: production of visual communication materials (photos) to record the impact of climate change

• Network: Share ‘best practices with members National Climate Change Network & convene forum for capacity building and awareness campaigning

• awareness building initiatives for relevant government officials and awareness campaign which will also include a perception study on climate change.

Planned adaptationMostly by NGO

- better crop seeds, digging wells, and training on agricultural techniques ( by external NGO) – pump wells provided by Santi Sena,

rice seed by PADEK – water pumps provided by Oxfam,

Cambodia Red Cross’s water storage ponds and irrigation canals

Needs for small-scale and subsistence farmers and fishers

• knowledge and mechanisms are required to strengthen small scale producers adaptive capacities - field based adaptation and innovation in agriculture

• Access to usable scientific information on climate and weather patterns at the local level

• Hence, there are still significant grey areas in how livelihood security of small-scale fishers and farmers may be threatened by climate change & other social and environmental stressors

• strong need for enhanced knowledge bases for decision-making support. – (1) improved monitoring– (2) improved groundwater mapping, and compilation of existing (but

scattered) knowledge about groundwater availability and quality– (3) improved availability and accessibility of data for decision making

processes – (4) a supporting management capacity at the province and commune level,

and at the irrigation scheme level.

Need for support1• Funding Support to the GCCA

programme/projects identified in NAPA 'Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into National Strategic Development Plans”

• focuses on capacity for

institutional coordination – ministries and local planning (Decentralization process in Cambodia)

Need for support 2• capacity for flood and drought warnings - identified in the NAPA

as a problem area.• Raising awareness on climate change: local planners,

development ministries ( sectors) , schools. Mitigation VS adaptation

• Mainstreaming CCA in local development planning • Scenario based planning /climate scenarios /Risk assessment • Producing trainers/ training package “CC/ CCA”

– Executive briefing– Managers/ officers– Field practitioners/ local planners

Needs for support 3

• need quality climate data to enable the generation of improved climate change scenarios and projections ( CCD)

• climate data management, forecasting and automated weather stations (Danida, 2008).

Needs 4 • Currently there are limited platforms and

networks in Cambodia dedicated to climate change adaptation for development workers

• Those present are seemingly for the experts, and not for those that play an ‘everyday role’ in rural development outside of Phnom Penh

Need 5: Structure and mechanism• Need for “Structures’ to house and

support the generation & of CCA knowledge

• Also to coordinate / facilitate capacity development at the national & commune level ( to help mainstream CCA to development programs/ projects)

• to ensure that all institutions involved in climate change adaptation initiatives have adequate skills and capacities to fulfill their obligations

In summary • literature review & Interview,

Cambodia’s understanding of CCA is still young; yes experts are emerging, but on a country scale, even those tasked to research adaptation needs and implement adaptation initiatives have many question that need answering and clarity.

• Knowledge remains in the hands of those generating it…highlights the ‘newness’ of the subject matter nationally