Overview
The Commune Agriculture Extension Program continues to strengthen Cambodia’s agricultural extension system, improve farmer livelihoods, and accelerate the transformation of the agricultural sector toward more productive, profitable, sustainable, climate-resilient, and market-oriented farming systems.
Since October 2025, a total of 1,600 Commune Agriculture Officers (CAOs) have been deployed nationwide to provide direct technical support, advisory services, and agricultural data collection at the commune and village levels, serving as the frontline extension workforce connecting farmers with knowledge, technologies, and markets.
Key Achievements
- Agricultural extension services have been delivered to approximately 756,000 farming households, representing about 41% of farming households nationwide.
- CAOs have collected and compiled key agricultural data from their target communes, providing valuable information for planning, monitoring, and decision-making at district, provincial, and national levels.
- CAOs have actively supported farmers in addressing urgent agricultural challenges, helping facilitate solutions to more than 9,000 cases related to crop production, pests and diseases, input use, and other farming issues.
- Through farmer training, field visits, farmer meetings, on-farm trials, and demonstration activities, CAOs have promoted the adoption of improved farming practices that increase productivity, reduce production costs, improve profitability, and strengthen resilience to climate change.
Key Extension Priorities
- Sustainable and Profitable Crop Production
CAOs promote farming practices that improve productivity while reducing production costs and environmental impacts through:
- Efficient and balanced use of agricultural inputs;
- Integrated nutrient management and soil fertility improvement;
- Nature-based and climate-resilient farming practices;
- Increased use of organic fertilizers to improve soil organic matter, soil health, nutrient use efficiency, and long-term productivity;
- Promotion of wood vinegar to enhance crop health, improve productivity, suppress pests and diseases, and reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
- Improved Rice Production
CAOs promote the application of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) principles and integrated crop management practices adapted to direct-seeded rice systems, including:
- Proper land preparation and land leveling;
- Use of high-quality seeds;
- Appropriate seeding rates and plant spacing;
- Integrated nutrient management;
- Improved water management, including Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in irrigated rice systems;
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
- On-Farm Trials and Demonstrations
CAOs are expanding and strengthening on-farm trials and demonstration plots to enable farmers to test, observe, evaluate, and adopt improved technologies and best agricultural practices under local farming conditions.
Priority demonstration topics include:
- Sustainable soil fertility management;
- Organic fertilizer production and use;
- Wood vinegar application;
- Improved crop protection practices;
- SRI and integrated crop management;
- Climate-resilient and nature-based agricultural practices.
- Market-Oriented Agriculture
CAOs support farmers in transitioning from subsistence farming to market-oriented production by:
- Promoting production based on market demand;
- Strengthening market linkages;
- Improving product quality and competitiveness;
- Supporting agricultural commercialization and agribusiness development.
- Seed System Development
CAOs support the production, multiplication, and use of quality seeds, with particular emphasis on premium rice varieties such as Phka Rumduol and Sen Kraob, to improve productivity, grain quality, and market value.
- Farmer Organizations and Modern Agriculture Cooperatives
CAOs facilitate the organization and strengthening of farmer groups based on the principles of Modern Agriculture Cooperatives (MACs) to:
- Improve economies of scale;
- Strengthen access to markets and services;
- Promote collective production and marketing;
- Facilitate agricultural investment and business development.
- Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture
CAOs promote vegetable production and consumption to improve household nutrition, food security, dietary diversity, and income generation, with particular attention to safe and nutritious food production.
Targets by the End of 2026
- Expand agricultural extension services to reach 1 million farming households nationwide.
- Further strengthen on-farm trials and demonstration activities to accelerate farmer adoption of improved technologies and best agricultural practices.
- Scale up nature-based soil fertility and crop protection practices, including the use of organic fertilizers and wood vinegar, to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and support the nationwide promotion of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
- Increase the production and availability of safe and nutritious agricultural products, particularly vegetables, with the goal of reaching all commercial vegetable farmers nationwide.
- Strengthen farmer organizations and Modern Agriculture Cooperatives to support agricultural commercialization and increase farmer incomes.
Conclusion
The nationwide deployment of 1,600 Commune Agriculture Officers represents a major investment in strengthening Cambodia’s agricultural extension system. Through farmer advisory services, agricultural data collection, problem-solving support, on-farm trials, demonstrations, and the promotion of sustainable and market-oriented farming practices, CAOs are helping farmers improve productivity, profitability, resilience, and food security while contributing to the long-term development and competitiveness of Cambodia’s agricultural sector.
Contact:
Dr. Yang Saing Koma
Secretary of State of MAFF