The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has made significant progress in deploying Commune Agriculture Officers (CAOs) as part of a national strategy to strengthen agricultural extension services and support farmers across Cambodia. This initiative is aligned with Policy Priority Number 6 of the Government.
- February 2023: The CAO program was piloted in 10 communes in Choerng Prey district, Kampong Cham province, with the deployment of 10 CAOs.
- February 2024: Building on the pilot’s success, MAFF deployed 250 CAOs to rice-producing communes in 17 provinces.
- February 2025: A large-scale expansion brought 1,000 CAOs to 1,000 agricultural communes/Sangkats in 24 provinces.
- As of July 2025: A total of 1,250 CAOs are actively supporting farmers in 24 provinces, reaching over 300,000 farmers in 10,983 villages with agricultural extension services.
- August 2025: The government recruited 350 additional CAOs as part of the third and final stage of the national deployment plan.
- October 2025 (Planned): The newly recruited CAOs will be deployed, bringing the total to 1,600 CAOs working across 1,509 communes in 24 provinces (excluding Phnom Penh).
To lead and coordinate this strategic initiative, MAFF has appointed Dr. Yang Saing Koma, Secretary of State, to oversee the planning, implementation, and coordination of the CAO deployment, as well as to lead efforts to strengthen the operational capacity of CAOs.
Through the CAO initiative, MAFF is also establishing a reliable and real-time feedback mechanism from the field, enabling evidence-based planning, targeted interventions, and adaptive policy development for the agriculture sector.
This CAO initiative marks a transformative shift toward a modern, decentralized, data-driven, and farmer-centered agricultural extension system—one that promotes sustainable, climate-resilient, and market-oriented farming across Cambodia.