Farmers in Cambodia are going to FARM School, starting this year. The Forecast Application for Risk Management (FARM) in Agriculture, a multi-tier learning-by-doing capacity development program for farmers, has been introduced in Cambodia in collaboration with the General Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GDA/MAFF), and with the Department of Meteorology of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (DOM/MOWRAM), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The FARM School program helps to enhance the use of forecasts of different lead times in the agriculture sector, to manage climate risks and opportunities.
A write-shop was held from 2-3 July 2019 in Phnom Penh to look into the standard curriculum and modules from RIMES and customize these for Cambodia. Participants to the write-shop are officials and staffs of GDA, which included the Department of Agricultural Land Resource Management (DALRM), Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Department of Agricultural Engineering (DAEng), and Department of Agricultural Cooperative Promotion (DACP); Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PDAFF); DOM; and Department of Hydrology and River Works (DHRW). Representatives from Royal University of Cambodia (RUA), Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) also participated.
Mr. Am Phirum, Deputy Director, Department of Agricultural Land Resource Management (DALRM) – GDA/MAFF, facilitating the discussion on climate-related challenges in Kampong Speu District.
GDA participants, deliberating on the contents of the modules for FARM School – Cambodia
The FARM School program consists of curriculum and module adaptation, national training for agriculture extension specialists and weather/climate specialists as FARM School master trainers, sub-national training of trainers to form a pool of trainers that includes lead farmers, and training of farmers. Training of trainers runs for an average of 5 days, while training of farmers is delivered over one planting season. The program is led by the agriculture department, and is implemented in collaboration with the national meteorological and hydrological service, with technical support from RIMES.
The FARM School also serves as a platform for farmers to: articulate their climate information needs and requirements, access climate information, receive guidance in translating forecasts into potential impacts to inform planning and decision-making, and provide feedback.
Participants to the FARM School Write-Shop, 2-3 July 2019, Phnom Penh