Empower Cambodian Communities to Protect Forests

It is estimated that 4,000 – 6,000 square miles of rainforest are lost each year to slash-and-burn agriculture. While this technique of cultivation has existed since humans first began farming, the combination of rapidly declining forests and increasing human population has made it unsustainable. After just one harvest, erosion and nutrient loss causes the soil to quickly degrade, making it impossible to grow on that land again, and forcing farmers to burn down another section of forest. This vicious cycle leads to sustained poverty, forest fires, desertification, biodiversity loss and a net increase in global carbon dioxide emission. To address this critical issue in the Southern Cardamoms, Wildlife Alliance created the Community Agriculture Development Project (CADP) to help families earn a livable income while still protecting wildlife and forests.

The program has helped 187 families lift themselves out of poverty by training them in modern agriculture techniques and marketing, and providing farmers with subsidized tools, irrigation, and seedlings. One such farmer that has benefited is Nak Sok. Before joining the program, Nak Sok and his family survived by poaching and slash-and-burn farming. They were eventually able to save enough to buy a small farm near the Andoung Teuk River. However, they soon found out that the land they acquired actually belonged to someone else, and the “seller” had provided them with false papers and stolen their money. Nak Sok did not want to go back to the unpredictability of the forest and decided to join the Community Agriculture Development Project in Sovanna Baitong instead. The program helped him obtain1.5 hectares of land, where they now grow watermelon, sugarcane, rice, and corn year round. Nak Sok and his wife even raise pigs, chickens, cows and ducks to supplement their income. They are dedicated farmers and parents to four daughters and three sons. Their steady income has allowed them to build a new home for their large family, send their children to school and generate savings. Most importantly, the family has achieved a level of stability and financial success that they never dreamed would be possible when they lived in the forest.

To continue to make stories like this possible, make a gift today to Empower Cambodian Communities to Protect Forests

Why Invest in Women? According to USAID, programs that provide women opportunities to better their well-being, education and health, have effects beyond a single individual. The impact of an investment made in a woman is multiplied as she extends benefits to the world around her, and creates a better life for her family and community. Globally, women make up 43% of the agricultural labor force. However, they are less likely to own land, and own smaller amounts of land when they do. But when women have the same amount of land as men, there is an increase of over 10% in crop yield. By helping a woman achieve financial independence, you’re making it possible for her voice to be heard. She can now make better decisions for her family, and give her daughters the opportunities she never had to finish school and get married when they are ready. Her knowledge and confidence will enable her to enact social change and better the future for her entire community and country.

Women are powerful agents of change in communities. They also play the primary role in food production, healthcare, household nutrition, and have specific knowledge about the natural resources they depend upon for providing for their families. Yet, when it comes to decision making and policy change, women are consistently underrepresented. Strategies to promote sustainable resource management continue to marginalize the role women play on the environment. At Wildlife Alliance, we understand that when women are empowered, the pool of people committed to resource conservation is enlarged, children are raised with a conservation ethic, and a sustainable green economy can be fully realized.

In 2013, the women of Sovanna Baitong banded together to take charge of their own lives and make their own contribution to the protection of their environment. They created a Women’s Committee to empower women and advocate for gender equality. The Committee aims to improve the lives of women by providing leadership training and promoting entrepreneurial initiatives that will lead to financial independence. Of the 689 women in Sovanna Baitong, 35 women manage small businesses. This year, 30 other women have applied for micro-loans from the community fund to initiate new green businesses. During their Committee meetings, the women learn valuable lessons in budgeting, business management, and women’s health and rights. In turn, they can better manage their loans and work to expand their businesses, and hire and employ more women. They are working together to create a support system and social framework necessary to succeed, and right now we can help them make their dreams a reality. Help fund our microproject to suppport the Women's Committee in Sovanna Baitong! Your gift will help the women start green businesses, increase their earning power and give them a voice in the community.

Links:

• Empower Cambodian Women for the Environment