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Organization Type: 
Headquarters: 
Cambodia

Feed the Future Cambodia (Harvest III)

Objective and Background:
The "Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest III" project, commonly referred to as "Harvest III," is a collaborative initiative between Abt Associates and USAID. This project is designed to bolster Cambodia's agricultural sector, which is pivotal for the nation's economic growth and for the vast majority of Cambodians who depend on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood.

Challenges Addressed:
The agricultural sector in Cambodia faces several challenges that the project aims to address:

  • The need for increased competitiveness.
  • The requirement for resilience against various challenges, especially climatic risks.
  • The importance of inclusivity, ensuring that all segments of the population, especially marginalized groups, benefit from growth in the sector.

Key Strategies and Approaches:

  • Improving Access to Finance: One of the primary objectives is to enhance the accessibility of financial resources for those in the agricultural sector.
  • Boosting Value Addition: The project emphasizes the importance of adding value to agricultural products, which can enhance profitability and competitiveness.
  • Mitigating and Adapting to Climatic Risks: Given the increasing challenges posed by climate change, the project focuses on strategies to adapt to and mitigate these risks.
  • Raising Quality and Safety Standards: Ensuring that agricultural products meet high quality and safety standards is crucial for both domestic consumption and exports.
  • Increasing Access to Agricultural Services: This includes improving the efficiency of supply chains and promoting the use of formal agreements among market actors.
  • Expanding Opportunities: A significant aspect of the project is to expand economic opportunities for marginalized groups, including women, youth, and other vulnerable populations. This is achieved by fostering their roles as entrepreneurs, workers, and suppliers.

Collaboration and Partnerships:
Harvest III actively collaborates with a diverse array of local market actors, including producer associations, agribusinesses, service and technology providers, financial institutions, and investors. A significant portion of these partnerships involves milestone-based grants under its large grants program. These grants are co-designed to strengthen capacity, increase investment, improve supply chain performance, foster market linkages, create new and better jobs, and address climate challenges.

Anticipated Outcomes:
Over its five-year span, the project has set ambitious targets:

  • Partner with over 100 private sector companies.
  • Mobilize $38 million in private sector investment.
  • Secure $15 million in agriculture-related financing.
  • Generate $100 million in sales.
  • Create 3,200 jobs.

USAID's Commitment:
USAID's involvement in the project underscores the U.S. Government's commitment to improving both nutrition and family incomes in Cambodia by strengthening the country's agricultural sector. The U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, W. Patrick Murphy, highlighted that the U.S. Government has invested nearly $100 million over the past decade towards this end. The Harvest III project is a testament to this commitment, especially in the face of global food crises, emphasizing the importance of strengthening food security in Cambodia.

Connected Projects, Contracts, Grants, or Awards

Techncial Assistance (Harvest III)

Technical assistance services for the enhancement of the Cambodia Agriculture Partnership Hub: Focus on investment and strategic engagement services in alignment with the Harvest 3 project.

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