Problems of food insecurity in Cambodia: participatory action research and planning in vulnerable areas
Koroma, B.M.; Hossain, M.A.
Regional Development Studies 9: 55-70
2003
Document Number: 256110
Cambodian villages, especially those in remote areas, face sharp declines in food supplies to below minimum survival requirements. The nature of contemporary food insecurity in the country as a whole is more one of inadequacy of households' access to food rather than food availability, and the key problems of food access are a result of exposure to risks and crises such as drought, floods, disease, and pest infestations; changes in the levels of cash income from household enterprises (productive and financial assets); low productivity and consumption levels; and several other underlying socioeconomic factors, which significantly reduce their ability to cope. This article summarizes the overall food security situation in rural Cambodia, mainly considering the preliminary research findings in Kampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang. Provincial and district perspectives on food insecurity, food security matrix ranking, and problem analyses in the four villages studied are presented. The article also takes into account suggested strategies for policy responses to priority needs of the villagers in an effort to improve the food security situation among village households in Cambodia.