Cambodia: Food Security. Since 2003, Cambodia’s population was primarily agricultural with 85 percent residing in rural areas. 36 percent of Cambodians live below the poverty line, of which 90 percent were rural agricultural labourers.
Due to lack of access to water, highly variable rainfall, poor soil fertility and low use of fertilizers, the nation’s rural poor were extremely vulnerable to food insecurity. As agricultural productivity continues to fall below Cambodia’s population growth, significant portions of Cambodians were unable to meet their basic food requirements.
Numerous international NGSs set up ‘Work for Food’ programmes whereby people who worked on the land would receive staple food supplies in return for their labour.
The following images are from my extensive travels around Cambodia, where I focused on water and agricultural projects, and food poverty.
