Your Excellency Dr. Mam Amnot, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Your Excellency So Khan Rithykun, Director General of General Directorate of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Good morning

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you today to “National Consultation Workshop on Agricultural Extension Policy.”  USAID, through its Feed the Future Initiative, is pleased to be able to provide support for the development of an Agriculture Extension Policy in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The world is facing a number of challenges.  These include an expanding gap between rich and poor, food insecurity and malnutrition, and a growing population increasingly concentrated in urban areas.  In addition, we are increasingly affected by extreme weather and the environmental effects of global climate change.  There is a strong consensus that agricultural development plays a crucial role at the nexus of food security, climate change, and future stability.  Any effort to reduce global poverty and hunger also depends on greater agricultural production as well as increased economic growth.   Studies suggest that every one percent increase in agricultural income per capita reduces the total number of people living in extreme poverty by between 0.6 and 1.8 percent.

The U.S. government, through President Obama’s global food security initiative known as “Feed the Future,” strives to increase agricultural production, incomes, nutrition, and the resiliency of rural households.  Because agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, accounting for 27.5 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product, Cambodia was one of nineteen countries selected to participate in this U.S. government initiative.  Promotion of agriculture is the first pillar of Cambodia’s Rectangular Strategy with an ambitious goal of exporting up to one million tons by 2015.  This goal will require new knowledge, information, and technologies for modernizing and commercializing agricultural systems. 

Agricultural extension can be the major conduit for knowledge and information sharing and linking farmers to markets.   Modern extension services are demand-based and market-driven, incorporating private sector as well as government and non-governmental resources.  Development of a good Agriculture Extension Policy requires inclusive and participatory processes, and I applaud the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishers and other key stakeholders for their engagement in a robust participatory process over the past several months.

The General Directorate of Agriculture established a Core Senior Team to coordinate and formulate the draft of the Policy, and the Minister appointed an Advisory Committee consisting of leaders of relevant institutions, helping to champion the policy development process.  During the last six months this team has reviewed literature, held five regional consultation workshops throughout the country, and conducted study visits to Vietnam and Thailand to learn about existing situations and challenges, gather priorities, and solicit solutions.  This could not have happened without the support of Dr. Murari Suvedi of Michigan State University, USAID’s HARVEST team, and Australia’s Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain Program.  I understand that the first draft of the Policy will be presented by the Core team today.  Your active participation today is crucially important to ensure that key challenges are addressed and priorities are captured through this Agriculture Extension Policy.      

The Feed the Future initiative is the United States’ commitment to address global hunger and food insecurity through improved collaboration and the application of knowledge.  Today’s conference is an example of that commitment.  We look forward to your active participation and fruitful discussions. 

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Aur Kun Chreun!