FAO in Cambodia

Another step for sustainable agriculture: Strengthening agro-meteorological services and drought risk management

11/09/2019

Phnom Penh: More than 50 people from all relevant stakeholders at both national and sub-national levels were gathered at a consultation workshop, focusing on Need and technical capacity assessment on agro-meteorological services and drought risk management on 28 August 2019. The event was staged by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM) with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).

The consultation workshop was meant to review and discuss available drought and crop information tools or systems in the region, and assess technical capacity needs for sustained information services for drought monitoring, crop monitoring, and climate services. Moreover, it offered opportunity to understand users’ perspective at both national and provincial levels on how agrometeorological and drought related information can help key actors make informed decisions in agriculture.

In Cambodia, considerable achievement has been made in the dissemination of climate information and the establishment of early warning systems. The institutional capacity to assimilate and forecast weather, hydrological and climate information, as well as other works on drought and risk monitoring was also strengthened. However, there has been a limit capacity to use the weather and climate data and translate them into advisory services for agriculture application.

“In the face of increasing weather and climate-related risks, a comprehensive and robust early-warning system is essential for planners, policy-makers, and farmers to prepare for and adapt to changes in climate,” said Mr Alexandre Huynh, Representative of FAO in Cambodia.

Some of the ASEAN member states including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam and Thailand were severely hit by El Nino triggered drought in 2015-2016. In Cambodia, this prolonged drought was considered as the worst drought in about 50 years, affecting 2.5 million people across the country.

This year, the Southeast Asia is hit again by severe drought, causing water levels of the Southeast Asia’s Mekong River to drop below the historical record. In Cambodia, the 2019 drought has affected approximately 300,000 ha of rice cultivated areas. The most affected provinces include Battambang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap.

Unlike other natural hazards such as floods or tropical cyclones, drought is a slow onset disaster and a complex phenomenon, where the risk is difficult to assess. Furthermore, drought is one of the major constraints for agriculture, particularly for water-demanding crops, like rice, which is the major staple crop for Cambodia as well as other Asian countries.

Such disasters undermine a sustained agricultural development and challenge efforts to reduce poverty. H.E. Chhum Chhonly, Under Secretary of State of MAFF regarded the workshop’s topic (Agro-Meteorological Services and Drought Risk Management) as new and very significant for Cambodia. “The workshop offers platform for thorough discussions, understanding and identifying key challenges, responsive solutions, the development of an action plan for sound implementation to strengthen climate and disaster risk management in the agriculture sector.”

Mr Peeranan Towashiraporn, Director of Geospatial Information of ADPC, mentioned that “It is extremely important that all of us are aware of the fact that drought can be managed and the impact of it can be reduced even before drought happens. There is technology, models, data that allow us to forecast possible drought condition and monitor it as it happens. This information is crucial for government officials and farmers alike in devising plans to ensure that agricultural production can be maintained, even in drought situation.”

There are existing drought and crop yield monitoring and forecasting tools developed and used at the global and regional levels. These include the Agriculture Stress Index System (ASIS) by FAO, the Regional Drought and Crop Yield Information System (RDCYIS) by the SERVIR-Mekong programme among others. It is crucial that every relevant actors meet to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these tools to align their features with stakeholders’ needs. Drought risk management involves meteorological services, hydrology and water resources management, and agricultural planning agencies who will use the drought information. It is therefore important to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the institutional linkages, capacities, and needs on drought information generation, interpretation, dissemination, and applications.

H.E. Mey Ly Huoth, MoWRaM’s Under Secretary of State highlighted that the Royal Government of Cambodia has made strong efforts to improve weather forecasts and early warning systems. He stressed the need to strengthen further collaboration and partnership across line ministries, national and sub-national institutions, Development Partners and NGOs, to leverage linkages to develop and disseminate information advisory services for use in the agriculture sector.