Agricultural commercialisation is a process that involves the transformation of subsistence-oriented smallholder farming systems into systems that are primarily oriented toward production for the market. Agricultural production is no longer viewed merely as the means to meet household consumption requirements, drawing on local resources, but becomes the household‟s main income-generating activity, tying farmers into the wider market economy, not only through the sale of farm commodities, but through the purchase of inputs, labour, assets, credit, and consumer goods. This process is part of an agrarian transition driven by economic growth and development, global market integration, and increasing global demand for farm products. Cash crop booms have been a significant catalyst for the process, spurring farmers to invest in commercial agriculture, though often with considerable risk and disruption. Some claim agricultural commercialisation is a pathway out of poverty for rural households, while others highlight the darker site of commercialisation in terms of widening inequality and the marginalisation and exclusion of disadvantaged households.

Agricultural commercialisation has been underway in Cambodia for several decades. There has been a rapid transition from subsistence to semi-commercial and commercial production as indicated by the expanding area of commercial crops, production increases, and export growth. This transition has been closely linked to booming demand for agricultural commodities such as cassava within the Asian region. This raises the question whether the commercialisation of smallholder agriculture in Cambodia has had positive impacts on farmers‟ livelihoods through improving their productivity, income, and resilience, thus contributing to inclusive economic growth.

The aim of this research was to explore the commercialisation of smallholder agriculture in Cambodia through a case study of responses to and impacts of the cassava boom. The specific objectives were to: (i) understand the role of the cassava boom in the commercialisation of smallholder agriculture in Cambodia; (ii) appraise the economic viability (profitability and riskiness) of smallholder cassava production; (iii) evaluate the impacts of commercial cassava production on farmers‟ livelihoods; (iv) trace the livelihood trajectories of different types of rural household as a consequence of the cassava boom; (v) identify options to ensure agricultural commercialisation contributes to more inclusive agricultural growth.