| Project Detail |
Saemaul Undong (SMU) was a nation-wide rural development movement by the Korean government during the 1960s to the 1980s. It is considered to be the most successful rural development movement among many other rural development initiatives in the world. The biggest difference of the movement compared with others is that it was conducted nation-wide, and it stressed changing the mindset of farmers to be based on a “can do” spirit and “self-help, cooperation and diligence”. Also, one of the most important parts of the SMU was governmental leadership. In order to share Korea’s successful experience with other developing countries, the Korean government has adopted successful factors of SMU in their rural development ODA programs. Rural poverty in Cambodia largely stems from the lack of infrastructure such as irrigation facilities and the low agricultural productivity level. Another important factor is the market to sell farm products. If there is no market to sell said products, villagers cannot increase their incomes. Therefore, in 2014, the Government of Cambodia requested a project following the Korean rural development model to implement in Cambodia. KOICA decided to support “Self-Supporting Rural Development Project with Participatory Approach” and signed Record of Discussions with Ministry of Rural Development in 2014. |
