| Project Detail |
The Project Development Objective is to sustainably improve livestock-based livelihoods and strengthen animal health services in target project locations. The proposed project aims to address three critical constraints to improved livelihoods of smallholder livestock keepers in Cambodia. The constraints are (i) low productivity, (ii) low incomes, and (iii) loss of livelihood from animal diseases and climate hazards. First, the project will promote adoption of climate-smart technologies to improve productivity, resilience, and climate mitigation. Second the project will enhance commercialization through better market access, value chain infrastructure, and stronger producer groups. Finally, it will protect smallholder productivity gains by improving animal health services, thereby reducing disease risks. The project will prioritize three livestock value chains, namely cattle, pigs, and poultry in three provinces - Battambang, Tbong Khmum, and Kampong Speu. The project has three components: Component 1 - Promote Inclusive and sustainable Livestock Value Chains: This component aims to sustainably improve the productivity of livestock production and orient farmers towards commercial production. This will be done through (i) the promotion of improved climate-smart technologies and practices, (ii) strengthening producer organizations, (iii) upgrading select, strategic value chain infrastructure, and (iv) improving linkages between producer organizations and agribusinesses for enhanced marketing of produce. Sub-component 1.1. Enhancement of livestock productivity. This sub-component will enhance the productivity, efficiency and sustainability of livestock production through; (i) providing grant co-funding to promote the uptake of climate smart technology and practice packages (PaTecs), which include (a) breeding, (b) feed and fodder production, (c) Good Animal Husbandry Practice (GAHP), and (d) animal waste management; and (ii) supporting the functioning of existing producer groups (PGs) and orienting them towards more commercial livestock production through technical assistance. Sub-component 1.2. Promoting smallholder market access. This sub-component will improve smallholder farmers’ access to markets and increase livestock product sales and farmer incomes through (i) facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement opportunities and exposure visits for small-medium enterprises (SMEs), PGs, and farmers to build and manage business/market partnerships; and (ii) upgrading strategic value chain infrastructure, such as slaughterhouses, and market facilities to higher food safety quality standards. Component 2. Enhance animal production and health services. This component will improve national and sub-national capacities to deliver effective and consistent extension and animal health services. This will be achieved through; (i) demonstration farms to showcase improved technologies and practices, (ii) strengthening extension service capacity to promote technology packages in livestock production; and (iii) building the capacity of General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP), provincial offices, and village animal health workers to deliver quality animal health services and (iv) strengthening the surveillance system for transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses. Sub-component 2.1. Strengthening animal production service delivery capacity. The project will enhance extension service capacity to promote technology packages in livestock production. The project will support demonstration farms, capacity building of agriculture extension officers and commune agriculture officers, and the development and dissemination of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material. Sub-component 2.2. Strengthening animal health service delivery capacity. This sub-component will increase the capacity of national and local institutions to deliver veterinary services and track and manage animal diseases and zoonoses. The project will finance (i) strengthening of capacities of national and local institutions like MAFF, GDAHP, POAHPs, CAOs, and VAHWs to deliver veterinary services through bolstering the workforce, skills, and incentives for last-mile service providers, and (ii) strengthening of disease surveillance and response capacities for prevalent TADs and zoonoses in project locations, through an enhanced local surveillance system. Component 3. Project management and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. This component will ensure effective project implementation to achieve the PDO and set indicators and comply with the World Bank’s environmental, social, and fiduciary requirements. Key activities will be: (i) supporting the day-to-day implementation, coordination, and management of project activities, including planning and execution, financial management (FM), procurement, internal and external audits, and Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) management; and (ii) establishing and operating an effective project monitoring, evaluation and learning system for project management and planning purposes. Geographical targeting. The project will operate in three provinces. These include Battambang and Tbong Khmum, which are cross-border entry points, where incursions of transboundary animal diseases such as Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and African Swine Fever (ASF), first occurred, thereby providing early warning to the rest of the country against major disease outbreaks, and Kampong Speu, which is an important center of livestock production, which has high livestock density and major animal trade, and is therefore a high-risk area. Beneficiaries targeting. The project’s direct beneficiaries will total about 30,000 - including farmers, staff of GDAHP, POAHP, MoH, MoE, VAHWs, Commune Agriculture Officers (CAOs), traders, and agribusinesses including female (40 percent). The project will mostly target smallholder farmers with high productive and commercialization potential, while also supporting a smaller segment of lower capacity farmers through PGs who exhibit potential and interest to develop their livestock business. The project will also support SMEs that are interested in cooperating with farmers and PGs. The project targeting strategy will include targeted information campaigns to reach out to farmers, including women and business owners, using a transparent, participatory and self-selection processes as has been successfully implemented in Cambodia, e. g. under the Cambodia Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development Project III (LASED III) and the Cambodia Agricultural Sector Diversification Project (CASDP). Additional indirect beneficiaries will be users of upgraded strategic value chain infrastructure, such as slaughterhouses, and market facilities to higher food safety quality standards, and rural communities, who will have better access to animal health and extension services and information. Institutional and implementation arrangements. MAFF will lead project implementation as the implementing agency (IA) via the GDAHP and related technical departments at the national level, alongside the Provincial Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (PDAFF) and POAHP. The IA has established a project management team (PMT), which is led by a Project Director and includes a deputy director, relevant technical experts, administration, procurement, finance, environmental and social standard (ESS), and M&E experts from relevant units of GDAHP and MAFF. The PMT will be responsible for the overall management of project implementation and external communication, including the agreed reporting to the World Bank. The PMT will be physically located in MAFF. A project implementation team (PIT) will be established to support the planning and executing daily activities. During implementation, the IA, through the PIT, will draw on technical expertise and advice from broader MAFF departments and relevant ministries like the MoE and MoH to implement. The Project Development Objective is to sustainably improve livestock-based livelihoods and strengthen animal health services in target project locations. |
