Tan Chantrea and her husband Sao Channa, along with their three children, in Mondul Borey district, Banteay Meanchey province. Supplied
In the quiet village of Mongkol Borey in Cambodia’s northwestern Banteay Meanchey province, a family which was once torn apart by the desperation of poverty has found new purpose — not through distant dreams of migration, but right in the soil beneath their feet.
For years, Tan Chantrea, 34, and her husband, Sao Channa, 43, were among the thousands of Cambodians who risked everything crossing illegally into Thailand in search of a better life.
They left their three children behind with their grandmother, clinging to hope that life as undocumented labourers might provide the income they needed.
But after three gruelling years with no real progress and mounting heartache, they came home empty-handed. Worse still, their daughter, once a lively child, began suffering from a debilitating illness. Unable to be apart from their family any longer, they came home to the village.
Returning home meant facing the same poverty they had tried to escape. The couple grew vegetables in a small plot to feed themselves but couldn’t cover costs or provide for their children’s growing needs.
That changed in 2022, when World Vision International – Cambodia (WVI-C), with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and World Vision Germany, launched the “Improving Food and Nutrition Security and Resilience of Vulnerable Farmers” (IFNSR) project.
A bird’s-eye view of their farm shows the just-ploughed vegetable patches, ponds and a greenhouse. Supplied
Led by senior project manager Sim Sophal, the IFNSR project is a 30-month initiative designed to fight malnutrition and food insecurity in four districts — Mongkol borey, Preah Netr Preah, Phnom Srok and Thma Puok, of Banteay Meanchey province — through Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA).
“Our mission has been clear: to improve the food and nutrition security and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable smallholder farmers, especially those with children under five and pregnant or lactating women,” Sophal explained.
It supports 900 households with training in climate-resilient farming, poultry rearing and agri-business practices, while distributing essential inputs like seeds, water systems and livestock to ensure sustainability.
Sophal said recognising the role of local institutions, the project strengthened nine agricultural cooperatives and set up 10 collection points to connect farmers with markets, improving their income potential.
For Chantrea’s family, the change has been profound.
“When I attended the training, I was drawn to ideas like climate-resistant crops, composting, drip irrigation and using natural pesticides,” she said.
“Most importantly, I learned how to understand the market and grow according to the season,” she added.
With support from IFNSR, their home garden has blossomed into a sustainable micro-farm. They’ve received a greenhouse, dug ponds for irrigation and expanded their growing area.
“Sometimes, my husband and I couldn’t sleep—we just sat outside watching our vegetables grow. Under the moonlight, the garden looked so beautiful. We felt proud, like we were watching our dreams slowly come to life,” Chantrea shared, with a laugh.
Their once-uncertain future has been replaced by a reliable income and a renewed sense of pride.
“Our livelihoods are better. We no longer want to migrate,” she smiled.
“We have money to support our children’s education, buy nutritious food and invest in our farm. We understand what our children need to grow strong and healthy,” she added.
The greenhouse, she noted, is a game-changer.
“It’s climate-resistant. We can grow vegetables even in the rainy season, without using harmful pesticides,” she explains.
Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Now acting as peer educators, the couple shares knowledge and seeds with other farmers in their community — a ripple effect that underscores the sustainable model championed by IFNSR.
Hon Oeun, an officer from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Banteay Meanchey, emphasised how climate change has upended traditional farming.
“Even in the rainy season, there’s no rain. Water is scarce. Farmers used to waste what they had, making year-round farming impossible,” he said.
Through CSA, he explained, farmers are now equipped to grow crops more efficiently, reduce disease, and maximize limited water resources.
“Nutrition also plays a central role. They’re growing a variety of vegetables and raising animals to provide safe, healthy food for their families,” he continued.
Sophal added that each of the families who were selected as beneficiaries had at least one child under the age of 5.
Since its launch in December 2022, the €892,645 ($1.01 million) IFNSR project has reached nearly 5,000 people — over half of them women — across 73 villages.
It has built 23 greenhouses, supplied 246 households with livestock, distributed fruit trees to 82 families and fortified 9 agricultural cooperatives.
Ten new market collection points help farmers sell their produce, making agriculture not just sustainable — but profitable.
“Empowering communities to manage their own development is at the core of what we do,” said Sophal. “We’re not just teaching techniques; we’re building resilience.”
He admitted that not all 900 families succeeded in the CSA program; 31 families dropped out and were unwilling to proceed with the plan. They were replaced by new families.
