Sustainable rice-fish management in Cambodia contributes to significant improvement in nutrition and livelihoods for over 365,045 people

Published on: April 22, 2022, Submitted by Megi Cullhaj on: April 15, 2022, Reporting year: 2021

Sustainable Development Goals Contribution

The Feed the Future Cambodia - Rice Field Fisheries project has shown that well-managed community fish refuges (CFRs) can significantly improve fish productivity of rice field environments, leading to more nutritious fish available for household consumption, contributing to improvements in food security and decreasing malnutrition. A total 365,045 people have gained economic benefits derived from sustainable rice field fisheries management.

Once a week the CFR villagers gather vegetables and fish to prepare a nutritious and healthy meal for all the community children. Moung District. Battambang. Photo by Fani Llauradó for WorldFish Cambodia.

The USAID-funded Feed the Future Cambodia Rice Field Fisheries II (RFF II) project, focuses on addressing multiple causes of malnutrition, childhood stunting, and maternal anemia. This project aims to improve the area's climate resistance by protecting fish habitats and creating secure drinking and irrigation water.  Production of high-value rice and fish in co-managed community fish refuges (CFRs) aims to address consumption of high-nutrition foods in geographically malnourished areas.

A priority of this program is ensuring that children get enough nutritious food, as malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in childhood can cause long-term issues with physical and cognitive development. CFRs are natural or humanmade ponds that hold water throughout the year and provide a dry season refuge for brood fish. In the dry season, these refuges become disconnected from permanent natural water bodies. In the wet season, fish migrate out of the CFRs to the rice fields and floodplains to spawn and feed.  These CFR can provide protection from drought conditions, as as the space safeguards fish habitats, and therefore fish populations, when there is reduced rice field flooding, as local residents have experienced in the last three years. The project has supported the registration of 53 new CFRs with the government and directly supported over 2,000 interventions of various types to improve the conditions and management of CFRs.

FISH research shows that widespread adoption of improved management of rice-fish systems contributes to sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems in Cambodia. Total productivity of rice field fisheries increased by 5 kg/ha/year despite two consecutive years of drought in 2019 and 2020. Of the project-supported CFRs, 80% had a higher biomass of fish during at least one of survey occasions in 2020. 

Monitoring shows that people who are involved with CFRs are continuing to experience increasing benefits through good management practices, leading to steady fish stocks and improved nutrition. Although average household fish catch declined by 8%, the average value of fish caught increased by 70%, suggesting an increase in value. Average quantity of fish sold increased by 80%, and cash income from selling fish increased by 232%.

 

Rice Field Fisheries II has prioritized improving Community Fish refuge (CFR) management and governance practices, as well as enhancing CFR systems to improve habitat for fish and reduce CFR water loss. As a result, 481 hectares in areas of CFRs and rice field environment have improved biophysical conditions, exceeding the life of project target by 6 hectares and increasing overall productivity. The project assisted CFR committees with obtaining local support, leading to self-finance a total 4,218 activities and raise a total USD $302,915 of funds from donations and fundraising events.  As a result of capacity building with CFR committees to achieve these goals, the average score of CFR governance capacity increased from 1.9 in 2016 to 4.2 in 2021. 

Nutrition specific activities that have accompanied conservation strategy have influenced and improved the knowledge and practices relating to complementary feeding, reflecting positive outcomes from training to caregivers and awareness conducted in communities and schools. Trends that reflect household adoption of nutrition-specific practices are as follows:

  • 43% of direct beneficiary women in reproductive age were found to have consumed a diet of minimum diversity
  • 120,483 people and 101 schools and health centers have gained access to basic drinking water services due to the 12 project supported drinking water stations
  • 213,138 people (51.5% female) consumed more fish at home compared to the baseline
  • 20,915 children under 5 (48.7% girls) reached with nutrition-sensitive interventions of the project 
  • The percentage of children meeting WHO recommendation of dietary diversity increased from 47% in 2018 to 54% in 2021

The community fish refuge management intervention combined  with tailored nutrition activities has improved not only the nutrition of the beneficiaries but also their overall livelihoods.  Indeed, the sustainable rice-field fisheries have contributed to improved economic benefits for over 365,045 people of which 135,67 women. 

Stage of Maturity and Sphere of influence

  • Stage of Maturity: Stage 2

  • Contributions in sphere of influence:
    2.1.1 - Increased availability of diverse nutrient-rich foods

Acknowledgement

This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) led by WorldFish. The research program program is supported by contributors to the CGIAR Trust Fund. Funding support for this work was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future initiative in the framework of the Feed the Future Cambodia Rice Field Fisheries II project.

Projects

  • Feed the Future Cambodia Rice Field Fisheries II

CRPs & Partners

References

Keywords

food security and nutrition small-scale fisheries rice field fisheries

Countries

About the author

Sarah Freed is at WorldFish - WF.

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