Soil degradation affects 42 percent of Cambodia’s land, while limited agricultural extension services continue to constrain farm productivity and profitability. Since 2021, the MetKasekor model has sought to address these challenges by linking public and private actors to expand access to Conservation Agriculture (CA) for smallholder farmers. Developed as a sustainable, climate-smart agricultural extension approach, the model promotes practices such as cover cropping and minimal soil disturbance within a broader agroecological framework.

MetKasekor has engaged more than 6,600 farmers, with nearly 1,000 reported to have adopted CA practices. The initiative brings together MetKasekor, ASSET, CIRAD and Swisscontact, combining agricultural extension with efforts to create opportunities for private-sector investment in services supporting conservation agriculture. Reported benefits include improved soil health, lower input costs and higher yields, illustrating the potential of coordinated extension services to support more sustainable production systems.

The experience also identifies continuing constraints to wider adoption, notably limited access to appropriate machinery, technical assistance and market opportunities. These challenges underline the importance of locally adapted approaches and sustained institutional commitment when developing public-private extension models for agroecological transitions. Authored by Daniel Setiawan Nugraha, Florent Tivet and Heng Choulong, the 2025 resource presents MetKasekor as a practical experience for strengthening collaboration around conservation agriculture in Cambodia.