Cambodia advances climate-smart agriculture investment planning with Green Climate Fund’s support

Cambodia has taken a step forward in accessing large-scale climate financing for a sustainable, low-emission, inclusive, and just agricultural transformation. Experts gathered to develop a climate-smart agriculture investment plan for the country and share knowledge about climate-smart agriculture project development, generously supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). 

From 13 to 14 August 2025 in Phnom Penh, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment, brought together government officials, development partners, and financial institutions to discuss promising investments in low-emission rice development, climate-resilient aquaculture, fisheries and livestock, and forest and landscape restoration. These investment ideas together form the basis for the climate-smart agriculture investment plan, which builds upon the multi-stakeholder pariciaptory climate foresight analysis conducted in 2024.

Developing Cambodia's climate-smart agriculture investment plan 

Cambodia's agriculture sector, while central to economic growth and rural livelihoods, faces mounting climate-induced risks, including temperature increases and erratic rainfall, affecting drought and flood patterns. Increased access to finance for climate-resilient practices and technologies can help address these risks, but current resources are not sufficient to tackle the magnitude of challenges caused by climate change.

His Excellency Keo Omalis, Secretary of State from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said, 'We have to mobilise finance at scale from the private sector and international sources to address the urgent need for climate-smart agriculture investments in Cambodia." 

The workshop advanced a national climate-smart agriculture investment plan that can address these critical climate challenges across agricultural value chains. The investment plan will aim to promote various climate-smart practices, including alternate wetting and drying techniques in rice cultivation, improved livestock feed systems, genetic selection of climate-resilient fish broodstock, and agroforestry expansion to enhance sustainable natural resources management. 

While not attending the workshop in person, Rebekah Bell, FAO Representative in Cambodia, conveyed FAO’s commitment in a statement: “Building on our strong collaboration with the Green Climate Fund globally and in Cambodia, FAO stands ready to support the government in turning its climate ambitions in agriculture into action. Through targeted technical advice and scaled-up climate finance, we can drive investments that deliver better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life —ensuring no one is left behind.” 

Green Climate Fund project development training 

Over one and a half days, half days, the participants engaged in comprehensive training on GCF project development organized under the GCF Readiness Programme. Diverse stakeholders shared information and knowledge for accessing international climate finance. 

The workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to discuss emerging global climate finance mechanisms, including GCF, before focusing on detailed funding proposal development. The climate-smart agriculture investment plan served as a strategic tool to apply this information to generating high-quality GCF concept notes that can attract climate finance for agricultural investments. 

His Excellency Meas Sophal, Undersecretary of State from the Ministry of Environment, emphasised the government’s commitment to multilateral collaboration in addressing climate challenges and working with all stakeholders toward sustainable climate action. "Cambodia’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) demonstrates the country’s strong commitment to climate action, with a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2035. Reaching this target will require USD 32 billion for mitigation and adaptation, and today’s knowledge-sharing workshop plays a key role in strengthening the capacity of stakeholders in the agriculture sector and ensuring the investment plan will be implemented with sufficient financial resources,” he said.

About the project 

The Agriculture Sector Readiness for enhanced climate finance and implementation of Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture priorities in Southeast Asia project aims to enhance the capacity of six countries in Southeast Asia to develop national climate finance investment programmes and projects linked to adaptation and mitigation priorities for the agriculture sectors as well as exchange knowledge and learning to promote innovative mechanisms for public and private sector climate finance at national and regional levels. The project is implemented by FAO with the support of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) – the world's largest dedicated fund for climate action – together with six participating countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. 

To learn about the partnership between FAO and GCF, please visit the website: https://www.fao.org/gcf/en. 

📖 Read the workshop report: Envisioning Sustainable Agricultural Futures in Cambodia – National Participatory Workshop on Climate Actions and Resilience