Cambodian Agriculture: Adaptation to Climate Change Impact

Cambodia is highly dependent on agriculture: the agricultural sector is responsible for more than 30 percent of GDP and provides employment for more than 70 percent of people who are employed (ADB 2011). Given such high dependence on agriculture, an important question is, "How will Cambodia be affected by climate change, especially the agricultural sector?" Climate change, by definition, will alter temperature and rainfall patterns. Since agriculture is dependent on weather, and crops are known to suffer yield losses when temperatures are too high, there is concern that climate warming will lower crop yields. Changes in rainfall might also cause reductions in yields, though in some places changes in rainfall could lead to increases in yields. Finally, rising seas may results in inundation and salinization of soils, causing loss of currently productive agricultural land. ADB and IFPRI (2009) recently studied the impact of climate change on agriculture in countries of Asia and the Pacific, concluding that "a combination of indicator values representing exposure (change in temperature and precipitation), sensitivity (share of labor in agriculture), and adaptive capacity (poverty)" makes Cambodia one of the seven countries in the region that are most vulnerable to climate change. In this study, we further the analysis by focusing specifically on Cambodia, and by using newer data and finer spatial resolution, broadening the range of crops studied, and considering the potential impact of several key adaptation options. The report also includes a comprehensive overview of Cambodian agriculture prepared by CDRI, as well as a summary and recommendations (Chapter 3) provided by the Ministry of Environment relating to climate change and its effects in Cambodia.

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Report