InAsia Podcast: Water, Gender, and Poverty Collide in Cambodian Watershed

“Agriculture is vital to Cambodia’s economy, contributing approximately 21 percent of the nation’s GDP in 2019 and accounting for 36 percent of all employment. Rice is a principal crop, and farmers rely on it for both income and food security.

“In the wet season, rice production depends on rainfall. In the dry season, irrigation is needed, but despite an abundance of water resources and many irrigation systems, water shortages do occur due to insufficient storage, outdated irrigation schemes, and poor management. The increasing severity of both extreme rainfall and drought due to climate change has also introduced stress into the system and threatens agriculture, especially rice farming.”

Read & listen more on the Asia Foundation website.