Community members demarcate a protected area in Sre Ambel
This four-year project, funded by FELM, aims to strengthen Morodok’s work on food security, natural resources management, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in 8 communes. FELM is an agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland which works to promote human dignity and justice around the world
The project focuses on the 8 communes that form the coastline of Kampong Som Bay, with 3 intended Outcomes:
- Poor people have diversified their livelihoods, increased their incomes, and improved their food security in 8 communes surrounding Kampong Som Bay.
- Communities in 8 communes surrounding Kampong Som Bay have protected fisheries, mangroves and other natural resources in cooperation with government authorities.
- Communities in 8 communes surrounding Kampong Som Bay have devised measures for Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in cooperation with academic and government institutions.
Diversifying livelihoods is intended to reduce reliance on the over-exploitation of natural resources and improve food security. This will be done, firstly by promoting secondary agricultural activities (apart from rice farming) such as pig and poultry breeding and initiating home vegetable gardens, secondly by promoting non-agricultural small businesses, and thirdly by adding value to sustainably harvested products (for example producing fish paste, fish sauce, rattan products, and wild honey) through improving processing techniques, standardizing packaging, and identifying markets.
The project will improve the capacity of the 8 community fisheries and 4 community protected area committees to protect fisheries areas and mangrove areas respectively. This includes preparation of management plans, village-level awareness raising, and support for patrols and provision of patrolling equipment to protect the natural resources.
The project will also cooperate with 8 commune councils and related communities to develop disaster risk reduction plans, and cooperate with a consultant and university students to undertake research into climate change mitigation needs in coastal areas. The project will pilot various mitigation measures recommended by the research.
