What is the cost to transform food systems in Cambodia?

In the past 20 years, agriculture and food systems in Cambodia have undergone one of the most rapid transformations in history. Driven by impressive economic growth, the country has experienced a sharp decline in hunger from 24% to 5% in the past twenty years. Poverty has also dropped significantly from 34% in 2009 to 18% in 2019.

However, Cambodia represents a paradox. Having largely addressed calorie shortages and reduced undernutrition, it now faces persistent micronutrient deficiencies alongside rising rates of overweight and obesity. This marks a shift from hunger reduction to nutritional quality, where food systems must provide healthier, more diverse diets while avoiding the environmental costs of intensive rice and livestock production.

Yet, the transition is further complicated by climate stresses: more frequent floods and droughts threaten food security and safety, diet quality, and affordability. Managing this transition carefully is essential to prevent old problems from re-emerging while addressing new risks linked to dietary change and climate disruption.

Tackling malnutrition and building resilient food systems

The government has a bold vision to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture in two key documents: the Roadmap for Food Systems for Sustainable Development 2030 and the National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition 2024-2028.

Yet, what are the interventions needed – and their costs – to achieve this vision?

Researchers from Hesat2030, together with the Zero Hunger Coalition, have identified a portfolio of effective policy interventions and the costs needed to support of these the government’s vision defined in its policy documents. They are based on evidence, acquired through an AI-powered literature review and economic modelling (MIRAGRODEP) combined with participatory, country-led discussions on national priorities.

Defining the interventions

The portfolio of interventions address trade-offs between limiting greenhouse gas emissions while improving nutrition and increasing productivity without further deforestation or biodiversity loss. They align with the priority areas defined in the country’s national Roadmap for Food Systems for Sustainable Development 2030 and the National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition 2024-2028.

Healthy diets for all to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition

Diets in Cambodia lack diversity. They are highly skewed toward the consumption of starches and cereals, with limited vegetables and fruit, fats and oils, and a negligible consumption of dairy products. Both rural and urban households are increasingly consuming ultra-processed foods and sweets.

Interventions are needed to increase the affordability of food, promote informed consumer choice and strengthen the contribution of the private sector towards healthy diets.

Resilient livelihoods and resilient agrifood systems to protect agrifood systems against climate change and other shocks and stresses

To improve the agricultural sector’s low productivity and value addition, limited diversification, and insufficient market access, interventions are needed that improve crop choices and drought-resistant seeds, as well as scale up existing intercropping and agroforestry and sustainable aquaculture programmes.

The compounding impacts of climate change risk undoing years of economic developmental gains, while deforestation and the loss of mangroves and wetlands have exacerbated the impacts of climate change. Interventions are needed to improve water resource management and access to water, improved weather forecasts and early-warning systems, tracking real-time forest degration and reduce  agriculture and livestock emissions.

The lack of cold chains and inappropriate storage facilities, amplified by poor road networks, have resulted in high levels of food losses in Cambodia with an estimated damage rate of 25-40% for vegetables. Action is needed to improve harvesting, storage, and transport methods, establish a single agency with national responsibility for food safety and enact legislation to accelerate the reduction of food loss.

Empower women, youth & vulnerable people

Addressing the existing inequalities in agriculture will require that the most vulnerable participate in decision-making at all levels, reducing the work burden of women, and providing access to resources. Interventions needed that integrate women in agroecological innovations and provide youth skills training programmes to improve livelihoods

Governance for more inclusive agrifood systems

Regional and national institutions need better support to improve the capacity to monitor, analyse, and inform people on progress and achievements. Such capacities are critical for monitoring the agriculture and food systems outcomes from the portfolio of interventions.

What are the costs?

According to the research, Cambodia will need an additional USD 2.4 billion per year until 2030 to continue on its positive trajectory of eliminating hunger and poverty, and address the negative environmental and nutrition challenges. The costs are needed in the following areas:

• USD 700 million to improve farm productivity and incomes with a focus on methane reduction in the rice sector, production of vegetables, and sustainably improving the productivity of smallholders for cattle, poultry, ducks, and aquaculture

• USD 1.45 billion for social protection, education, and school feeding programmes 

• USD 250 million to move food to markets, with a focus on reducing food loss for vegetables

As Cambodia graduates from least developed country status by 2027 and becomes an upper-middle income country by 2030, ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture are critical.

Read the full report.