Cambodia: Climate Adaptive Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience Project (CAISAR)

approved

The Project, led by Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM), aims to strengthen climate resilience in the country's agriculture sector by improving irrigation, promoting sustainable farming, and building institutional capacity. The Project will (i) apply climate adaptation solutions and sustainable water-use practices to increase irrigation efficiency at the farm and scheme level; (ii) rehabilitate and upgrade irrigation facilities to increase water availability in the dry season, improve flood-protection and drainage to reduce flood risks in the wet season; and (iii) facilitating project management activities to ensure high-quality project implementation. The Project is co-financed in parallel by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), with AIIB serving as the lead co-financier and IFAD administering GCF-financed components. Counterpart funding will be provided by the Government of Cambodia (GoC). The Project components are: Component 1. Farm-level Climate Adaptation and Resilience Component 2. Upgrading and Climate-proofing Water Infrastructure for Increased Resilience Component 3. Strengthened Institutional and Regulatory Capacity for Low-emission Climate-resilient Development Pathways The Project is implemented in four (4) provinces of Cambodia (Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, and Pursat provinces). It is anticipated that the Project would directly benefit about 562,000 rural people by enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change. In this Project, AIIB finances the following: (i) subcomponent 2.1: Rehabilitate and upgrade irrigation systems, including gravity-fed and solar-powered solutions, to enhance water availability and improve efficiency; and (ii) subcomponent 3.4: Project management and monitoring with a focus on strengthening PMU capacity and undertaking monitoring and evaluation activities.