This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Read our privacy policy here.

2023 Annual Report:
Focus on Cambodia
Project Spotlight: Nurture Veg
Funding partners: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), HEKS/EPER, and Caritas Switzerland

Rural farmers in parts of northwestern Cambodia struggle with low yields and poor-quality produce, and their challenges are now exacerbated by climate change, contributing to food insecurity. Furthermore, with large-scale migration to urban areas, those who remain at home are often unprepared to run profitable farm businesses.
By training farmers in agroecological and climate-resilient vegetable production techniques that are suitable for local agronomic and climatic conditions, the Nurture Veg project is creating opportunities for income development and fostering greater resilience to climate change at the farm level. With improved knowledge, farmers can also better optimize production toward market needs, while increasing the supply of vegetables for consumers.
Ravuth’s Story: A Young Farmer’s Road to Profitability

Ravuth Sun left school after grade 7 to help support his family. When his father later died, Ravuth became responsible for the family farm. Now 19, he has five older siblings, but all of them left Cambodia to find work in Thailand.
In early 2023, he planted 4,000 square meters of cucumber. But things were not going well. His lack of knowledge about the market affected his income potential, and his cucumbers were attacked by thrips, aphids, whiteflies, and other pests. Ravuth purchased pesticides, but he did not know which products were appropriate or how to use them properly. Facing these challenges, he thought about following his siblings abroad.
“When I got less yield and income, I wanted to quit farming and go work in Thailand, but that would have left my mom alone, and I love farming. That’s why I kept growing vegetables.”
In August 2023, Ravuth had the chance to join the Nurture Veg project. Through EWS-KT’s trainings, he learned about topics such as land preparation, irrigation systems, and pest and disease management—which includes prevention and natural approaches as well as responsible use of chemical pesticides. The first crops he grew with the project were cauliflower and watermelon. After three months, he more than doubled the size of his farm, adding cabbage and sweet corn.
The training he received transformed his farming and made a remarkable difference in his crop quality and income. Instead of migrating to Thailand, Ravuth has found new purpose in sharing the techniques he learned with other farmers.