Background
The Kampong Thom Livelihoods Promotion Project is a provincial agricultural development program launched in 2025 with a four-year implementation period (2025–2028) and a total budget of more than US$430,000, including a US$200,000 private contribution from Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Vissoth. The project focuses on strengthening production capacity, diversifying rural income sources and building community producer groups across Kampong Thom province.
By 2026 the project had signed contracts with 25 agricultural communities and two producer groups, covering 570 households engaged in eight production activities that include greenhouse vegetable production and poultry farming. Provincial implementation combines technical training, inputs and equipment provision, financial-management support for community savings groups, and market-linkage measures coordinated by central ministries, local authorities and development partners.
Key Developments
On 3 October 2026 Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Vissoth led a field visit to two community agriculture groups in Baray district to review progress and meet participating farmers. During the visit the Office of the Council of Ministers and project partners announced donations that included two compost-production machines, one substrate-processing machine for oyster-mushroom production, and a glass-door freezer for community market sales, together with commitments to provide technical agricultural and financial-management training.
Institutional Role
The Office of the Council of Ministers has positioned the project as a provincial priority implemented with participation from ministries (including agriculture and commerce), development banks, small- and medium-enterprise finance institutions, and civil-society partners such as Heifer International and CoDec. Local authorities and producer groups are signatories in project contracts and are responsible for local coordination, group management and applying agreed technical standards for production and input use.
Operational Implications
Project guidance emphasizes strengthening leadership, internal financial controls and producer-group governance to improve profitability and sustainability. Field recommendations include encouraging use of locally produced inputs such as compost instead of imported chemical fertilizers, exploring contract-farming arrangements for fish and rice seed, and reviewing interest-rate arrangements for community savings groups to limit household debt burdens.
