Cambodia Organic Farm Clinic Internship
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Thailand -Cambodia Organic Farm Clinic Internship Thailand 20-29 June 2013 Background As participants of the Pro-Poor Public Private Partnership Learning Route (organized by PROCASUR in Thailand during 2012), the Project for Agricultural Development and Economic Empowerment (PADEE) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries (MAFF) of Cambodia designed a proposal for improving life quality of the rural farmers through the access to innovative agricultural and business techniques and strategies. PADEE’s team drew its attention to the peer-to-peer extension service approach promoted by the Ministry of Agricultural and Cooperatives of Thailand. Particularly importance has been given to the Community Learning Centres (CLC) model as a public private partnership tool for the provision of technical assistance and capacity building. On that basis, PADEE developed the “Organic Farm Clinic” as its Innovation Plan, aiming to pilot the CLCs peer-to-peer training approach with organic rice and safe vegetables in the provinces of Takeo and Kandal where Organic Rice and Safe Vegetables Value Chains are being promoted. The Innovation has a total cost of USD 107 500 and a duration of twelve months. The Innovation plan considered two exchanges between Cambodia and Thailand, first an internship in Thailand where PADEE staff and beneficiaries learn directly from the CLC the agricultural techniques that allows them to become self-sufficient, improve famers organization and access to new markets. Moreover, during this internship Cambodian farmers will learn how to define, provide and evaluate technical assistance and capacity building services by the establishment of sustainable and profitable “Organic Farms Clinics”. The second exchange will occur in October 2013, when a delegation of Thai CLC Managers and MOAC officials visit the province of Takeo and Kandal and support the establishment of the “Organic Farm Clinics”. The Thailand - Cambodia Organic Farm Clinic Internship is a customized knowledge exchange platform, prepared to coach PADEE staff and beneficiaries in the rationale and overarching competences required to set up centres as the MOAC supported Thai CLCs. Couching will also address production, process and commercialization requirements related to organic rice and safe vegetables crops. The Sufficiency Economy and Community Learning Centres The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy constitutes the macro-policy framework for the Community Learning Centres (CLC) and the Prach Chao Bann (known as local champions outside of Thailand) as their managers. Thailand has been transforming into a knowledge-based economy, fostering knowledge generation and knowledge CLCs are an innovative model for practical management. The perception that the poor display lack of application to a wide range of issues and knowledge to increase their income leads to the were introduced in 1997 by H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. establishment of learning centres in rural areas. The Sufficiency Economy stands on three key principles: moderation, wisdom and resilience against risks. In order to make these principles work, two conditions are needed: knowledge and integrity. The Sufficiency Economy is not self-sufficiency alone, as it offers a way to cope with the realities of the market and the modern world (globalization). It promotes the middle path for balancing the utilisation of own resources, in this case, farmers. The government began to adopt the Sufficiency Economy in many of its projects and programmes across ministries, interacting with the private sector, civil society organisations and community-based organisations. In agriculture, the first stage was that the farmers were encouraged to follow the zoning. Small-scale ponds were constructed by the government through private contractors at a small cost to the farmers. Rice harvest ensured food security within the farming households during off-season. Diversified farming tended to minimise risks so prevalent in agriculture. Surplus farm produced from crops, fish, poultry and other livestock could be sold to the market for cash income. In the second stage, individual farmers could organise themselves with government assistance into formal groupings such as cooperatives and community enterprises or informal groupings in order to improve product quality and standard, and to gain better access to the market for their own produce and for farm inputs. In the third stage, these farmers’ groupings would expand and become more formal, linking among themselves in the sharing of knowledge and experiences, and more importantly, in doing businesses with others in the national and global context. With the pass of time, farmer initiatives and MOAC support became a consistent program: for the year 2009 the total amount of CLC’s summed up 1.139 and 1,053.9 million Baht (aprox. USD 31 millions at that time) invested so far. These resources were invested in the selection of more than 300 local champions—the Prach Chao Bann—, in building and/or improving the learning facilities and the independent evaluations of their educative performance. Moreover, the most important investment has been to legitimize the CLC performance by subsidizing the provision of training to poor farmers who seek MOAC support. The 2011 evaluation report focused on the effectiveness of the Local Scholar Network Learning Centres Development to impact on knowledge, understanding and application of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, with a sample of 1230 trainees from the 2007-2011 periods. Data reveals that 98.81% of the respondents actually understood and applied the acquired knowledge. An unexpected result of the evaluation reveals that most of them also got engaged on knowledge dissemination activities to the communities and joined or founded farmers groups. 2 Objectives As staff and farmers will play different roles in the star-up of the Organic Farm Clinics in Cambodia, the Internship has different objectives. PADEE STAFF Addressing the program rationale and adjusting its operative framework to fit Cambodian institutional settlements. Identifying and addressing key capacity building and enabling environment project objectives. PADEE Farmers Enhancing management skills related to farm enterprise organization, production, marketing and networking. Designing an action plan for the setup of Organic Farm Clinics in Cambodia following a business model structure assuring their sustainability. Dates and locations The Internship Bangkok and will be officially Open on the 20th June, 08:00 at the Trang Hotel Conference Room, Bangkok. Its official Closure will be the 29th June, 16:00, same venue. As shown in the map, each Group will visit different provinces from the 20th to 29th June. These provinces are: Bangkok (special territory), Suphanburi, Lopburi, Nakornrat-chasima and Nakorn-prathom. Cambodia delegation arrives the 19th June and departs the 1st of July. Bangkok: Opening and closure of the Internship Lopburi: Peer to Peer Exchange Workshop Safe Vegetables Group CLC Organic Rice Group CLC 3 Services PROCASUR will organize technical and operational services as follows: 1. Technical and operational assistance before, during and after the Internship 2. Payment to experts, trainers and interpreters; training materials in both Khmer and Thai. 3. Accommodation in shared rooms in Bangkok and Lopburi and at the CLCs training facilities. 4. Three daily meals and refreshments. Please note that tobacco and alcohol are strictly prohibited at the CLCs. 5. Local and interprovincial transportation in Thailand Contacts For more information and emergencies please contact us! www.asia.procasur.org and www.facebook.com/procasur.asia Name E-mail Phone Mr. Ariel Halpern [email protected] +66 83 2083728 Ms. Warawan Baranski [email protected] +66 53 272362 Mr. Phichet Nanta [email protected] +66 89 4315288 Ms. Darunee Sighphongprai [email protected] +66 80 1312414 Procasur Corporation is a global organization specialized in harvesting and scaling-up homegrown innovations. The organization’s mission is to foster local knowledge exchange to end rural poverty. By sharing innovations through customized local knowledge-management tools and methodologies, the organization connects global institutions with local talents, providing the structured learning platforms necessary to spread innovation. Procasur has facilitated learning opportunities in over 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting the lives and livelihoods of thousands of rural talents across the globe. To learn more, visit asia.procasur.org. 4 The trainers The Internship is being hosted by four outstanding Prach Chao Baan or Local Champions. They have been appointed by MOAC Thailand as the most suitable service providers for Cambodian interest. Safe Vegetables Group trainers Mr. Amnat Mhaiyodklang, Nakornrat-chasima Province (20 – 23 June) It was 1994 when Mr. Amnat Maiyodklang decided to start a “Organic Farming Project” in Wang Nam Keaw District, near to the city of Korat, with his attention to problems on mono-crop farming affecting forest and soil, the spread of chemical uses, damaging the health conditions of both, customer and producer. He registered a Community Learning Centre under the New Theory of Agriculture Development Project, following the sufficiency economy philosophy, organized by the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in 2007. The Centre trains up to 1000 farmers every month, in lapses varying