Water Resources Management Research Capacity Development Programme

Introduction
 Research Team
 Activities
Publications
 Scholarships
Links
 Contacts
WELCOME to the Water Resources Management Research Capacity Development Programme (WRMRCDP) website. This site has been designed to allow the public to access research findings and information regarding water management, irrigation and agriculture in Cambodia.

1. Introduction

WRMRCDP is funded by Australia’s Agency for International Development (AusAID) and is being implemented by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) in collaboration with the University of Sydney (UoS) and the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), and in consultation with the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM), the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and other stakeholders. The project will take place over a five year period, beginning in July 2006 and ending in June 2011. Research activities will focus on the Tonle Sap Lake watershed in Cambodia.

2. Programme Background

The initial idea for the project originated from discussions on agriculture and water in the Technical Working Group on Agriculture and Water (TWGAW), co-chaired by MOWRAM and MAFF. One of the main challenges confronting Cambodian farmers today is securing access to adequate water resources for irrigation and other household uses. There are national plans to expand the area of irrigated land and improve the management of available freshwater resources. There have been suggestions that research be commissioned to examine models of local/community management of water resources and public-private partnerships, and assess the impact of these on rural incomes and livelihoods.

WRMRCDP has been formulated in accordance with the key strategic areas of the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP). These include increasing the area of irrigated land, improving the management of water resources and increasing rice productivity. In addition, the programme looks at a number of cross-cutting issues relevant to not only the NSDP, but also the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals and the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

3. Goal and Objectives  
                                                                                                                                                    
The goal of the programme is: “To improve the use and governance of water resources to increase agricultural production and the sustainable use of natural resources in Cambodia”.

To achieve this goal, the project will focus on three objectives:

  1. to develop high quality data and knowledge on water resource research and management in Cambodia.

  2. to improve water resource research management capacity in Cambodia.

  3. to disseminate reliable and high quality knowledge and information on water resource management.

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