From 2 to 4 June 2026, CDRI, in collaboration with the Research Unit of the General Secretariat for the National Social Protection Council, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, KOICA, WFP Cambodia, and IFPRI, organized a training and consultative workshop on the impact evaluation of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP).

The first two days focused on capacity building in impact evaluation methods, particularly on understanding real causal impact evaluation approaches and evidence use in public programmes. Technical sessions covered impact evaluation designs (experimental vs quasi-experimental designs), Difference-in-Differences, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), clustered designs, statistical power, and empirical exercises using Stata. The final day was dedicated to consultation and discussion on the programme’s objectives, research methods, and data collection approaches to support a comprehensive and effective evaluation process.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Planning, Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, Ministry of Women's Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, National Social Assistance Fund, National Payment Certification Agency, National Institute of Statistics, and other development partners.

This is part of CDRI's broader commitment to helping Cambodia transition from output-based monitoring to impact-oriented governance, ensuring public programmes are not just well-intentioned, but evidence-backed and results-driven.

Two more workshops are planned, covering data collection, analysis, and policy translation, building capacity step by step, in line with Cambodia's ambition to reach high-income status by 2050.