Bridging the Gender Gap in Cambodia’s STEM Education and Careers
Women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Cambodia reflects structural constraints rather than lower interest or ability, reinforced by limited career information and guidance. Despite rising female enrollment overall, women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and information and...
Breaking the Vulnerability Trap: A One Health Approach to Rural Resilience in Cambodia
Institutionalising the One Health approach within national agricultural extension services can significantly strengthen climate and disease resilience among smallholder farmers.Women-Led Groups are critical catalysts for technology adoption, peer learning, and income diversification, and should be integrated into national rural development stra...
Strengthening Community Fish Refuges for Climate-Resilient Food Systems and Integrated Water-Fisheries-Agriculture Governance in Cambodia
Cambodia’s inland fisheries contribute an estimated 8–12 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), while Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) contribute 30 percent of Cambodia’s inland fishery production and provide the primary source of animal protein for most rural households.Evidence from six CFRs in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng province...
Economic Reintegration of Returnees and Border-Province Development Strategies in the Post-Conflict Period
Reintegration must move beyond employment numbers towards productivity and income recovery:Large-scale job matching initiatives have absorbed many returnees, but employment alone does not ensure durable reintegration. Income has declined, vulnerability remains high, and skills mismatch persists. Policy must shift toward job quality, productivit...
Strengthening Water Governance in Cambodia: Responding to Climate Risks, Altered Hydrology and Institutional Fragmentation
Good water governance requires transparency, accountability, participation, responsiveness, and the rule of law, ensuring water is allocated fairly, used efficiently, and protected for future generations through effective institutions and policies.Growing pressures, including floods, droughts, pollution, competing demands, and climate change,...
Addressing Barriers to Digital Adoption Among Cambodian Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Gender gaps in digital adoption are mainly linked to structural factors affecting business scale rather than gender-specific technology barriers. When firm size is comparable, men and women owners show similar rates of digital adoption.Barriers to digital adoption for MSMEs include limited information, skill shortages, uncertain economic benefits,...
How District Technical Working Groups are Reviving Cambodia’s Floodplain Ecosystems
Cambodia’s floodplains face chronic water conflicts driven by competing demands for rice irrigation, fisheries, and domestic use. Left unresolved, these conflicts degrade multi-functional ecosystems, which undermine food system productivity, ecological resilience, local economies, and social relations. These challenges constrain Cambodia’s ability...
Economic Impacts of the United States Tariff on Cambodia
Due to the April 2025 announcement of new, country-specific United States (US) import tariffs, bilateral trade relationships with the US have taken center stage in developing countries, especially small, export-oriented economies like Cambodia. Exports to the US are about 33% of total Cambodian exports and worth 25% of gross domestic product (G...
STEM Teacher Capacity Building in Cambodia: Towards Future Policy Interventions
Among many continuous professional development (CPD) pursuits, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-focused activities mainly involve workshops and in-school training. Nearly 80 percent of the teachers sampled (n=401) attended at least one workshop throughout their teaching career, yet only half of them participated in at least...
Turning Crisis into Opportunity: A Programme of Intervention for Cambodian Returnees
Following the 2025 border conflict with Thailand, nearly one million Cambodian migrant workers have returned home, threatening rural livelihoods and national stability. This policy brief outlines a comprehensive intervention program developed by CDRI and ERIA to address the crisis. It proposes immediate relief through cash transfers, job creation,...