Poverty reduction through growth of the rural economy was a high priority in Cambodia. The ADB country operational strategy for Cambodia supported this thrust through investments in the populous and poor rural areas of the plains and Tonle Sap region. Agriculture, the backbone of the rural economy, was constrained by lack of irrigation facilities, poor roads and market facilities, and limited access to improved farming technology. Inhabitants of the project area in Kampong Thom Province relied on semi-subsistence farming, characterized by a single low-yield rain-fed rice crop per year. Most of the land was barren and fallow in the dry season due to lack of irrigation.
This report validates the completion report's assessment of the project which aims to improve the quality of life in Kampong Thom province in Cambodia through the provision of sustainable irrigation, agricultural extension, and rural infrastructure. IED overall assessment: Less than successful