Presentation by Jessica Rosien, Oxfam; at the "CSO Panel 2: Food for All - What will it take? An Exploration of the Contribution of Small-holder Farmers to Food Security and ADB's Role", organized by Oxfam; 3 May 2013 during the 46th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Delhi, India.

1. ADB and Agriculture:
The Relevance of Safeguard Policies for Food Security
Case Study:
Tonle Sap Lowlands Rural Development Project, Cambodia
Jessica Rosien, Oxfam
46th
ADB Annual Meeting
3 May 2013, Delhi, India
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do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB), or its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not
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presented, nor does it make any representation concerning the same."

2. ADB’s approach to food security and
agriculture:
*2008: commitment to food security through
multi-sector approach
•Not one of ADB’s core areas under Strategy
2020
•Direct agriculture projects
•Indirect projects: infrastructure for transport;
water management and microfinance
•Project benefits for indirect often described in
terms of overall contribution to poverty reduction
• Both direct and indirect: little assessment of
outcomes in relation to food security
• Risk assessments in terms of achievement of
project outputs

3. Report:
ADB and Agriculture: The Importance of Safeguarding Food
Security
Case Study: Tonle Sap Lowlands Rural Development Project
Cambodia
• Rationale
• Methodology
• Purpose

4. Tonle Sap Lowlands Rural Development Project, Cambodia
Overall Project Description
•Focus: improvement of rural infrastructure and increased rural income opportunities
•Set-up: communes and provincial level governments determine and implement subprojects
according to needs and priorities
Subproject: Prasat village, Sangkor Commune, Kampong Svay
•Social infrastructure
• Water management and irrigation
• Rural road improvement
• Livelihoods improvement and employment enhancement

5. Overall assessment
• Overall TSLRDP project design and set-up: integrated community development
• Subproject welcome by commune members
• Subproject encountering challenges in implementation that are likely to undermine
intended outcomes
• Safeguard policy implementation is mixed; generally considered, but some gaps
(particularly in regard to environment)
• Project outcomes focus on increased economic activity – not necessarily the same as
food security
• Project is increasing food security for some households
• Difficult to get exact assessment in terms of increased food security
• In terms of food security and poverty reduction, project not able to reach the poorest of
the poor

6. Safeguard Policy Implementation – Overall Project
Note: Project approval: 2007: old Safeguard Policies apply
• Environment Policy
•Policy on Indigenous Peoples
•Involuntary Resettlement Policy
•Gender
•Public Participation
•Information Disclosure

7. Subproject: Prasat Village, Sangkor Commune, Kampong Svay
•(Social infrastructure)
• Water management and irrigation
• Rural road improvement
• Livelihoods improvement and employment enhancement

8. Water Management Infrastructure/Irrigation Component
•Construction of spillway and head regulator on main canal in Prasat village
• Rehabilitation of 5.2 km Prasat secondary irrigation canal
•Construction of structures (regulators) along secondary canal
• Project set up: Farmer Water User Group

9. Credit: Carl Middleton

10. Credit: Carl Middleton

11. Credit: Carl Mid

12. Water Management Infrastructure – Irrigation Component:
Safeguard Policy Implementation
• Resettlement
• Environment
• Participation
• Gender
• (Indigenous Peoples)

13. Rural Road Improvement Component
6. 5 km road rehabilitation between Krasang Ka and Prasat village

14. Credit: Carl Middleton

15. Rural Road Improvement Component
Safeguard Policy implementation
• Resettlement
• Environment
• Participation

16. Rural Livelihoods Improvement and Employment Enhancement Component
• Livelihoods improvement groups
• Integrated farming demonstration
• e.g. greenhouses for vegetable production, chicken raising projects,
fish raising projects
• Value chain pilots and farmer field schools

17. Credit: Carl Middleton

18. Rural Livelihoods Improvement and Employment Enhancement Component
Safeguard Policy implementation
• Participation
• Environment

19. Broader Implications: Safeguard Policy Issues
• Supervision and implementation at community level
• Accurate environmental categorisation
• Environmental considerations should be core to project design
•Resettlement: community agreement does not mean that shortcuts can be
taken
• Indigenous Peoples
• Meaningful public participation with resources provided to implementing
agencies
• ADB staff should be enabled and rewarded for safeguard policy
implementation
•

20. Recommendations for ADB: Food Security and Safeguard Policies
Commit to making food security an objective itself for its agriculture projects, and to
ensure that its overall portfolio contributes to food security
Commit to developing monitoring system that assesses pre- and post-project
impacts of its agriculture projects and overall investment on food security and
livelihoods at the community and household level.
Develop monitoring system in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including
small-scale farmers
Implement and improve safeguard policies with specific attention to promoting and
safeguarding food security.

21. Thank you!
Contact: Jessica Rosien, Oxfam
jessicarosien@oxfam.org.au