PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – December 02, 2025: A new NZD$12 million project designed to boost rural household incomes and ensure child well-being through climate-resilient horticulture was announced on November 29, 2025, at an event presided over by New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alongside Cambodia’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The new project, Growing Transformative Horticulture (GROWTH), is funded by the New Zealand Government and is implemented by Save the Children in Cambodia (SCI) in partnership with iDE Cambodia. The project will improve the economic security and livelihoods of 8,000 farming families and create a healthier, safer environment for over 10,000 children across four provinces of Cambodia: Koh Kong, Kampot, Siem Reap, and Banteay Meanchey.
New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Honourable Winston Peters, said, "New Zealand proudly supports the GROWTH project in Cambodia. The project aims to enhance the horticulture sector, which is vital as a driver of rural prosperity, and builds on over 20 years of agricultural collaboration."
Cambodia’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Dith Tina, said, "Today, we plant the seed of this vision. Through our collective dedication and partnership, we will nurture the GROWTH Project into a defining achievement in Cambodia’s journey toward modern, sustainable agriculture."
Cambodian smallholder farmers face a number of challenges. Unpredictable weather patterns and flooding can lead to crop damage and reduce income. Market fragmentation, limited access to coordination and market information, make it difficult for farmers to sell their products at fair prices. Farmers also have limited access to essential knowledge and finance, restricting their ability to improve productivity. The decrease of household income forces farmers to drop their children from school or minimize their intake of nutritious food.
"This collaboration represents a transformative approach, moving beyond traditional agricultural aid to build systemic resilience," said Reaksmey Hong, Country Director of Save the Children in Cambodia. "We are applying a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach that is deliberately pro-poor and child-sensitive. By coupling economic growth with rigorous women empowerment measures and child protection interventions, we ensure that market gains translate directly into improved child nutrition, safety, and education, aligning fully with MFAT's policy markers on Gender Equality, Child & Youth, and Climate Adaptation."
“GROWTH equips horticulture farmers with the knowledge, tools, and market connections they need to adopt climate-smart practices and access better markets,” said Kevin Robbins, iDE Cambodia Country Director. “By strengthening a resilient horticulture market system, fostering private sector engagement, and empowering women-led agricultural enterprises, the project supports families to improve their livelihoods, manage risks, and build more resilient communities. We will achieve this by working closely with key actors along the value chain, from the local to the national level.”
The GROWTH project builds directly on learnings from the previous MFAT-funded initiatives, namely Save the Children's System Approach to Transformative Economic Empowerment and Resilience (STEER) project and iDE's Climate Smart Commercial Horticulture Cambodia (CSmart) project, leveraging proven models for climate-smart agriculture adoption and market linkage.
Over the five years (2025-2030), GROWTH will directly benefit approximately 8,000 smallholder households (equivalent to around 40,000 individuals), support 700 local institutions or enterprises, and create benefits for an additional 165,000 individuals and 200 businesses indirectly.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Save the Children in Cambodia (SCI): Serves as the lead consortium organisation, responsible for overall management and leading activities related to child protection, GEDSI, and community engagement. SCI/SCNZ also provides financial oversight and contributes technical support.
iDE Cambodia: A core implementing partner providing MSD leadership, overseeing the technical implementation of market and private-sector engagement, and supporting value chain development and innovation. IDE's SHE Team will support women agri-entrepreneurs across the horticulture market system to support women’s economic empowerment and local economic development. (Note: The acronym "iDE" is used consistently across the documents without a spelt-out name.)
MEDIA CONTACT
Mr. Sana Mot, Head of Programme Operations, Save the Children in Cambodia (SCI)
Mobile: (855) 17 584 727
Email: sana.mot@savethechildren.org
Ms. Tet Chann, Senior Communications Manager, iDE Cambodia
Mobile: (855) 11 276 775
Email: tchann@ideglobal.org
