Stakeholders Convene to Build Low-Emission Rice MRV Pathway for Cambodia

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA (19 June 2026) — Key stakeholders from the Royal Government of Cambodia, international organizations, and the private sector gathered to discuss and advance a national Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) roadmap for low-emission rice production. 

Jointly supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the World Bank, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the consultation workshop marked a strategic step toward building a functional framework to track carbon reduction across Cambodia’s rice sector at scale. 

The initiative aligns with Cambodia’s national climate commitments under its Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 targets and its Long-Term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality. While the rice sector remains an economic cornerstone, supporting the livelihoods of over 5 million people and generating more than 14 million tonnes of paddy rice in 2025, it is also the agricultural sector’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To tackle these emissions, MAFF is advancing low-carbon farming through the World Bank-supported Next Generation Rice Academy and establishing low-emission pilot sites. These pilots operate through Modern Agriculture Communities under the Cambodia Agricultural Sector Diversification Project, borrowing proven practices from regional neighbors like Vietnam, where low-emission models have successfully boosted smallholder profits while lowering emissions and preserving local biodiversity. 

During the workshop, project partners presented recent findings from rice production trials in Battambang province, outlining plans to expand these field experiments into dedicated pilots under Modern Agriculture Communities. Attendees examined scenario modeling on potential GHG reductions achieved through optimized lowland farming practices, while reviewing an updated MRV framework designed to unlock climate finance and private-sector investment. 

Presenting at the workshop, IRRI Climate Change Scientist Dr. Bui Tan Yen outlined current farming practices and feasible mitigation options, including integrated water-saving technologies and mechanized straw collection customized for Cambodia's main rice-growing regions. Dr. Yen stressed several guiding principles for national rollout: avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions, adjusting targets as new technologies emerge, promoting bundled innovation packages over standalone techniques, tailoring approaches to local socio-economic contexts, and communicating with growers in practical, farmer-friendly language rather than technical jargon. 

Workshop participants also tackled the broader structural requirements needed to scale low-emission practices nationwide. Discussions underscored that establishing a functional MRV system requires a cross-cutting ecosystem approach that connects multiple government entities, bridging MAFF for agricultural production, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology for irrigation infrastructure, and the Ministry of Environment for carbon accounting.

Closing the event, H.E. Khim Finan, Under Secretary of State for MAFF, reflected on the collective momentum driving the initiative forward. He noted that while navigating the technical complexities of low-carbon transition is challenging, institutional capacity is steadily growing because the stakes for farming communities are so high. He reminded participants that the overarching goal of the roadmap is twofold: protecting the environment while delivering tangible economic benefits to local farmers.

This activity is contributed by the Accelerating scaling of Low-Emissions Rice (AcceLER) and the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program.