Phnom Penh (VNA) – The World Bank approved a 93-million-USD credit for the Cambodia Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development Project III (LASED III), it said in a press statement last week.

The project will help improve land tenure security and access to infrastructure and agricultural and social services for landless and poor smallholders and indigenous communities in Cambodia.

The Cambodian government has established a legal framework for Social Land Concessions (SLC) that expands land titling for the landless rural poor. It has also promoted Indigenous Communal Land Titling (ICLT) to enhance tenure security for indigenous people over their lands.

“Access to land, better agriculture practices and extension services to improve productivity as well as access to better public services are crucial for the rural poor,” said Inguna Dobraja, World Bank Country Manager for Cambodia.

LASED III will build on the experience of LASED and LASED II to expand the implementation of the SLC programme. Land titling for indigenous communities will support the completion of several ongoing ICLT processes and will also provide assistance to communities that have already completed their ICLT processes.

LASED III will cover 71 sites and communities in all provinces in Cambodia except Phnom Penh. The project will support building rural roads, small-scale irrigation systems, water supply and sanitation facilities, school buildings, teachers’ houses, health posts and community centers.

New SLC beneficiaries will receive assistance for their first-year crops, including seedlings.

The project will also provide technical assistance to implement climate-smart agriculture techniques, establish farmers’ organisations for production and marketing activities, and manage community funds to scale up local economic activities./.
VNA