The project, funded through the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), will run from 2025 to 2029 and directly support around 24,000 people — including smallholder farmers, women, and people with disabilities. - Supplied via PPP/ANN
PHNOM PENH: The Australian government and World Vision have launched a new AUD 10 million (US$6.5 million) initiative to strengthen climate resilience and create green jobs across Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, aiming to make agri-food systems fairer, greener and more inclusive in the face of accelerating climate change.
The “Building Climate-adaptive Solutions through Inclusive Market Networks” (BASIN) project, funded through the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), will run from 2025 to 2029 and directly support around 24,000 people — including smallholder farmers, women and people with disabilities — while indirectly benefiting more than 200,000 others in the region.
Over the next four years, BASIN will focus on helping farmers and small businesses adopt climate-smart practices, strengthen links between producers and buyers, and promote gender equality and social inclusion within local economies.
The programme will be implemented in Kratie province in Cambodia, Champasak in Laos, and An Giang in Vietnam — areas identified as among the most vulnerable to climate impacts.
“BASIN is not just a response to climate change — it’s also rewiring how local markets work so everyone can participate and thrive,” said Thano Im, regional programme director at World Vision.
“We’re co-designing solutions with communities, businesses and policymakers so that the models and policies developed will endure long after the last dollar is invested,” he added.
He noted that the project will also focus on empowering women, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities — groups often hit hardest by climate impacts but least represented in decision-making.
“BASIN will engage men as allies and strengthen women’s voice and agency at home, in cooperatives and beyond,” he added.
The Australian government described the initiative as part of its broader commitment to building resilience and promoting sustainable, inclusive growth in the Mekong subregion.
“Australia is proud to support BASIN through the Mekong-Australia Partnership,” said Andrew Egan, deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy in Thailand.
“We are deepening our engagement with Mekong partners to reduce climate vulnerabilities and enhance economic resilience. This initiative represents our commitment to locally driven, inclusive development,” he explained.
The BASIN project will also collaborate with the University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS ISF) to gather evidence that can shape provincial and national policies.
Frederico Davila, research director at UTS ISF, said the partnership will help ensure that community-level experiences inform broader decision-making.
“With climate change accelerating in the region, targeted research and evidence-based dialogue on inclusive and climate-resilient growth is critical,” he said.
Home to over 300 million people, the Mekong subregion faces increasing threats from climate change, persistent poverty and entrenched gender inequality.
The BASIN project aims to address these overlapping challenges by improving local market systems, creating sustainable jobs and ensuring that vulnerable groups have a fair opportunity to participate in and benefit from economic growth.
By combining local action with regional collaboration, BASIN seeks to deliver lasting, community-led solutions that strengthen livelihoods and help Mekong communities adapt to a changing climate. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
