PHNOM PENH: Plans are underway to construct an integrated farm covering nearly 100ha to create jobs and restore the livelihoods of the almost 500 families in Ta Keung Baitong village who were relocated because of the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict.
The Preah Vihear provincial administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB) are currently in discussions about the project.
Approximately half of the residents of the newly established “waiting village” of 645 houses have had to seek employment in other provinces because there are insufficient local opportunities to support their families.
Preah Vihear provincial governor Kim Rithy told a roundtable discussion on landmines and unexploded ordnance in the province that the construction of homes and essential infrastructure had addressed residents’ immediate housing needs, but job creation remained critical to their long-term recovery.
“Some go to harvest cassava for others, some take casual jobs and some work as labourers to earn an income because there are no jobs in the village,” he said.
Rithy added that some residents also entered nearby forests to collect non-timber forest products and vines to sell for additional income.
His remarks highlighted that although displaced residents have received new homes and basic services, the restoration of their livelihoods remains incomplete.
Rithy noted that Prime Minister Hun Manet had instructed the provincial administration to work with the agriculture ministry and the ARDB to develop employment opportunities in the area.
The ARDB has proposed establishing a large integrated farm on nearly 100ha to raise cattle, pigs, chickens, ducks and fish, as well as grow vegetables.
The project is expected to provide employment for nearly 500 families, allowing them to earn an income locally without having to travel elsewhere for work.
In addition to providing jobs, the project would train residents to raise livestock and conduct agricultural activities independently at their homes and on their own land.
Once their livestock, vegetables and other agricultural products are ready, residents could sell them to the project team or through a wholesale market, also planned for the area.
The governor explained that the proposal would not focus solely on developing the farm. It would also establish a market mechanism to ensure residents had buyers for their products and could generate a regular income.
“The first component involves investment in the farm, while the second is the establishment of a wholesale market,” he said.
Rithy did not provide the project’s estimated budget, starting date, implementation period or a timeline for when residents could begin receiving employment.
Ta Keung Baitong village was developed for people unable to return to their original homes because their communities are located in areas classified by provincial authorities as red or yellow zones.
Rithy explained that red zones refer to areas which the provincial administration alleges are under Thai occupation, while yellow zones are locations that continue to pose high security risks.
He said approximately 97 per cent of displaced residents in the province had returned to their original homes, while the remaining 3 per cent were still unable to do so.
To address the housing needs of those who could not return, the government constructed 645 homes in Ta Keung Baitong village. Each home has a bathroom, kitchen, clean water supply and electricity connection.
The village has also been provided with roads, a health centre, police and military police posts, administrative offices and schools ranging from kindergarten to lower secondary level.
The governor said the Ta Keung area was originally designated for conservation and contained extensive forest cover. Housing and infrastructure construction was therefore carried out with efforts to minimise tree clearance.
Despite the provision of homes and essential infrastructure, the project’s implementation, access to reliable markets and the level of income residents can earn will ultimately determine whether the new village can provide sustainable livelihoods for the relocated families. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
