1. Future Smart Foods for Cambodia
Harnessing the potentials of Future Smart Foods for
Zero Hunger in Cambodia
Dr. Sok Silo, Deputy Secretary General,
Council for Rural and Agricultural Development,
Office of the Council of Ministers, Kingdom of Cambodia
30 November, 2018, Bangkok

2. Presentation Outline
I. Commitment of the Royal Government of Cambodia
II. Future Smart Foods for diversity and sustainability
III. Suggested Future Smart Foods for Cambodia
IV. Conclusions for Cambodia
V. Balancing interests and investments in new product
development
VI. New solutions for New Challenges

4. ▪ To address the issue of malnutrition,
the Royal Government of Cambodia
(RGC) has prioritized food security
and nutrition and considers
investment in nutrition as an
“accelerator” to scale up the
achievement of other SDGs relating
to people’s well-being, human capital
and national economic development,
and the RGC has committed to Leave
No One Behind.
I- Commitment of the Royal Government of
Cambodia

5. ▪ Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen gave
specific recommendations for dealing with
malnutrition including that we must
‘Continue to invest in strengthening food
diversification… by focusing on the
diversification of climate-resilient and
nutrition-rich crops and seeds and
increasing production of vegetables, fruit,
poultry and fish, food systems and changes
of attitude in order to promote food security
and nutrition, and food safety, and to
improve food quality for the people.’
I- Commitment of the Royal Government of
Cambodia

6. II- Future Smart Foods for diversity and
sustainability
▪ Through its policy of agricultural diversification, the
RGC and development partners have aligned their
efforts to promote a wider range of crops for
sustainable production and consumption.
▪ This is helping to shift the emphasis away from rice
to a wider range of crops including vegetables,
pulses, fruits and other crops.
▪ The search for future smart foods for Cambodia
helps to extend the prospects for diversification and
tailors the selection process around local
adaptation, resilience to climate change, market
potential and nutritional value.

7. III- Suggested Future Smart Foods for
Cambodia
1. Wild Vigna (Vigna umbellate)
2. Sweet Potato (Ipomoea
batatas)
3. Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
4. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
5. Ivy Gourd (Coccinia grandis)
6. Drum stick (Moringa oleifera)
7. Yam (Dioscorea Esculenta)

8. III.1. Wild Vigna (Vigna umbellate)
▪ Origin and distribution: Annual
form, mostly grow in upland
areas and drought tolerant.
▪ Part of plant used: Seed used
for soup, glutinous rice cake and
dessert.
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: high protein content, high sulphur amino acids
and consequently a high chemical score. Moreover, the level of resistant starch
was also high (64–75%). Trypsin inhibitors present thought to prevent cancer.

9. III.2. Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)
▪ Distribution and availability:
Perennial vine and drought
tolerant, mostly planted in sandy
soils in lowland areas.
▪ Part of plant used: Roots are
boiled, fried or made into dried
chips while leaves are used for
cooking and animal feeding.
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: High vitamin A, energy and carbohydrate,
vitamin B6, vitamin C and Vitamin D and magnesium, which is the relaxation
and anti-stress mineral.

10. III.3. Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
▪ Distribution and availability:
Grown in both upland and
lowland areas, mostly around the
village beside the paddy field.
▪ Parts of plant used: corm and
leaf.
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: Corm rich in carbohydrate and leaf rich in
calcium. Health benefits of taro root include its ability to improve digestion,
protect the skin, increase circulation, and lower blood sugar levels. Cooking
negates toxic effects.

11. III.4. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
▪ Distribution and availability:
mostly grown in upland area. In
lowland areas sometimes grown
after wet season rice.
▪ Part of plant used: seed
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: Rich in energy, fat, carbohydrate, protein and
manganese which have been shown to promote heart health.

12. III.5. Slek Bash or Ivy Gourd (Coccinia
grandis)
▪ Distribution and availability:
found among the wild plants
near the village along the fences.
▪ Part of plant used: Leaf used
for soup. Boiled leaves can be
used for salad and eaten with
fermented fish.
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: rich in vitamins and minerals including iron,
Vitamin B2, Vitamin B1, dietary fiber and calcium. Reported to lower blood
sugar level, prevent obesity, prevent kidney stones, lower heart disease and
risk of stroke.

13. III.6. Drum stick (Moringa oleifera)
▪ Distribution and availability:
Drum stick trees are planted
along fences and in home
gardens. Some commercial
production
▪ Parts of plant used: leaves and
seed
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: Rich in Ca, K, Vitamin C, and protein, highly
nutritious and powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and tissue-protective
properties. Becoming more popular and has potential for value adding from
making moringa powder.

14. III.7. Yam (Dioscorea Esculenta)
▪ Distribution and availability:
Perennial vine and Yam typically
plant in Humid tropic in both
lowland and Upland areas.
▪ Part of plant used: Tubers are
boiled, made a sweetened
dessert, soups, fried or made into
dried chips while leaves are used
for cooking and animal feeding.
▪ Nutrition and health benefit: Vitamin A, energy and carbohydrate, vitamin
B6, vitamin C and Vitamin D and High Potasium, Calcium, Phosphorus,
magnesium .

15. IV- Conclusions for Cambodia
▪ A diversity of underutilized crops was found in Cambodia.
▪ Farmers tend to keep traditional practices in agriculture and maintain
significant crop genetic diversity in their fields but there is rapid change
underway.
▪ Rice is the main crop followed by cassava, maize and cashew nut,
however, production still remain in difficulties in some areas due to
drought, submergence and heat.
▪ Therefore, underutilized crops can play an important role in food
security, nutrition and income generation.
▪ Some traditional varieties are rapidly replaced by the introduced variety
due to preferences for high yield, commercial interests and lack of seed
source (e.g. local maize) and thereafter are in danger of extinction.

16. Public Sector Interests
▪ Regulation of the private sector in
the public interest
▪ Incentives for actions that promote
sustainable production and
consumption
▪ Investment of public funds in public
goods including research for
agricultural production and public
health
▪ Information and education
campaigns to guide the public and
inform decision makers
Private Sector Interests
▪ Market responsiveness is
critical
▪ Value chains are primarily
private sector networks
▪ Profitability the driving
concern for the private sector
▪ Limited interest or capacity for
investing in research activity
▪ Less interest in promotion of
diversity
V- Balancing interests and investments in
new product development

17. VI- New solutions for New Challenges
▪ Government must proceed with caution in promoting the
cultivation of specific crops in Cambodia.
▪ However, the selection criteria defining future smart foods
ensure that both the interests of farmers and consumers are
protected.
▪ We must examine the full range of species and varieties
available for development, looking into the prospects for
endemic or underutilised species to offer new solutions for the
new challenges that we face in the future.

18. Thank You for your Attention !