Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Land poverty and emerging ruralities in Cambodia: insights from Kampot province

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rural change in Cambodia manifests itself in rapidly declining land availability for the smallholder sector, posing the question of how farmers may be able to deal with limited access to land. In this paper, we discuss with a case study village and household livelihood strategies of smallholders currently operating under land-constrained conditions. Based on an integrated assessment of a smallholder village in Kampot province, we illustrate in quantitative terms how land shortage is creating problems of surplus generation and liquidity issues in monetary and non-monetary flows. At the household level, livelihood diversification based on the involvement of productive resources other than land may play an increasing role, particularly in the future, when levels of land shortage may increase. At the village level, smallholder may respond through institutional innovation, in particular through the establishment of a community banking system and a paddy rice bank to provide money and rice credits to overcome transitory shortages and to cover investment costs for additional productive resources. Thus, in this case, we observe the emergence of new patterns of livelihood in rural areas, based on the integration of non-land-based economic activities and new institutional settings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. On May 7 2012, a subdecree was approved to place a moratorium on further land leases through ELC. However, a few concessions continued to be granted in the absence of transparency surrounding approval and extent of ELCs (see, e.g., Boyle and Titthara 2012).

  2. The village community—a term chosen by the villagers and the supporting NGO’s—is a bottom-up, self-organized villagers’ group, concerned with community issues in the village. Its functioning can be compared with a grassroots association (see Sect. 4.2).

  3. GTZ is now called GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).

  4. Paddy rice, of course, is only one component of Cambodian diet; thus, it is necessary to state that other components such as vegetable and meat are also important for subsistence. Nevertheless, rice is the most crucial component, and in fact, the Khmer word for ‘eating’ means ‘eating rice.’

  5. Revolts and/or illegal land possession may be other important measure taken by smallholders to cope with land shortage, an issue which is however not discussed here (see Scott 1976).

References

  • ACI. (2005). Final report for the Cambodian Agrarian Structure Study. Prepared for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Royal Government of Cambodia, the World Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Government of Germany/Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). Bethesda, Maryland: Agrifood Consulting International.

  • ADB. (2001). Participatory poverty assessment in Cambodia. Asian Development Bank. Manila. http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2001/poverty-assessment-cambodia.pdf. Accessed Jan 22, 2013.

  • Ballard, B., Sloth, C., Wharton, D., Fitzgerald, I., Murshid, K., Hansen, K., et al. (2007). “We are living with worry all the time”—A participatory poverty assessment of the Tonle Sap. Phnom Penh: Cambodia Development Resource Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bebbington, A. (1999). Capitals and capabilities: A framework for analyzing peasant viability, rural livelihoods and poverty. World Development, 27(12), 2021–2044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borras, S. M., & Franco, J. (2011). Political dynamics of land-grabbing in Southeast Asia: Understanding Europe’s role. Amsterdam: Transnational Institute (TNI).

    Google Scholar 

  • Borras, S. M., Hall, R., Scoones, I., White, B., & Wolford, W. (2011). Towards a better understanding of global land grabbing: An editorial introduction. Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(2), 209–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, D., & Titthara, M. (2012). Not all economic land concessions listed. Newspaper report. Phnom Penh: The Phnom Penh Post, 5 July 2012. http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/not-all-economic-land-concessions-listed. Accessed July 24, 2013.

  • Chandler, D. (2008). A history of Cambodia (4th ed.). Boulder: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, F. (2000). The determinants of rural livelihood diversification in developing countries. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 51(2), 289–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2013). FAO statistical databases. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://faostat.fao.org/. Accessed Feb 12, 2013.

  • Georgescu-Roegen, N. (1971). The entropy law and the economic process. Cambridge, London: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Giampietro, M. (2004). Multi-scale integrated analysis of agroecosystems. Florida: CRC Press LLC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giampietro, M., Mayumi, K., & Sorman, A. H. (2011). The metabolic pattern of societies: Where economists fall short. Abington: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • GRAIN. (2008). SEIZED! The 2008 land grab for food and financial security. GRAIN Briefing October 2008. http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=212. Accessed 15 Sept 2010.

  • Grünbühel, C., & Schandl, H. (2005). Using land-time-budgets to analyse farming systems and poverty alleviation policies in the Lao PDR. International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 5(3–4), 142–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, D., Hirsch, P., & Li, T. M. (2011). Powers of exclusion: Land dilemmas in Southeast Asia. Singapore: NUS Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hecht, S. (2010). The new rurality: Globalization, peasants and the paradoxes of landscapes. Land Use Policy, 27(2), 161–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heuveline, P. (1998). ‘Between one and three million’: Towards the demographic reconstruction of a decade of Cambodian history (1970–79). Population Studies, 52(1), 49–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kay, C. (2008). Reflections on Latin American rural studies in the neoliberal globalization period: A new rurality? Development and Change, 39(6), 915–943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leuprecht, P. (2004). Land concessions for economic purposes in Cambodia. A human rights perspective. Phnom Penh: Special Representative of the Secretary General of Human Rights in Cambodia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Licadho. (2009). Land grabbing & poverty in Cambodia: The myth of development. Phnom Penh: LICADHO—Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights. http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/reports/files/134LICADHOREportMythofDevelopment2009Eng.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2013.

  • MAFF. (2011). Economic land concession—Cambodia. http://www.elc.maff.gov.kh/. Accessed March 12, 2013.

  • NCDD. (2009). Kampot data book. Phnom Penh: National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development (NCDD).

    Google Scholar 

  • NIS. (2007). Cambodia socio-economic survey 2004—Time use in Cambodia. Phnom Penh: National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Ministry of Planning, Cambodia.

    Google Scholar 

  • NIS. (2008a). Cambodia General Population Census 2008. Phnom Penh: National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Ministry of Planning, Cambodia.

    Google Scholar 

  • NIS. (2008b). Statistical yearbook of Cambodia 2008. Phnom Penh: National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Ministry of Planning, Cambodia.

    Google Scholar 

  • NIS. (2010). Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2009. Phnom Penh: National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Ministry of Planning, Cambodia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pastore, G., Giampietro, M., & Ji, L. (1999). Conventional and land-time budget analysis of rural villages in Hubei province, China. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 18(3), 331–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Provincial Department of Planning. (2009). Commune report 2009 for management and basic development: Damnak Sokram commune, Dang Tong district, Kampot province. Dang Tong Town: Provincial Department of Planning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravera F., Scheidel A., Dell’ Angelo J., Gamboa G., Cabello V., Serrano T., Arizpe N., Mingorría S., & Ariza P. (2014). Pathways of rural change: An integrated assessment of metabolic patterns in emerging ruralities. Environment, Development and Sustainability. doi:10.1007/s10668-014-9534-9.

  • RGC. (2004). The rectangular strategy for growth, employment, equity and efficiency in Cambodia. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RCG). Phnom Penh. http://www.cdc-crdb.gov.kh/cdc/aid_management/RGC_Rectangular_Strategy_2004.pdf. Accessed Feb 28 2012.

  • RGC. (2005). Sub-decree on economic land concession. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC). Phnom Penh. http://www.elc.maff.gov.kh/en/laws/13-sub-decree-on-elc.html. Accessed March 1, 2012.

  • Scheidel, A. (2013a). Flows, funds and the complexity of deprivation: Using concepts from ecological economics for the study of poverty. Ecological Economics, 86, 28–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheidel, A. (2013b). From MuSIASEM theory to practice: Report and reflections from field research in Kampot province, Cambodia. Reports on Environmental Sciences. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA). Barcelona: Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). http://www.recercat.net/handle/2072/16100. Accessed July 24, 2013.

  • Scheidel, A., Giampietro, M., & Ramos-Martin, J. (2013). Self-sufficiency or surplus: Conflicting local and national development goals in Cambodia. Land Use Policy, 34, 342–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheidel, A., & Sorman, A. H. (2012). Energy transitions and the global land rush: Ultimate drivers and persistent consequences. Global Environmental Change, 22(3), 588–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scoones, I. (1998). Sustainable rural livelihoods: A framework for analysis. IDS working paper. Institute of Development Studies.

  • Scott, J. (1976). The moral economy of the peasant: Rebellion and subsistence in Southeast Asia. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Serrano, T., & Giampietro, M. (2009). A multi-purpose grammar generating a multi-scale integrated analysis of Laos. Reports on Environmental Sciences. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA). Barcelona: Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). http://hdl.handle.net/2072/40519. Accessed July 24, 2013.

  • Thiel, F. (2010). Donor-driven land reform in Cambodia—Property rights, planning, and land value taxation. Erdkunde, 64(3), 227–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN. (2012). World urbanization prospects—The 2011 revision. New York: United Nations Organization. http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/index.htm. Accessed Feb 12, 2013.

  • von Braun, J., & Meinzen-Dick, R. (2009). “Land grabbing” by foreign investors in developing countries: risks and opportunities. IFPRI Policy Brief 13. International Food Policy Research Institute.

  • Vrieze, P., & Naren, K. (2012). Carving up Cambodia—One concession at a time. Newspaper report. Phnom Penh: The Cambodian Daily Weekend, March 10–11, 2012. http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/land2012/. Accessed May 29, 2012.

  • Zoomers, A. (2010). Globalisation and the foreignisation of space: Seven processes driving the current global land grab. Journal of Peasant Studies, 37(2), 429–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by (1) research grants (FI-DGR 2010 and BE-DGR 2011) from the Catalan Government, Spain; (2) the Consolidated Research Group ‘Economic Institutions, Quality of Life and Environment’ SGRZ009-00962; and (3) the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation Project HAR-2010-20684-C02-01; and (4) the EU-Project MARSS (LIFE11ENV/DE/343). The authors particularly thank the villagers of Kcheay Kchang Lech for their hospitality during field research and for their cooperation with the research activities. Further thanks go to the Mekong Institute for Cooperation and Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion for providing institutional support; CEDAC for institutional support, contacts and feedback on the survey design; and Bunchhorn Lim, Duk Piseth and Kimchhin Sok from the Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, for assistance as researchers and friends during the first author’s stay in Cambodia. The constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers are thankfully acknowledged. The paper was largely written at Tokushima University, Japan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Arnim Scheidel, Katharine N. Farrell, Jesús Ramos-Martin & Mario Giampietro

  2. Division of Resource Economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany

    Katharine N. Farrell

  3. Departament d’Economia i d’Història Económica, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Jesús Ramos-Martin

  4. ICREA Catalonia, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    Mario Giampietro

  5. Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, University of Tokushima, Minami-Josanjima 1-1, Tokushima, 770-8502, Japan

    Kozo Mayumi

Authors
  1. Arnim Scheidel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katharine N. Farrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jesús Ramos-Martin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mario Giampietro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kozo Mayumi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arnim Scheidel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scheidel, A., Farrell, K.N., Ramos-Martin, J. et al. Land poverty and emerging ruralities in Cambodia: insights from Kampot province. Environ Dev Sustain 16, 823–840 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-014-9529-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-014-9529-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation