From Struggle to Success
For many years, Channa and her husband Laven faced significant challenges in sustaining their livelihood. They cultivated cassava, cashew nuts, and rice in their home village, but with limited technical knowledge and resources, they only earned about $500 per year—insufficient to improve their family’s living conditions. Seeking better opportunities, they migrated to another district to work as cassava farm laborers, earning $15 per day for short seasonal cycles. However, this work was exhausting and unstable. Eventually, they returned home and stopped planting cassava due to low prices and high labor demands.
Determined to find a better way, Channa started growing vegetables in a small plot for her family to eat, with hopes of having some left over to sell. In June 2025, the World Hope International (WHI) Cambodia Livelihood Team assessed her situation and selected her for the vegetable-growing project. She received seeds and farming materials in addition to training on vegetable cultivation techniques and guidance on composting and natural pesticide production.
Channa began planting bok choy, choy sum, lettuce, eggplant, chili, and more. Initially intended for family consumption, her farm soon produced surplus vegetables, which she sold to villagers and local buyers. Today, she earns $150 per cycle, with 7 cycles per year, from just 15 square meters of land— more than doubling her previous income.
This income supports her three children’s education, school materials, expansion of her vegetable farm, and an investment in pepper crops.
“Before, we worried about every season,” Channa says. “Now, we feel confident because our farm is more productive and sustainable.”
Channa and Laven have become role models in their community, sharing experiences and encouraging neighbors to adopt climate-smart agriculture practices.
“We thank WHI Cambodia and their donors, especially the livelihood team, for training, coaching, and mentoring us. Our livelihood is improving, and we are happy that all our children can go to school.”
Cambodia Mondulkiri is led by World Hope International