Who We Are

The CE SAIN housed in Cambodia’s RUA helps improve food and nutritional security in Cambodia by supporting agricultural research and education and promoting innovation. It works closely with RUA to improve the skills and knowledge of public sector agricultural workers and to foster growth in the private sector. To meet this goal, the Center was established as a platform to allow scientists and practitioners to demonstrate their innovative agriculture technologies to citizens, policy makers, and donor agencies.

The RUA is the oldest agricultural university and its vision is to become the top research university in agricultural sciences in Cambodia. RUA has already been a partner in several research projects with the ILs. RUA plays a key role in coordinating the ILs project activities and assisting other stakeholders in Cambodia to improve sustainable agricultural intensification and nutrition (SAIN) and related teaching, research, and extension activities. The promising technologies proven by IL projects and other partners and private sector will be disseminated to stakeholders, particularly farmers, to increase profitability and resilience of crop- and animal-production systems while enhancing ecosystem services through innovations and technological interventions. Through CE SAIN, RUA will engage stakeholders in SAIN teaching, research, and extension activities.

Vision

To become a learning and research platform to foster implementation of innovative and sustainable agricultural intensification and nutrition (SAIN) technologies.

Goal

CE SAIN is established to foster private-sector innovation, agricultural research, education, training and extension, and public-sector capacity building through improved collaboration and knowledge sharing that is focused on improving food and nutritional security in Cambodia.

Objectives

To coordinate and leverage Feed the Future Innovation Labs and other sustainable agricultural intensification and nutrition funded activities.

To build and strengthen human resource and institutional capacity development of the Royal University of Agriculture and implementing partners.

 To establish Agricultural Technology Parks to showcase high-potential technologies and strategies to sustainably intensify farming systems.

External Advisory Board

The role of an external advisory board is to provide strategic advice to the RUA administration and Center Director on the full ranges of CE SAIN activities to achieve its vision and mandate. The members of the board will be representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), Private Sector, Farmer Organizations, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL).

Science Committees

Science Committee consisting of 5 to 6 members will evaluate research proposals of students and scholars. The committee will also oversee the competitive process of receiving concept notes for the human and institutional capacity needs.

These will include scholars and request for equipment. In addition, the committee will also evaluate and identify the various technologies that should be highlighted in various TPs. The science committee will seek advice from RUA Administration and External Advisory Board as necessary.

The science committee is required to convene at frequent intervals and advise the CE SAIN staff and RUA advisory board. In addition, when appropriate it will also discuss with external advisory committee. It will keep USAID and SIIL informed