The Cambodian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas participated in a consultative workshop on Gender Dimensions in Contract Farming organized by Oxfam Cambodia on 17 June 2025 in Phnom Penh.  CamboDHRRA presented the barriers to women farmers, who represent 50% of agricultural labor in the country’s expanding contract farming.  The team similarly presented the latest field experiences on their recent initiatives on Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG), Strengthening Multilateral Partnerships in Cambodia to Promote a Sustainable Price Chain for Natural Rubber (SMART), Smallholder Economic Empowerment through Digital Solutions (SEEDS), and ASEAN Guidelines in Responsible Agricultural Investment (AGRAI).

Based on CamboDHRRA’s presentation, some challenges women face are limited access to lands and production inputs, exclusions from contract agreements, and limited decision-making. These activities were perceived to be owned or dominated by men in both household and organizational structures.

CamboDHRRA’s strengthening of Women in Agribusiness Network (WAN) and Agricultural Cooperatives provides hope to these challenges by providing them a platform to participate in contract farming systems, multi-stakeholder dialogues with buyers, local authorities, and policymakers and creating gender-responsive approaches to cooperative governance and contract designs.

Photo credit: CamboDHRRA