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The PEARL project seeks USD 36.23 million from the Green Climate Fund to support 450,000 farmers in Cambodia's Northern Tonle Sap Basin. The initiative focuses on transitioning smallholders to high-value, climate-resilient crops—specifically cashew, mango, organic rice, and leafy vegetables—by improving agrometeorological services, providing access to technology via a new asset acquisition mechanism (FARM), and strengthening regulatory frameworks for agricultural certification.

The document outlines a request for USD 221,396 from the GCF PPF to complete the design of the PEARL project in Cambodia. The project focuses on transitioning smallholder farmers from traditional rain-fed rice to climate-resilient, high-value crops including cashew, mango, organic rice, and vegetables. Key preparation activities include climate modeling for target crops, identifying catchment restoration areas, designing a revolving fund for infrastructure, and conducting integrated financial and economic analyses. The project intends to benefit approximately 450,000 farmers by improving agrometeorological services and financial access, with a total indicative project cost of USD 41.975 million over eight years.

The PEARL project aims to protect the livelihoods of approximately 550,000 farmers and value-chain actors in Cambodia's Northern Tonle Sap Basin (NTSB) from climate-driven droughts and floods. By shifting focus from conventional rice to high-value, drought-tolerant crops like cashew, mango, organic rice, and vegetables, the project seeks to increase adaptive capacity and income. The strategy employs Public-Social-Private Partnerships (PSPPs) to remove barriers to premium markets, utilizing certification schemes (e.g., CamGAP, GI, organic) and introducing advanced agro-hydrometeorological early warning systems. The project is budgeted at US$ 40.635 million, with US$ 34.485 million requested as a grant from the Green Climate Fund.