Cambodia’s food systems transformation: Government leadership, integrated policy, and financing for delivery at scale

Since the 2021 Food Systems Summit, the Government of Cambodia – led by the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) and the National Convenor, H.E. Sok Silo – has strengthened the role of food systems across national planning, climate policy, nutrition, agriculture and investment discussions. The country’s pathway is now shaping how these priorities are carried forward in practice, with clearer links to national strategies, financing, and a growing network of partners across government, the UN system, civil society and financing institutions.

A national roadmap for delivery

Cambodia was one of the early champions of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, facilitating over 30 national dialogues, and among the first countries to submit its National Food Systems Pathway. In 2023, with support from the Joint SDG Fund, Cambodia updated its Roadmap, which identifies six nationally defined Game-Changing Actions that are evidence-based, informed by broad-based consultations, and have partnership support and political appetite to scale. These are: climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive value chains; sustainable aquatic food systems; food safety systems; food fortification; school feeding and food environment actions; and social and behavior change for healthy and sustainable diets.

A defining feature of Cambodia’s approach is its stronger focus on diets and demand. Recent analysis by WFP and the World Bank found that Cambodia’s current diets, heavily shaped by rice consumption and rising intake of sugary and ultra-processed foods and drinks, are contributing to malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, and environmental pressures. The analysis models affordable, nutritious and climate-friendly diet baskets, pointing to the potential of healthier food environments, diversified consumption- especially more fruits and vegetables, and sustainable proteins such as legumes, eggs and small fish.

The revision of the Roadmap and emerging evidence have paved the way for the formal inclusion of Food Systems as a dedicated area within Cambodia’s climate agenda. Two indicators, on healthy sustainable diets and food waste have now been formally included in Cambodia’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (country’s NDC 3.0).  Efforts are increasingly oriented around a “Triple Win” agenda: preventing malnutrition by improving diets, reducing food-related emissions, and strengthening resilience simultaneously.

This is where Cambodia’s experience becomes especially valuable for other countries. It shows how food systems commitments can gain traction when efforts are synchronized and strategically sequenced to ensure they are embedded in national systems, backed by evidence, championed by multiple agencies and partners, and linked to financing.

A country-led pathway with growing implementation architecture

Cambodia’s National Food Systems Pathway has evolved into a more operational agenda. The Second Food Systems Roadmap now includes costing, an advocacy and financing strategy, and most recently a digitalized monitoring and evaluation framework.

This process has strengthened the common narrative that brings partners together and has improved coordination across government institutions, UN agencies, civil society and technical working groups. This is essential because Cambodia’s food systems agenda spans agriculture, fisheries, nutrition, health, education, environment, climate finance, social protection and local governance.

Cambodia’s SUN Networks have been central to this effort, helped by the fact that the National Food Systems Convenor is also the SUN lead. UN Nutrition partners (FAO, WFP, UNICEF, WHO) aligned their support through the Joint SDG Fund and the Convergence Initiative, as well as follow‑up work on resource mobilization, to build a shared narrative for food systems transformation.

Recent national updates highlight several areas of progress, including the finalization of the Third National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (2024-2028), expanded home-grown school feeding and nutrition programmes, increased budget allocations, and stronger rural finance opportunities for smallholder farmers.

Convergence around climate, nutrition and investment

Cambodia’s inclusion of food systems in NDC 3.0 marks a major step in its transformation journey. It gives the country a climate-policy entry point for advancing healthier diets, resilient food systems, reduced food loss and waste, and improve sustainable production. Cambodia is one of the first countries in Asia-Pacific to formally integrate food systems into its climate commitments.

Under CARD leadership, the Convergence Initiative has provided dedicated space to bring Cambodia’s food systems, nutrition and climate agendas into closer alignment. The process focused on operationalizing the food systems measures included in the Country's NDC 3.0, including the dietary-change target, through deeper analysis, dialogue and resource alignment. This work has now resulted in a Convergence Action Blueprint endorsed by CARD, building on the Second Food Systems Roadmap. The process mapped work already underway, identified opportunities for stronger collaboration and highlighted financing gaps linked to Cambodia’s NDC 3.0 food systems targets. The Blueprint is also giving UN Nutrition Network partners a common framework for follow-on work and financing discussions, with translation and wider dissemination now underway.

Joint dialogues with GAIN and The Countdown Initiative have supported this effort by bringing partners together around the revised Roadmap and the food systems commitments in NDC 3.0. This work is informing the development of a shared dashboard that can track progress across both agendas, helping government and partners see where priorities overlap, where progress is being made and where further attention is needed.

This convergence agenda is also helping Cambodia connect supply-side and demand-side transformation. Investments in productivity, value chains, aquatic foods, food safety and market competitiveness remain essential. At the same time, Cambodia is placing greater emphasis on food environments, social and behavior change, school food systems, and consumer information. This reflects an effort to align production, markets and diets more closely within national priorities.

Financing as the next frontier

Cambodia’s food systems transformation now depends on how effectively plans are matched with financing. The country has developed a costed roadmap and is seeking to mobilize approximately USD 360 million over five years to support its food systems priorities.

Cambodia is showing how those commitments can be organized into a financing conversation: public budgets, climate finance, concessional finance, private investment, blended finance and partner support all oriented around a nationally defined agenda.

Cambodia already has significant sectoral financing in place, including for school feeding. The next step is to connect these existing investments more closely with the food systems commitments in NDC 3.0 and the priorities set out in the national roadmap, including the country’s growing focus on healthy and sustainable diets.

The role of catalytic support

Cambodia’s progress has been supported by a strong ecosystem of national and international partners. The Hub, the Joint SDG Fund and the Rome-based Agencies have each contributed to a broader support package, working alongside government leadership and national institutions.

• The Joint SDG Fund Seed Funding Track helped create a common understanding of what food systems transformation means for Cambodia, while strengthening enabling conditions for delivery. Its support contributed to the roadmap update, financing strategy, monitoring framework and investment readiness.
• The Convergence Initiative, facilitated by the Hub, helped bring Cambodia’s food systems, climate and nutrition agendas together. Through national dialogue with CARD, line ministries, UN agencies and partners, it supported the integration of food systems into NDC 3.0 and led to a validated Convergence Action Blueprint with costed Game-Changing Actions. This groundwork is now attracting follow-on financing: the NDC Partnership has selected a WFP-led proposal, with UNICEF, WHO and FAO, under the Partnership Action Fund to strengthen the Technical Working Group for Food Security and Nutrition and increase consumer demand for healthy and sustainable diets.
• GAIN and the Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) have strengthened the evidence and monitoring side of Cambodia’s work. As an FSCI country, Cambodia draws on a shared set of food systems indicators to track progress across diets, nutrition, environment, livelihoods and governance. GAIN’s engagement, including a national workshop, has helped connect this evidence to national priorities and the Convergence Initiative, reinforcing a common agenda under CARD and the National Convenor.
• Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, including its UN Nutrition Network (UNN), Civil Society Network, and Donor Network bring complementary strengths and different voices to support the Royal Government. The UNN platform was instrumental to bring UN agencies to leverage respective technical expertise on budgeting, public financing, nutrition, agriculture, climate change, social protection and social behavior change. around a common agenda for food systems transformation .

This complementarity is one of Cambodia’s success factors. Alongside individual agency programmes, a dedicated technical team has helped connect national priorities, evidence, financing and implementation systems.

Concrete areas of implementation

Several areas show how Cambodia’s policy commitments are beginning to shape practical action.

The National Strategy for Food Fortification 2025-2030 is one example. It strengthens standards, regulatory oversight, quality assurance systems and private sector engagement, while helping improve diet quality at scale. It also links food safety enforcement, nutrition objectives and market competitiveness.

School feeding is another. Cambodia has adopted a School Feeding Policy for 2024-2035, increased national budget allocations, and expanded opportunities for smallholder farmers through home-grown school feeding approaches.

Social and behavior change is becoming increasingly important as Cambodia strengthens its focus on healthy and sustainable diets. This includes work on food environments, consumer information, dietary guidance and demand creation. The Sustainable Healthy Diets analysis gives Cambodia an evidence base to guide this work, including practical options for more affordable, nutritious and climate-friendly diets.

What Cambodia’s experience shows

Cambodia’s experience offers several lessons for countries advancing food systems transformation.

• National leadership matters: CARD and the National Convenor have helped keep food systems on the national agenda and have created space for coordination across ministries and partners.
• Food systems gain strength when they are embedded in wider national priorities: Cambodia’s work is linked to climate commitments, nutrition strategies, agricultural development, school feeding, social protection and financing.
• Evidence can shift the conversation: The growing focus on healthy and sustainable diets gives Cambodia a policy agenda that speaks to malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, climate resilience and household wellbeing.
• Catalytic funding can create conditions for larger investment: Cambodia’s roadmap, advocacy strategy, costing and monitoring tools show how early-stage support can prepare a country for scale.
• An important part of this coordination has been the UN Nutrition Network, working alongside other SUN networks. H.E. Sok Silo’s dual role as National Convenor and SUN focal point has helped connect these agendas, while network members have played a behind-the-scenes brokerage role across agencies, bringing the right partners into discussions and linking technical work with wider policy and financing opportunities.
• The Hub adds value by connecting people, knowledge and resources around country priorities. In Cambodia, it has convened government, UN agencies and partners around a shared agenda; brought regional and global experience into national processes; supported financing dialogue and resource mobilization; and shared Cambodia’s lessons through regional and global platforms. It also provides sustained follow-up and technical accompaniment as country priorities advance.

What comes next

Cambodia is entering a critical phase. Delivering on current plans and priorities will require close alignment across government, partners and financing institutions as implementation advances. This includes maintaining focus on NDC 3.0 commitments, the healthy and sustainable diets agenda, and the nationally defined Game-Changing Actions that guide implementation.

The next stage will depend on how effectively these priorities are carried forward through coordinated investment, delivery systems and sustained collaboration across sectors and partners.

The Hub can continue to support this effort by offering platforms for investment dialogue, strengthening the visibility of national leadership in regional and global spaces, and supporting the Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team in advancing a shared food systems and food systems financing agenda.

Supporting these national priorities now means investing in the roadmap and reinforcing the financing and implementation systems needed to deliver lasting results for people, climate and the economy.

What has taken shape in recent years shows how food systems transformation can become a practical national agenda, grounded in evidence, organized through government-led coordination, connected to finance, and focused on healthier, more resilient lives.

Photos: Pisey Khun / FAO