Social Innovation Program

Solving Social Issues through Entrepreneurship Vol.6

CamAgro-Food: Addressing Agricultural Challenges in Cambodia and Empowering Female Smallholder Farmers

Sasakawa Peace Foundation

February 7, 2025

CamAgro-Food founder Sokkim (Photo: provided by Cnai Accelerator Program)

Since 2022, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation has been operating the “Cnai Accelerator Program” in Cambodia. This program is modeled after the Santhit Accelerator Program, which we developed and rolled out jointly with a Myanmar-based venture capital firm, Emerging Market Entrepreneurs (EME) in 2021. Both programs incorporate the incubation curriculum of Village Capital, a globally renowned early-stage venture capital firm.

“Cnai” – meaning “innovation” in Khmer – is a program which incorporates a gender lens, and is committed to creating an equitable learning environment where female entrepreneurs can participate on equal footing with male counterparts. Each phase entails the selection of a cohort of entrepreneurs, who receive funding and guidance towards the expansion of their businesses with ongoing support being provided by program partners.

Since the end of 2023, the program has been in its second phase. We have added new partners, such as Khmer Enterprise, a Cambodian government agency, HarvestIII, a U.S. government agency, and CAPRED (Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development) to the project. Building on our existing partnership with ADB Frontier, we have through these new relationships been able to further enhance the community-building potential and strength of the overall curriculum.

We spoke with the finalist entrepreneurs of the second phase about their entrepreneurial stories, challenges, and how they contribute aim to solve social issues through their businesses.

In this sixth installment, we interviewed Soukhim Im, the young female CEO of CamAgro-Food, which was established in 2023. She is a finalist of the Cnai's second phase.

The company purchases and processes raw materials such as lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, moringa, and chili from smallholder farmers scattered around Siem Reap, a well-known hub for tourism.

Agriculture remains an important sector for Cambodia. According to the Asian Development Bank, about 70% of Cambodia’s population lives in rural areas, and agriculture accounts for about 20% of the GDP and about 30% of total employment.

Although advances in other sectors have reduced these figures in recent years, the sector still plays a particularly important role in supporting the employment and livelihoods of women. Indeed, as seen with first-phase participants like SRFM and AgroAgape, many women in Cambodia are starting businesses in the agricultural sector, contributing to the economic empowerment of female smallholder farmers.

―― Can you tell us about the background and motivation for founding CamAgro-Food?

Sokkim standing at the CamAgro-Food processing plant

In Cambodia, many agricultural products are wasted because they are not managed properly or harvested at the right time. Consqeuntly, when needs arise, we have no choice but to rely on imports from overseas. Small-scale farmers who practice natural cultivation suffer because there is no market, and sometimes quit farming.

I founded CamAgro-Food to help solve the problem of agricultural product waste and import dependency.

After studying chemical engineering in Phnom Penh, I received a scholarship from the European Commission (EC) to study food engineering, organic standards, food production, agricultural production marketing, etc. at universities in France, Spain, and Italy. Many people in graduate school had full-time work experience, making it a very tough environment for me, having only experienced internships at the time. Nonetheless, I learned a lot. After returning from graduate school, I developed an awareness of the big issues in the food sector and decided to start a business so I could stay as true to my own principles as possible. Currently, we have 11 employees, including processing plant and sales staff.

―― How did you come to participate in the Cnai Accelerator Program, and what has been the most impressive learning experience so far?

Sokkim participating in a Cnai workshop (Photo: Cnai Accelerator Program)

I first heard about Cnai from a LinkedIn announcement. Later on, I got to know the founder of Bolan Care, a first-phase participant, and learned about the program in more detail. At that time, it was almost the deadline, so I quickly read all the materials and applied. Cnai was my first accelerator program. Although I had learned the basics about pricing and the impact of supply and demand in graduate school, I still lacked knowledge about the overall world of business.

The Cnai curriculum was very well designed, and I learned a lot through the various challenges. Especially, the supply chain challenges were very complex, and though at first I didn’t know what to focus on, the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) approach taught by Cnai was very effective, and helped me clarify the company’s goals as well as explore how to achieve them. The courses on digital marketing, advanced Excel, customer relationship management (CRM) and human resource management were also very beneficial. Outside of classes, I learned a lot from other participating entrepreneurs.

With Cnai’s funding, we purchased an additional dryer, tripling our drying capacity compared from the previous year. Marketing activities have increased brand awareness and expanded the market, resulting in monthly sales reaching $5,000. Participating in Cnai has allowed me to grow as a professional and realize my ideas.

―― Have you faced any challenges as a female entrepreneur, and what have you learned about gender through your participation in Cnai?

A small-scale farmer. She grows moringa, ginger, and lemongrass in her backyard. (Photo: Courtesy of CamAgro-Food)

Honestly, I haven’t felt many significant challenges as a female entrepreneur so far. Rather, I often feel privileged in programs like Cnai. However, before entering university, it was not common for women to pursue fields like science and engineering. As a result, I studied in a male-dominated environment during university. Personally, I had little knowledge about gender perspectives. My understanding was limited to eliminating discrimination against women.

Through participating in Cnai, however, I realized that as a manager, it is necessary to establish policies to prevent harassment and protect vulnerable individuals. I also learned that a diverse team with a balanced gender ratio is important to maximize creativity. Initially, about 70% of the smallholder farmers we contracted with were women, but after participating in Cnai and expanding the business, the number of farmers who are in network of CamAgro-Food and those that CamAgro-Food is supporting increased to 150, and the percentage of female farmers rose to 85%. In rural Cambodia, where employment opportunities are scarce, female farmers can earn extra income by selling raw materials to CamAgro.

―― What are the next steps for CamAgro-Food?

Sokkim, small-scale farming women, and the Cnai team (Photo: provided by the Cnai Accelerator Program)

I see great potential in agribusiness. We are currently exploring export possibilities and planning to conduct a pilot project. By focusing on supplying raw materials and working in partnership with exporters when necessary, we can balance supply and demand while minimizing capital-intensive risks. We are also considering expanding in the domestic market. Previously, I thought in terms of securing supply first and then looking for demand (customers), but through Cnai, I learned that identifying the market first is important. Moving forward, the goal is to develop the business while continuously assessing market needs.

Despite working hard, Cambodian farmers remain in a vulnerable position. We aim to contribute to the income improvement of smallholder farmers and the socio-economic development of communities by providing opportunities for capacity building. We also aim to provide high-quality food that is safe and enjoyable.

―― Editor's Postscript

Soukhim studied chemical engineering at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, excelling in a STEM environment where 90% of the students were male. She is supported by two male co-founders with extensive experience in management and agriculture, forming a strong team that supports the growth of CamAgro-Food. After graduating from university, Soukhim chose to start her own business directly instead of working for a company. We will continue to support her challenge, driven by her strong beliefs and growing expertise.

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Solving Social Issues through Entrepreneurship Vol.6

CamAgro-Food: Addressing Agricultural Challenges in Cambodia and Empowering Female Smallholder Farmers

―― Can you tell us about the background and motivation for founding CamAgro-Food?

―― How did you come to participate in the Cnai Accelerator Program, and what has been the most impressive learning experience so far?

―― Have you faced any challenges as a female entrepreneur, and what have you learned about gender through your participation in Cnai?

―― What are the next steps for CamAgro-Food?

―― Editor's Postscript

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