Cambodian fish farmers are now hiring better-trained graduates thanks to close cooperation between ASA/WISHH’s U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress project, the Royal Government of Cambodia and Kansas State University. The effort includes the Royal University of Agriculture, WISHH’s Commercialization of Aquaculture for Sustainable Trade-CAST Cambodia project, and the Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab at Kansas State University and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition, or CE SAIN. The Royal University established the Center, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development Cambodia Mission.
One such graduate is Yunn Sreyvin, who had already earned a bachelor’s degree in fisheries science from the Royal University when she applied for the internship program that recruited and paid 11 interns.
“With the internship program, I put the theoretical knowledge that I learned in class into real practice. I gained technical knowledge and skills. I am so grateful to the CE SAIN/CAST project partners and donors for establishing this wonderful program to build the capacity of human resources in the aquaculture field. This is a great platform to inspire and match university students to their dream employment.”
She now applies this knowledge at a private farm in Cambodia’s Battambang province.
Another six young people volunteered for the program to jumpstart their careers through the training and mentoring offered by its global aquaculture experts. Those participants learned a wide variety of practical skills, ranging from proper feeding and feed storage to aeration for water quality and fish health management. The internship also introduced them to innovations such as unique floating in-pond-raceway systems; soy checkoff funding supported WISHH in developing the in-pond raceway systems to boost Cambodian aquaculture productivity and climate resilience.
The interns also play a significant role in introducing good aquaculture practices in Cambodia. They receive technical training and other resources to support farmers in meeting the new standards and certification for the quality assurance program that CAST has launched in partnership with the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.