Policy Reform Impact Assessment Cambodia (PRIAC)

Since the introduction of the fisheries policy reforms in October, 2000, there have been concerns within the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Department of Fisheries regarding the possible impacts of these reforms on poverty in Cambodia, on food security, on fisheries resources and on different fisheries stakeholders. This was echoed by concerns among fisheries stakeholders themselves and within civil society and the donor community.

The PRIAC project developed a methodology for assessing and monitoring the impacts of the changes in fisheries policy on the livelihoods of people involved in the use of fisheries resources and on the institutions concerned with management and development. The PRIAC methodology was designed to be participatory, transparent, working with stakeholders at different levels, livelihoods focused, replicable and relatively simple. It used a cyclical process of consultation and validation to synthesis the views of local stakeholders, community based organisations and local and provincial government groups. The outputs of the project were: 1 Recommendations on policy, legislation and management as a strategy of poverty eradication. 2 Review of activities undertaken to implement fisheries management reform from 2000; 3 Methodology established for annual monitoring of the impact on livelihoods of future changes in fisheries legislation; 4 Methodology applied for three annual cycles; 5 Analysis of the perception and experiences of stakeholders of the effectiveness and efficiency of reform to date; 6 Analysis of impact of the changes in policy on the livelihoods of riverine and lacustrine communities; 7 Analysis of the livelihood studies to inform the next DFID Cap and offer opportunities that DFID might consider for engagement in promoting access to natural resources.

The project team undertook repeated rounds of assessments in Kampong Cham, Pursat and Takeo over a period of 3 and a half years. The outcomes of the assessments were reviewed by an Impact Assessment Group in DoF and used to shape fisheries policy and strategy. The evaluation methodology has now been mainstreamed by the Department of Fisheries into their annual work-plan and has been undertaken without the support of external technical assistance.