Commencing in December 2010, the Cambodia Land and Environment Atlas and Resource (CLEAR) has sought to compile the best available spatial information on agriculture, soils, climate, environment and land use in Cambodia. Project partners Aruna Technology, have been responsible to identifying and compiling relevant data and preparing it for publication. Project partners aWhere, based in the United States have been responsible for packaging the data into a spatial viewer that allows the interactive discovery and analysis of spatial information.
The product was officially launched by the Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, H.E. Penny Richards on the 10th June 2011. The event was well attended by nearly 100 representatives from the government, NGO’s and the private sector. CLEAR is available free of charge from Aruna Technology. Please contact us to obtain a DVD copy of the application. You can also read more about CLEAR here: http://clear.awhere.com/Homepage.aspx
Australian Ambassador, HE Penny Richards at the Launch of CLEAR
CLEAR DVD, available from Aruna Technology
An excerpt of the press release from the Australian Embassy is below.
Around 130,000 Cambodian farmers will benefit from Australia’s five year Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain (CAVAC) program which began in 2010. The program will help boost farmers’ incomes by increasing the value of agricultural production, with a focus on rice, fruit and vegetable farming in Kampong Thom, Kampot and Takeo provinces. It will also provide employment for the poor.
The CAVAC program has supported the development of the Cambodian Land and Environment Atlas and Resource (CLEAR) which was launched today [10 June 2011]. CLEAR is a spatial database which will allow researchers and planners to analyse socioeconomic, climatic, soil and land-use data to support decisions on how to improve agricultural productivity and manage natural resources.
CLEAR was developed through a partnership with two private companies, using data contributed by the Royal Government of Cambodia. This is an example of how the CAVAC Program works with the Royal Government of Cambodia and private companies that are committed to improving long term support to rural farmers.
H.E. Ms Penny Richards, the Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, said “Australia has been supporting Cambodia’s farmers for 20 years and our assistance has contributed to rice yields more than doubling during this time. In 2011, a more dynamic and complex agriculture sector, with emerging markets for agricultural inputs, such as seeds and fertiliser, and opportunities for processing and export, requires a different type of support.
