Cambodian children in 77 schools are benefitting from fresh, nutritious and safe fish in their meals thanks to leadership and cooperation that fosters a successful model for locally raised fish to nourish even more children. As a result of the extensive networking and business matching effort, wholesalers and school suppliers signed 16 contracts to provide part of the protein (fresh fish) component for approximately 11,400 children’s meals over four months (January – April 2024). Three fish species (pangasius, striped snakehead, and walking catfish) pair well with local vegetables and supply high-quality nutrition. Schools source and serve locally available fish protein at an approximate per-student cost of 353 khmer riels (8.7 cents) per meal.
The initiative bridges two U.S. Department of Agriculture-supported programs, the Cambodian Aquaculturist Association (CAA), Cambodia’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Agriculture as well as local school officials and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The USDA Food for Progress Program funds the Commercialization of Aquaculture for Sustainable Trade (CAST)-Cambodia project. Read the full case study below: