Climate Adaptive Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience (CAISAR)

AIIB Request for Expressions of Interest and Terms of Reference: Climate Adaptive Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience (CAISAR). Member: Cambodia. Sector: Water. Published: May 21, 2025.

Revised DRAFT Terms of Reference DED for Four Irrigation Schemes, CAISAR Project Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) Climate Adap(cid:415)ve Irriga(cid:415)on and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience Project (CAISAR) Terms of Reference for Detailed Engineering Design Phase 2 (DED2) for four (4) Irriga(cid:415)on Schemes in four provinces: (i) Ou Ta Poung in Pursat,, (ii) Yutasas in Kampong Chhang, (iii) Stung Kraing Bat in Kandal & (iv) Brambei Mom in Kampong Speu A. Background The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has requested the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for assistance to finance the loan financed “ “Climate Adap(cid:415)ve Irriga(cid:415)on and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience” (CAISAR) Project (the loan project). As a result, the AIIB approved a PPSF grant in February 2021 to assist the RGC through MOWRAM in prepara(cid:415)on of the project design documents. The loan project is expected to be financed by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with co-financing from the Interna(cid:415)onal Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and poten(cid:415)ally the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The total project cost is es(cid:415)mated to be USD240 million. The CAISAR loan project objec(cid:415)ve is to increase climate adapta(cid:415)on, mi(cid:415)gate the nega(cid:415)ve impact of extreme climate events, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and vulnerable rural communi(cid:415)es in four provinces of Cambodia. The loan project will have three components: component 1-farm-level climate adapta(cid:415)on and resilience; component 2-upgrading and climate- proofing water infrastructure for increased resilience; and component 3-strengthened ins(cid:415)tu(cid:415)onal and regulatory capacity for low-emission climate-resilient development pathways. The project is divided into three sub-project areas (Ou Ta Poung, Lum Harch and Krang Ponley) with 6 irriga(cid:415)on systems poten(cid:415)ally totaling 32,056ha of cul(cid:415)vated land for which 22,051ha would be provided with upgraded or new irriga(cid:415)on or drainage facili(cid:415)es. The CAISAR project is expected to improve water availability year-round and provide be(cid:425)er drought resilience over the 25–30- year asset life, allowing farmers to do more crops (up to three crops) per year with significant agricultural yields and crop produc(cid:415)on improvements in all the three sub-project areas. The schemes will have both on-farm and agricultural system improvements (Component 1), as well as main irriga(cid:415)on and drainage system-related works (Component 2). The focus for MOWRAM will be on upgrading technical capacity in various aspects of climate resilient irriga(cid:415)on design and management of the main systems under component 2. - 1 - Revised DRAFT Terms of Reference DED for Four Irrigation Schemes, CAISAR Project B. Project Components Component 1. Improving Farm-Level Climate Adapta(cid:415)on, Resilience, and Water Use Efficiency The project will target rural beneficiaries living in the command areas and at the upstream level. Key ac(cid:415)vi(cid:415)es under Component 1 will include: (i) Deployment of farm-level climate adapta(cid:415)on and water use efficiency measures (incl. farm gate tracks) (ii) Rural road connec(cid:415)vity improvement (iii) Climate-adapted, value-added, and market-led livelihood development. (iv) Improve enabling condi(cid:415)ons, capaci(cid:415)es, and disaster risk management strategies and implementa(cid:415)on capaci(cid:415)es. (v) Capacity building, M&E, and Policy Support for the implementa(cid:415)on of greenhouse gas emissions reduc(cid:415)on and climate change adapta(cid:415)on. Climate-Proofing Water Infrastructure for Increased Resilience The project system will provide adapta(cid:415)on and resilience to the changing climate, resul(cid:415)ng in cleaner and more consistent water flows for double or triple cropping, higher value crops, efficient supply/equipment to plant/harvest, farm-level access with farm roads, and be(cid:425)er access and speed to markets, which will result in higher value added and lower produc(cid:415)on costs. Key project outcomes will include increased climate adaptability of farmers, increased farm incomes in some of the key climate-smart demonstra(cid:415)on areas, Green House Gas (GHG) emissions reduc(cid:415)on of up to 70% from rice and non-rice crop produc(cid:415)on, and smallholder release from flood distress. The component will provide climate-friendly and climate-proofed canals to manage the water supply in response to climate change. The scheme will apply nature-based solu(cid:415)ons, such as using natural materials for canals, canal stability (adjacent vegeta(cid:415)on), compac(cid:415)on to preve