Khmer Farmer Products (KFP) is an FLD initiative on
behalf of Cambodia’s poorer farmers, marginalised communities and the
many young women’s groups it mentors and supports. It allows former
trainees to gain commercial confidence in their new skills, and improve
their incomes and livelihoods
KFP is a social enterprise that packages, markets
and sells products made by groups, formed during FLD training and
micro-finance projects. This approach is necessary because providing
vocational skills and business training to young women and others in the
rural community is not enough. They face difficulties in finding
outlets that will pay them a fair price.
KFP’s role is to find better paying customers and
act as a marketing intermediary between them and the farmer. It also
pays for the goods before it markets them, either through its own shop
in Tuol Kork, Phnom Penh, other retail outlets throughout the capital
and at trade and craft fairs. Other KFP shops are planned for provinces
where FLD works with rural communities
The ‘Khmer Empire’ brand was created to market an
expanding product range: wild honey, woven baskets, snack foods, a range
of clothing, other sewing products, stone sculpture and malis/jasmine
rice
