Empowering Rural Economies: Innovative Powder Processing for Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Living in Cambodia”

Diakonia together with Life with Dignity focuses at testing the innovative method of powder/mixture processing that is new to the local context and has the potential to advance regional production, creating opportunities for rural development and economic growth. It aligns with national priorities for capacity building, poverty reduction, and revitalizing agriculture, contributing to the creation of greater value and the fight against rural poverty.

The project introduces innovative processing approaches to the selected Agricultural Cooperatives members – i.e. powder and mixture production – to utilize the available crops, add value and introduce them at the local market – building up on pre-existing skills, knowledge and experience. The food powders and mixtures (vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, fish and meat) fall nowadays into a category of so called “superfood”, being rich in nutrients which can be blended into any semi-solid or solid food or drinks. As the demand for a healthy lifestyle rises along with the middle-class growth in Cambodia, the popularity of “super-foods” is growing as well. Since the products are often available only in urban areas, the project aims to introduce it as an affordable innovation in the rural areas – an alternative to highly processed low-quality food items such as instant noodles.