Business plan analysis for modern agriculture communities (MACs), Cambodia

• Jul 26, 2025
• 2 min

In Cambodia, most agricultural production is carried out by smallholder farmers. These farmers face significant challenges, such as limited access to technology, finance, markets, and infrastructure. The impacts of climate change exacerbated these challenges. To address these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) conceptualized the Modern Agriculture Communities (MACs) to establish economically robust agricultural enterprises. MACs would help farmers overcome traditional challenges and adapt to climate change.

MSC had to develop a comprehensive business plan to establish and operationalize MACs. We conducted a detailed literature review and secondary research to analyze Cambodia’s agricultural landscape and the challenges smallholder farmers face. We designed quantitative and qualitative research tools, which included structured surveys, focus group discussion (FGD) guides, and key informant interview (KII) frameworks, to gather robust data from various stakeholders. We then conducted a quantitative survey with more than 300 farmers across four crops, organized eight FGDs with MAC management and farmer members, and held six KIIs with value chain actors. These insights form the basis for the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for MACs and a business plan template.

MSC developed a value proposition and market strategy for the MACs and created a detailed financial blueprint and management framework. We also designed practical SOPs and a business plan template to support the successful implementation and scaling of the MAC initiative across Cambodia. The initiative also promoted gender equality, as women comprised a significant portion of agricultural cooperative members.

The Cowater International, which manages the CAPRED facility, commissioned this project.