The objective of the national drought plan is based on the principle of risk reduction which includes i) early warning and prediction, ii) Preparedness and mitigation iii) response, and iv) communication for drought. Specifically, this plan is developed based on review of existing documents and policies all together and identify gaps in national drought preparedness and planning. Unlike many other disasters, many documents in Cambodia reported that the negative effects of drought are mainly agricultural-related activities such as damage to rice cultivation.
ADPC in 2008 reported that while drought is not as severe as floods in terms of impact, drought severely affects farming productivity, especially among rice-growing communities that rely solely on rain. Low agricultural yield due to extended drought has increased the indebtedness of families and contributed to widespread food shortages (ADPC, 2008). Therefore, the review of this plan is mainly focused on the agricultural sector which is known as the most vulnerable sector to drought so that the negative impact to the livelihood of local people can be minimized/reduced
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