EIC made a qualitative survey with leaders of some villages
surrounding Phnom Penh, which are seen to get benefit from the growth,
and some villages surrounding Siem Reap centre, which are seen to remain
poor. Qualitative interview with village chiefs surrounding Phnom Penh
revealed that their villagers seem to be benefiting from the fast economic
growth during the last decade.
The Private sector seems to play a very important role in improving
villagers’ living standard. In general, the living standards of our people are
growing since their main income sources were changed from crop cultivation
to jobs created by the garment industry, construction, and land price increase.
Beside, qualitative interviews with village chiefs surrounding Siem
Reap centre revealed that the living standards of their people seem to be
slightly increased or seem to stay the same. They mostly rely on the crop
production, mostly paddy production, which fluctutates greatly according to
unpreditable wealther conditions. The benefit from the fast economic growth
such as taking a second job at the village-centre such as in the construction
sector seems to be messed up by a primary job such as crop cultivation. One
drought or inundation is enough to put these villages back to poverty. Thus,
their situation is almost unchanged during this period.