Email: andisubhanhusain@gmail.com

Affiliation: Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Nationality: Indonesian

Agrarian Livelihoods and Climate Adaptation in Kampong Phluk, Cambodia: A Critical Agrarian Studies Perspective

Abstract

Kampong Phluk, a coastal community near Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia, offers a unique case study of how an agrarian community is adapting to ecological changes driven by climate change and natural resource policies. As a community living amidst the extreme seasonal water cycles, the people of Kampong Phluk rely on fisheries and wetland-based agroforestry for their livelihoods. However, shifts in water patterns, resource exploitation, and conservation policy interventions have significantly altered their agrarian dynamics.

This research uses a Critical Agrarian Studies approach to explore how these coastal communities navigate structural changes affecting their livelihoods. The research analyzes how external pressures, including conservation policies that limit access to resources, increasingly marginalize water-based livelihood mechanisms, using participant observation and Focus Group Discussion with local stakeholders.

This study shows the conflict between protecting the environment and protecting the rights of local people to make a living by connecting its findings to the ideas of agrarian political economy and scholar-activism. In addition, this study offers perspectives on how community-based approaches can strengthen adaptation strategies to ecological change and economic uncertainty.

This study contributes to the Critical Agrarian Studies literature by highlighting the challenges faced by water-based agrarian communities in the context of climate change and conservation policies and offers reflections on how scholar-activism can strengthen community voices in the formulation of more inclusive policies.

Bio

Andi Subhan Husain is a Ph.D. Researcher in International Development Studies at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, where he was awarded the CU Power of Togetherness Towards U Top 100 Scholarship. Under the mentorship of Asst. Prof. Bhanubhatra Jittiang, his research explores sustainable development, agrarian livelihoods, and policy entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia.

Andi has represented Chulalongkorn University at the University of Tokyo Global Internship Program (UGIP), where he contributed to discussions on food security, sustainability, and environmental challenges for the next century. He has also participated in several high-profile international forums, including the 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.

His academic engagements extend to Taiwan, where he joined the New Areas of Taiwan Agricultural Links-Visit and Exchange Series, sponsored by Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture. Through this program, he visited leading agricultural innovation sites such as Jingan Farm, Magical Mushroom Tribe, YesHealth Agri-Biotechnology, and Peifang Organic Farm.

As a researcher, Andi has contributed to agribusiness studies, particularly in specialty coffee market competitiveness. He presented his paper, "Competitiveness of Toraja Specialty Coffee in the Global Market: Porter's Diamond Model," at the International Conference on Agribusiness and Rural Development (IConARD 2023), later published in E3S Web of Conferences and indexed by Scopus.

With a keen interest in development, sustainability, and agrarian studies, Andi continues to engage in research and policy dialogues across Asia.