Cambodia's Third National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (NSFSN) 2024-2028.

The vision of this Third National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (NSFSN) 2024–2028 of Cambodia is to ensure that all Cambodians have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food while being protected from all forms of malnutrition through strengthening food systems to make them more resilient, sustainable, inclusive, and equitable, promoting good nutrition and health for everyone. The Strategy aims to promote healthy diets by encouraging both individual and social behavioral changes and regulating food environments thtough ensuring food quality and safety, as well as improving access to various nutrition services to address the triple burden of malnutrition: undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. It builds on previous strategies and aligns with the Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1 and Cambodia’s Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy adopts a systems-based, multisectoral approach, integrating agriculture, health, education, social protection, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), while emphasizing cross-cutting issues like gender, climate change, equity, and digitalization. It sets clear targets to reduce stunting, wasting, and obesity, and improve dietary diversity and food security.
The Strategy is structured around five joint priorities—sustainable food systems, health systems, nutrition-sensitive social protection, WASH, and social behavior change—and sector-led responsibilities. For sustainable food systems, the strategy focuses on ensuring access to healthy diets, strengthening food environments, promoting diversified and sustainable food production, protecting food security and livelihoods, and promoting equity in the food system. In terms of social protection, it aims to reduce barriers to accessing nutritious foods, mandates food fortification in social assistance programs, and protects nutrition during disasters. For WASH, it emphasizes improving nutrient absorption by increasing access to safe drinking water and improving hygiene and sanitation practices. Social behavior change involves strengthening community engagement on nutrition promotion and encouraging healthy lifestyles through multiple channels.
The Strategy promotes community-led initiatives, improved governance, and partnerships across government, civil society, and the private sector. Implementation will be supported by a detailed operational plan, robust monitoring and evaluation, and diversified financing mechanisms. The strategy underscores the importance of coordinated action and accountability to achieve Cambodia’s 2030 development goals and Vision 2050 for a healthier, more resilient population.