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About

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:45:07 -0700

SANSOM MLUP PREY, a non-profit organization, was created in 2009 to promote and market wildlife-friendly products grown or crafted in the communities located in all categories of land protected for their biodiversity value in Cambodia. Its work links wildlife conservation to improving livelihoods of villagers limited by the constraints of living in a remote area with little opportunity to expand operations and limited market access. The Certified Wildlife FriendlyTM product is Ibis Rice, a naturally organic product sold in hotels, restaurants and shops in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

SMP works with village marketing networks (VMN), rural cooperatives whose members are made up of farmers who are often not food secure, relying on forest resources for income. Members are paid a premium for their produce when they abide by conservation rules and regulations, including wildlife protection and maintenance of land-use boundaries. Currently we are working in 11 villages, ten in Preah Vihear province and one in Kompong Thom province.

IBIS Rice

Conceived in 2008, the Ibis Rice brand was created to highlight the plight of Cambodia’s national bird, the Giant Ibis. Today this species is critically endangered, and is most easily seen in Preah Vihear province.

Tmatboey, Dangphlat, Prey Veng and Narong are four of the villages in the Northern Plains of Cambodia where Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is working with communities and the government to restore wildlife populations to historical levels, focusing on two protected areas.

In Preah Vihear, the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary and the Preah Vihear Protected Forest either contain, or are used by, long-established local communities, who are very poor and are heavily dependent upon the forest and surrounding habitat for their livelihoods. In Kompong Thom, the Bengal Florican Conservation Area is located on the floodplain of the Tonle Sap, a large rice-growing area threatened by conversion to large-scale agriculture, and away from traditional land uses which allowed wildlife and communities to coexist.

Agricultural-based livelihood development is limited by low prices offered by the few traders that visit. This provides little incentive for communities to improve agricultural efficiency. With growing human populations the pressure on land resources is increasing, leading to widespread forest clearance in key conservation areas and conflicts between communities and government agencies responsible for environmental protection. As land is one of the few easily available forms of wealth, community members have little incentive to engage with these government agencies. Successful wildlife and habitat conservation therefore depends on engaging them through tools that directly link local economic and social development to community conservation.

The Village Marketing Networks are the tools which couple improved livelihoods to conservation-friendly practices. The VMNs:

Target the poorer farmers, who are often not food secure and are more reliant on forest resources.
Provide initial inputs, support (training in new agricultural techniques) and resources (pkha malis rice seed, for instance).
Buy from farmers if they abide by conservation rules and regulations, including wildlife protection and maintenance of land-use boundaries agreed between the Government and the community.
Offer preferential prices to community members, in some cases up to double what they previously would have received. The initial business model is based on sales in the tourist center of Cambodia.

Based on criteria developed by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (www.wildlifefriendly.org), Ibis Rice is now certified Wildife Friendly and through WFEN, promoted globally. Sansom Mlup Prey was established as the responsible entity, responsible for buying, processing and marketing the Wildlife Friendly^TM products, ensuring compliance and transparency.

Latest News

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:37:09 -0700

There are currently five products available

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:42:29 -0700

Grade A Ibis Rice

Brown Rice

The 1 kilogram (kg) packet of brown Ibis Rice is a popular item in shops and boutique food stores. Five kilogram sacks are also available. Though restaurants and hotels can order brown in 50 kg sacks, they tend to buy it in 5 kg sacks, to retain freshness.

White Rice

Most Ibis Rice is sold in 50 kilogram sacks, to hotels and restaurant and to single families. Smaller sized packages of white Ibis Rice, both 1 and 5 kilogram sizes are available in local supermarkets and specialty shops in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Tourist-sized packages

The smaller green package of Ibis Rice is carried by participating restaurants and hotels. They will also be found in other places frequented by tourists, such as airports and souvenir shops. The small sacks contain one quarter kilo of white Ibis Rice. Often establishments will have the green sack as part of a display holding Ibis Rice brochures.

Grade B Ibis Rice

White Rice

A limited amount of Grade B white rice is generated in the milling process. This rice is purchased by organizations working with children or disadvantaged families and is usually not available for sale to commercial establishments at this time.

Home

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:45:06 -0700

SANSOM MLUP PREY was created in 2009 to promote and market wildlife-friendly products grown or crafted in the communities located in all categories of land protected for their biodiversity value in Cambodia. Its work links wildlife conservation to improving livelihoods of villagers limited by the constraints of living in a remote area with little opportunity to expand operations and limited market access.

Past Donations

Thu, 05 May 2011 03:06:23 -0700

Most Recent Donation

Thu, 05 May 2011 03:07:39 -0700

Rice to the Occasion!

Thu, 05 May 2011 01:50:01 -0700

Rice Donation Program

Tourism in Cambodia is on the upswing. Over 2.5 million tourists visited in 2010. SMP has created an outreach program which is currently being offered to select business and tourist organizations in Siem Reap.

Many foreigners who come to Cambodia are moved to give back to the people who have touched their lives -- a tour guide, tuktuk driver or the charity they’ve visited on a day tour. In cooperation with participating business, SMP makes giving easy; we offer different sized packets of up to 50 kilograms of Ibis Rice, delivered to a location in the Siem Reap area.

The business simply has the guest complete the form on the back of the brochure, collects the funds and gives SMP a shout (or email). We do the rest: pick up forms and cash, package and deliver the rice, and if the guest requests, take a photo of recipient(s) receiving the rice and send a thank-you email to donor with the digital photo attached. The donations will also be featured on the Ibis Rice facebook page.

We provide each establishment this poster [show poster], a small green ¼ kilo cloth sack of rice and brochures of the Ibis Rice project. It is expected that reputable businesses providing outreach opportunities to their guests, clients, or customers will not charge commissions.

This program offers rice at a higher price than found in local groceries – to cover not just the normal costs but also includes a donation to SMP to help fund expansion of the wildlife friendly scheme to 5 more villages in 2011.

Here is a list of participating enterprises: Concert, Beyond Tour, Sojourn, The Villa Siem Reap, Hotel de la Paix, Victoria Resort & Spa, Mc Dermott Gallery, La Maison d’Angkor, Common Grounds Café, About Asia Travel , Amansara, Soria Moria, La Residence d'Angkor, and more to come.

In Siem Reap, visit any of these businesses or come to the Sam Veasna Center to donate Ibis Rice to someone in need.

Donate

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:45:07 -0700

Currently we are unable to receive donations through this website but we are working on it. Donations are accepted in Siem Reap through our Rice to the Occasion! Outreach program.

Other Business

Thu, 12 May 2011 01:06:56 -0700

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About

IBIS Rice

Latest News

There are currently five products available

Grade A Ibis Rice

Brown Rice

White Rice

Tourist-sized packages

Grade B Ibis Rice

White Rice

Home

Past Donations

Most Recent Donation

Rice to the Occasion!

Rice Donation Program

Donate

Other Business