El Niño is threatening food security by disrupting rainfall and temperature patterns, causing drought and floods in some areas. In Cambodia, drought in July and flooding in September damaged rice crops, reducing harvests, raising production costs and increasing the risk of food insecurity for vulnerable families.
The Water Resources and Meteorology Ministry (MoWRAM) said the rainy season is expected to end in the third week of October, with El Niño to persist at a “100 percent probability” through February 2027.
The ministry on Monday urged the public to use water sparingly and manage water sources responsibly ahead of the upcoming dry season. The announcement added that government departments need to monitor water resources and plan for daily use and agricultural cultivation during the dry season.
“We urge relevant ministries and institutions, local authorities and the public to continue protecting water sources for the upcoming dry season and to use water economically,” the ministry announced.
Kong Chantha, a farmer with three children from Oddar Meanchey province, told CamboJA News that she is worried about food security since one hectare of her rice crop was totally damaged during the drought in July. Her family rely on rice as their main food supply, stating that she might need to buy rice as they continue to suffer economic hardship caused by the Cambodia-Thailand conflict.
“We depend on rainwater completely to grow rice but this year is tragic.”
Chantha said she is aware of the El Niño effect and is worried about their health, nutrition, and children’s commute to school which is quite far from home.
The July drought affected nearly 290,000 hectares of rice fields across eight provinces, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). Earlier in the month, the affected area had grown rapidly—from 44,453 hectares on July 6 to 289,855 hectares by July 30, with Battambang representing the biggest impact.
In September, heavy rain triggered flooding in 10 provinces. By the end of the month, about 156,125 hectares of rice fields—roughly 5% of Cambodia’s three million hectares of wet-season rice—had been damaged.
El Niño compounding effects
A farmer in Tuek Chhou district, Kampot province, Soun Thai, planted corn on his 10-hectare farm, which takes about four months to harvest. He said his corn is currently in good condition, but he worries that high temperatures could cause it to shrink and ultimately damage the crop.
“I’ve never faced any water shortages for my corn plantation. But if there is not enough water and the temperature is high, it would damage crop yields,” Thai told CamboJA News.
Both Kim Finan, spokesperson for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry (MAFF) and Chann Yutha, spokesperson for the MoWRAM, did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Peng Trida, director of the Preah Vihear Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, told CamboJA News that farmers do not grow rice in dry-season due to insufficient irrigation infrastructure. But this year rice crop yields in the rainy season still stand high, he claimed.
“This year, we have sufficient water and crop yields are quite high. It was not really impacted [by climate change],” Trida said.
El Niño is not acting alone. Farmers are also contending with higher prices of fuel, fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, worsened by the war in the Middle East and the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict.
The effects of El Niño — drought, flooding and higher temperatures — have only added to the pressure.
Maintaining irrigation systems
This October, Cambodia is being affected by Champi, the 30th storm of the year, which is bringing rain and thunderstorms to up to 50% of the country until October 23, causing flooding in several major agricultural provinces.
According to the MAFF, as of October 16, 2026, floodwaters had affected 240,583 hectares of agricultural crops, or nearly six percent of the cultivated area nationwide, and damaged 107,353 hectares, or 2.7%. Rice accounted for 221,991 hectares of the affected land, with 98,662 hectares damaged.
CamboJA News contacted Pursat governor Khoy Rida, Battambang governor Sok Lu, and deputy governor and spokesperson for Preah Vihear province Kim Chanpanha but they said they were busy with meetings. Questions sent to their Telegram were not answered.
Siem Reap deputy governor Sok Thol told CamboJA News that his administration has requested relevant authorities to monitor the irrigation system. He said the Department of Water Resources and Meteorology is working to inspect and evaluate the results of irrigation system maintenance work.
“We have to alert local authorities such as the district administration to prepare for upcoming drought events,” he said, adding that the department issued a letter to the public to keep monitoring water resources.
MoWRAM said an inter-ministerial working group evaluated the results of irrigation system maintenance in 2026 (Phase 2) in Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces.
The ministry reiterated that maintaining irrigation infrastructure is a priority and must be carried out regularly with local authorities, while urging citizens to participate in the maintenance and protection of the infrastructure.
Early, timely warnings
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Cambodia said that El Niño-linked natural disasters have impacted food security. FAO said the main concern is that prolonged dry conditions or uneven rainfall could affect rain-fed rice production, other crops, livestock, water and feed availability, fisheries productivity and rural livelihoods—especially for smallholder and vulnerable farming households.
However, the agency stressed that structural vulnerabilities remain because large parts of agriculture are dependent on rainfall and irrigation coverage remains limited. “Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and other extreme weather events,” FAO said.
It called for stronger investment in water management, climate-smart agriculture, early warning systems, advisory services, and social protection to strengthen resilience, alongside better coordination among government, development partners and farming communities.
“Reducing climate-related risks requires strengthening farmers’ adaptive and preparedness to anticipate and respond to climate variability and extreme weather events. A key priority is expanding access to early and timely warning and agrometeorological advisory services,” FAO said.
Food security, emergency response
Meanwhile, UNICEF reported that El Niño could place over 1.3 million Cambodian children at risk of climate-related impacts, as it may intensify droughts, floods and other extreme weather events.
Maha Damaj, UNICEF Representative to Cambodia, told CamboJA News that children are particularly vulnerable to reduced dietary diversity, which can contribute to malnutrition, poorer school attendance, and reduced resilience to illness.
Maha said UNICEF supports governments and communities before, during and after climate-related disasters to help protect children and maintain essential services.
“By investing in preparedness now, we can reduce risks to children’s health, nutrition, education and protection, particularly for the most vulnerable families living in drought-prone communities,” she said.
Srey Vannak, senior technical specialist in climate change and disaster of World Vision International in Cambodia, said her organization supports Food Security and Livelihood Protection and Emergency Preparedness and Response to El Niño-linked disasters.
“We also support pre-positioning of emergency resources and response teams, and conducting immediate needs assessments to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected families,” Vannak told CamboJA News.
She added that World Vision International in Cambodia has been working with the government to implement the National Action Plan on Drought Management and Adaptation (2025–2030), which focuses on drought forecasting, early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, water conservation, and community-based adaptation measures.