Agriculture and tourism linkage constraints in the Siem Reap-Angkor region of Cambodia

Building on previous research on agriculture and tourism linkages in developing countries, this study investigates such linkages in Cambodia s Siem Reap region, exploring whether local farmers have benefitted from the influx of tourists. While other studies have tended to focus on the demand side, the approach in this study is from the supply side, taking mainly the perspective of local farmers. A two-step qualitative methodology was used. In the first stage, officials and informal leaders identified key factors constraining such linkages and in the second stage a questionnaire was administered to individual farmers, asking them to rate constraints identified in the first step. The market, institutional and supply driven constraints encountered by local farmers in gaining entry to the tourism market are similar to those faced by farmers in other developing countries. These multi-dimensional limitations are interwoven in that the inability of farmers to supply the tourism market was found to be a function of both demand and supply factors, the latter mainly structural. The significance of this study is that it complements the existing literature with the perspective of farmers, giving a different angle in the study of tourism and agriculture linkages, and expands the geography where such linkages have been studied; a different country and a world renowned cultural heritage site. The findings provide useful insights for policy makers in Cambodia and beyond in their endeavours to improve agriculture?tourism linkages, thereby benefitting local farmers and assisting in poverty alleviation.