Friday, October 15, 2021 - 5 to 8 PM (Pacific Time)
San Marino, California

The pandemic was particularly difficult for developing countries like Cambodia, where people lost jobs and have little resources. Community First was able to continue its work of providing support to the villages, and their families have been grateful. Now it is time to say thank you to all the Friends of Community First who helped us continue to serve the people of Cambodia who need it the most.

Please join us Friday, virtually, or in-person on October 15 from 5 to 8 pm at one of our board member’s lovely home in San Marino for appetizers and drinks in an outdoor setting. We will share friendship and celebrate the continuing programs of Community First with a short video and a chat with our team at our farm in Cambodia.

This event is free and can be attended virtually via Zoom. RSVP is required to get the address of our event or the Zoom link based on your ticket purchase. Space is limited, so make sure to get your ticket today!

​It is our great pleasure to announce that our very talented resident photographer and videographer, Ms. Aurelie Fischer has her artistic work on exhibit at Penh Art Fair. While Aurelie has been documenting our work in the villages and produced many videos on aquaponics, she has also been pursuing her artistic endeavors in Cambodia during the pandemic.

Most notably, she has explored the area of Kampot where salt is harvested. Her excursions in this beautiful part of the Kingdom have resulted in the creation of a series of photos documenting this trade and exploring the theme of reflection. Her unique perspective is beautifully expressed in an article on her in the French-language magazine "Camdoge Mag". In the article, she shares the following:

“A spoon half emerged in a glass of water appears to be bent as it meets the water’s surface. We know that this is due to light refraction, which affects the way light is reflected at the surface. But this distortion is just an illusion. We can therefore think of there being two spoons: the real one that is straight, and its reflective image that is bent.”

She continues by exploring which of the two spoons are real? They both exist in the same world, but through water, they offer a different perception of reality. She invites viewers to explore this idea of the duality of this reflection between reality and illusion, and the difference between the world of imagination and reality.

Her artwork explores this theme through the lives of the salt harvesters of southern Cambodia, where the lives can be seen reflected through the prism of water, just like the spoon. The exhibit is open to the public through reservation only until June 27 in Phnom Penh. You can visit the Penh Art Fair website here to schedule a visit, and visit her website here. We encourage our supporters to discover and support Aurelie Fischer’s artwork, as it will help her continue other humanitarian endeavors here in Cambodia. You can also follow her on Instagram @ake_fischer

It's Giving Tuesday! And we have so much to be grateful for. We've had a terrific event earlier this month, and thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to raise over $8,000 and auctioned off 14 art pieces by the very talented Aurelie Fischer! These funds will directly impact the lives of the people we serve in rural Cambodia, by empowering families through food security and economic development.

What's more, we're happy to share with you our latest video which walks you through the construction of our family aquaponics systems in rural Cambodia. These food systems empower families to provide better nutrition for their children, in a country where 40% of them have their growth stunted because of malnutrition (learn more). These systems are also a new source of income for many families, as they help us grow a variety of superfoods and health teas that we help them sell at a profit. Check out our newest video and learn how we build our food systems:

But we're also very excited to share with you our brand new e-shop, where you will be able to find our unique merchandise themed around aquaponics and traditional Cambodian arts. You will also find on this e-shop our first-ever book, containing beautiful pictures of rural Cambodia and our work, as well as a few stories. It's a great read for all ages, and a great way to support and share our work!

As the year-end approaches, you can make a donation on our website. Did you know we also have a Corporate Matching Program? Consider looking up your employer with our convenient tool below to double your impact! Or, you may want to support our work at no cost to you by taking care of your holiday shopping on Amazon Smile for the benefit of our organization.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the world, it has wreaked havoc on food supply chains and availability. Over the next year, global poverty is predicted to make an exceptional rise; in the US, while farmers in Idaho dump thousands of pounds of potatoes they have no buyers for, millions of people wait in snaking food bank lines. Pierre Mainguy, founder of Community First, recently sat down with Professor Michael Roberts, Executive Director of the UCLA Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, to discuss food insecurity in the time of coronavirus. A leader in his field, Roberts has authored multiple leading texts on the subject of food law and recently led a partnership between the Resnick Center and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

According to a study published by University of Illinois researchers, over a quarter of the world’s population is food insecure, lacking access to safe, affordable food that will promote healthy growth [1]. While the traditional image of hunger is starvation, in fact, food insecurity takes a myriad of forms: many of the food insecure people across the world today rely on cheap, highly processed foods that lead to obesity and malnourishment. The complexity of food systems and regulations, both locally and internationally, is a major barrier to combating food insecurity. Multiple governing agencies, sometimes with competing interests, are often responsible for the same sectors. Roberts describes the famous example of pizza regulation in the US: “If it has meat on it, is it regulated by the FDA or the USDA? Well, it actually depends on how much meat. If it’s 2% or more then it's regulated by the USDA”.

Here in LA County, one of Community First’s bases of operation, food insecurity and malnutrition often takes the form of food deserts, geographic areas that, while sometimes packed with fast food, offer little to no fresh produce and healthy options. As Roberts notes: “It’s one thing to go to the farmers market in Santa Monica, here in Southern California, and enjoy a bountiful row of wonderful foods to buy and take home and eat and enjoy the local produce. It’s another thing to go to South Central LA and not have access to those kinds of foods. At least affordable access. And all you have is maybe a fast-food restaurant or gas station food to buy”. Moreover, in LA and in the US at large, food insecurity often exists along racial fault lines. A recent study found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of food insecurity are nearly twice as high for Black households with children as for White households with children. Similarly, Hispanic respondents are food insecure at a rate 60% higher than their White counterparts [2]. Through this biased food system, lacking in affordable, healthy food, historical legacies of poverty, and discrimination manifest themselves as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

In northern rural Cambodia, where Community First primarily works, issues of food insecurity are even more prevalent and impactful. As a nation, Cambodia was devastated by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, which left a quarter of the population dead and destroyed centuries of traditional knowledge. Decades later, Cambodia is still in the process of redevelopment and continues to experience the economic and social aftershocks of the regime. According to the United Nations’ UNICEF, 40% of Cambodian children are stunted from malnutrition, a condition that leads to poor cognitive development, decreased motor abilities, and an increase in risk for chronic nutritional disorders in adult life [3]. In a quickly growing country with the majority of the population under age 30, the physical and mental effects of stunting imperil both individual lives and the economic and political health of the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic has further pressured the struggling Cambodian food system. Travel restrictions have caused unprecedented job loss for the migrant agricultural workers who provide a major source of economic support for their families. In Thailand, where many northern Cambodian villagers seek work, “international remittances decreased from $361 billion in March 2020 to $286 billion in April” [4].

While rural Cambodia suffers greatly from malnutrition, it also offers hope for worldwide food insecurity solutions. Community First’s longtime relationship with the villages of Sen Sok, paired with the low costs of research and development in Cambodia and the nation’s strong NGO culture, makes the rural north an ideal place to pioneer aquaponics technology as a weapon against hunger. As Roberts notes, “the local communities can be incubators, innovators” that successfully model Community Agricultural Systems that can be adapted across the globe, whether in the food deserts of Los Angeles or the villages of Sen Sok.

Read the full transcript here:

References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7347484/
[2] https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2020/food-insecurity-by-race-ethnicity.html
[3] https://www.wearecommunityfirst.org/stunting.html
[4] ​https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep25010.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-5187%252Ftest

The COVID19 pandemic is exacerbating an issue that we have worked on for over ten years now: Food Security. Where we work in Cambodia, this issue has translated into an alarming situation in which 40% of Cambodia's children have their cognitive development and growth stunted.

That is why our work on aquaponics has been so important there, as it provides a source of protein and income for families while preserving water. But in the age of a new pandemic, these features resonate deeply in people's minds. And not only for the families we serve half a world away, but also here at home, in the minds of the people that support our work.

Accordingly, we are launching an effort to provide help in the villages while also bringing our aquaponic training program online for the masses. The communities we serve are certainly extremely exposed, but everyone in the world is facing the same uncertainty.

"On April 21, the United Nations projected that because of COVID19, the number of people facing severe food insecurity worldwide could double to 265 million. The same week, in the United States, the five-week total of job losses rose to a staggering 26 million, pushing millions more into food insecurity." Source: Center for International Strategic & International Studies.

While Cambodia has had a low count on COVID19 cases, the tourism industry, which represents a good third of its GDP, has taken a severe hit. Ticket sales for Angkor Wat fell over 99% last month compared with the same time the previous year. As a result, many remain unemployed with absolutely no other safety net than their families. This is why many people return to their village, where food may be scarce, but at least some can always be found.

In rural Cambodia, where our team and the people we serve live, many rely on foraging and fishing, like they would in the face of other hardships. Not so long ago, many had to rely on the forest for food while fleeing the turmoil and violence of war. This situation lasted much longer than most realize, as Cambodia did not fully find peace until the 1990s.

But today, we are learning that a pandemic can put just as much strain on the supply and value chains that govern people's food security. Here in the United States, farmers in Idaho are duping potatoes that cannot find buyers. During that same week, the San Antonio Food Bank, Texas was struggling to meet the demand.

The recently published Global Nutrition Report (2020) highlights the global nature of the problem quite well, stating that malnutrition is the "leading cause of death and ill-health in the world." The report further explains that a large part of the problem relates to access to healthy foods, such as fresh produce and lean protein sources. These findings may be troubling, but they arguably make aquaponics a great solution to address these problems when thousands of families lined up for distributions.

These times may be challenging and uncertain, but it is essential to remember that many social innovations have been born in difficult times. And examples abound from the financial institutions dating back to the Great Depression, to the technologies that made our world more environmentally sustainable during the two Oil Shocks.

In that spirit, we want to bring together the communities we serve in Cambodia with their supporters and backers around aquaponics & food security. Join us in this effort by helping raise the resources necessary to get the seeds and other essential supplies to those who need them the most in Cambodia! As you help us achieve our goal, you will be supporting a family (or more!) while giving our team of trainers the tools they need to bring their knowledge online.

As part of this campaign, we will also be releasing short-form videos, a virtual visit of our campus, as well as a short web documentary. We are happy to share in this post the very first installment of the short-form series. Aurélie Fischer, a professional photographer & videographer who decided to stick around in the villages during the pandemic, produced this content. We are very grateful for her courage and talent!

More content from her and our team is coming up soon!

Sources & Further Reading:

​Did you know that over 40% of children in Cambodia have their growth stunted by malnutrition? This means that almost half of the children there have their cognitive and motor development impaired because their mother was unable to provide adequate nutrition in the prenatal and neonatal stages of her infant’s life.

Learn more about the issues Community First is working to address with this video from the World Health Organization (WHO) on malnutrition and stunting and our latest video on aquaponics in Cambodia:

​Over the past ten years, the Pasadena-based international nonprofit Community First has been hard at work bringing social innovation to the forgotten rural communities of Cambodia. In that time, in great part thanks to the support of Rotary International, Community First has been able to provide clean drinking water to over 10,000 people as well as renewable energy and new farming techniques to the villages around Angkor Wat in Northern Cambodia.

Join us Saturday May 11, 2019 from 3:30PM to 5:30PM in San Marino, CA for the unveiling of our family aquaponic system. These systems are used to help mothers feed their families in drought-stricken Cambodia, and you can see them in action this weekend!

Are you interested in aquaponics, but never got around to see a real system that you could use at home? Did you ever consider growing some of your own food, or are you just interested in the science of how fish fertilizes plants that you can eat? Have you ever wondered how much of an impact this can have in people's lives around the world? Come and join us on Saturday, May 11 and you will learn about all of the above!

This aquaponic system will premiere at the Rotary District 5300 Assembly & Conference in Anaheim this weekend but will be for you to see up-close Saturday, May 11th from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM at the home of the Hung Family by the Old Mill in San Marino (1057 Old Mill Rd San Marino, CA 91108).

Our systems bring together the best of fish farming and vegetable gardening in a part of the world where mothers struggle so much to feed their children, 40% of them have their growth stunted because of malnutrition.

Aquaponics provides not only a better, more secure source of nutrition but also a significant economic engine for families who farm only rice once a year. So, on Mother's Day weekend, come and see this well-engineered food system that empowers mothers in Cambodia around a glass of wine

Want to see our aquaponic systems in action in the communities of rural Cambodia and learn more about its impact in the lives of the people there? Check our latest videos and come and see us May 11th to meet in person!