Set Hach, a Siem Reap farming leader, honoured by the FAO in Rome
Set Hach runs an agricultural cooperative in Siem Reap province. On 15 October, in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) named her one of its first "100 Women Heroes" in agrifood systems and rural development.
An award handed over by the FAO director-general
Ms Set Hach received the distinction from FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. The ceremony took place during the World Food Forum 2026, at the agency's headquarters. It fell on the International Day of Rural Women. Cambodia's national news agency, AKP, reported the news on 16 October.
FAO cited her leadership, her resilience and her service to hundreds of farming families, women in particular.
100 women chosen from 609 nominations
The FAO created the "100 Women Heroes" list for the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, declared by the United Nations. It received 609 nominations from 131 member countries and kept 100. The honourees work in farming, research, business and rural community development.
This is the first edition. FAO describes the recognition as annual.
A women-led cooperative in the Tonle Sap basin
Ms Set Hach is president of the Satrey Phouk Phol Meanchey Agricultural Cooperative. AKP says she has pushed women into leadership roles in agriculture, widened economic opportunities in her area and helped her community withstand shocks.
Her work falls under the PEARL Project, which the Green Climate Fund finances. PEARL stands for Public-Social-Private Partnerships for Ecologically-Sound Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods in the Northern Tonle Sap Basin. The six-year programme runs from 2023 to 2029 in Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey. The Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the FAO carry it out together.
PEARL trains farmers in climate-resilient techniques and connects them to premium markets for their produce. The FAO says it is improving the livelihoods of about 450,000 farmers.
Rural women and the national food system
AKP presents the award as recognition of what Cambodian rural women contribute to the country's agrifood systems. Many of those women farm, process and sell food without appearing in official statistics. The FAO list is meant to give some of them a name.
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