LITTLE ROCK – October 29, 2026 -- A Cambodian agricultural cooperative led by Set Hach has grown its capital from about US$2,275 to more than US$130,000, a track record behind her place on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's list of 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems for Rural Development, Heifer International said.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu presented the award in Rome on October 15
Hach chairs the Strey Phokphal Meanchey Agricultural Cooperative in Siem Reap Province. She received the award from FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu at FAO headquarters during the World Food Forum. The recognition was established in the spirit of the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Cooperative membership rose from 82 to 540 across 30 villages
The cooperative was established in 2016 with 82 members, including 79 women. By 2025 it counted 540 members, including 451 women, across 30 villages. Member shares total 3,014.
The cooperative also set up 23 self-help groups with 556 members, 487 of them women. These groups mobilized more than US$54,000 in savings.
Hach rose from self-help group member to cooperative chair in four years
Hach joined a women's self-help group supported by Heifer International Cambodia and its partners in 2013. She began saving and took part in financial literacy and leadership training. She then became a self-help group leader and a volunteer literacy trainer.
Fellow members encouraged her to run for deputy chair of the cooperative. She became chair in 2017.
Siyonn Sothearith, Director of Programs at Heifer International Cambodia, said her achievement will inspire more women and young people to see themselves as leaders and changemakers.