As a sustainable development study to reduce global poverty, the Institute of Poverty Alleviation and International Development (IPAID) at Yonsei University investigated the role of social capital on household income by analyzing two villages, Veal Pung and Veal Pon, in Cambodia in 2014. In rural areas that are focused on farming, a village's level of social capital may be helpful to reduce poverty by sharing necessary information and eliciting collective behavior. Based on the results of in-depth interviews and a survey, we examined the influence of the participation of Common Rice Farming (CRF), which serves as social capital, on household income. The results demonstrate that participating in the CRF was significantly associated with crop income; however, it was not associated with farm income, which includes other agricultural products. Hence, it shows a limited influence on household income.
Moreover, the household income in Veal Pung, which is closer to the local main city Oudong, was significantly higher than in Veal Pon. One implication is that different approaches across age may be necessary. As a policy suggestion, a traditional approach to developing a factory and a road is helpful mainly for relatively young households that have a preference for employment in a city. Whereas, for older households related to farming, a consideration of the village level of social capital along with a traditional way is necessary.