Van Touch
Biographic Data
| ID | 3056846 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Van Touch |
| FAMILY NAME | Van Touch |
| SIGNATURE | VAN TOUCH |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Melbourne |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2391-4898 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
A Hero's Journey to Systemic Change
Experts in rural development and agrarian change wield considerable influence over programme design and delivery, directing resources and shaping trajectories towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet the pathways through which such expertise develops remain under‐examined. This study examines the journey to expertise among experts in Southeast Asia through the lens of Joseph Campbell's monomyth, the Hero's Journey. Drawing on semi‐st…
Becoming agricultural extensionists
Retaining and attracting youth to agriculture is crucial for food security. Agricultural extension, which diffuses knowledge and technologies to improve production and incomes, can drive sustainable farming in agriculture-dependent economies. In Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations, a youth bulge and increased access to higher education are producing more agricultural graduates skilled for diverse roles, including extension. However, little…
The Dual Employment Destinations for Rural Cambodians
This paper applies the dual labour market migration concept to Cambodia and Thailand. We examine the migration patterns of 9066 individuals from 2507 households in rural Northwest Cambodia, distinguishing between internal migration within Cambodia and international migration to Thailand. We find that individuals from households with fewer resources, such as education, income, and land ownership, tend to migrate to Thailand, while those with more …
From Theatre to Transformation
The arts are envisioned as able to help address the longstanding ‘implementation gap’ between research and realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For SDG2 (Zero Hunger), Forum Theatre offers a participatory alternative to top‐down interventions, yet its impacts have not been evaluated using rigorous, mixed‐methods that are attentive to both quantitative and qualitative data, to spillover effects, or to diffusion over time. This …
Bridging extreme climate risks, financial precarity, and adaptation gaps
The intensification of extreme climate events is no longer a distant threat but is a pressing, global reality for smallholders. This study unpacks the complex interconnections among extreme climate events, perceived risks, and financial constraints to adaptation by integrating multi-source evidence – from historical climate trends and downscaled climate projections from 25 General Circulation Models to household census data from 996 smallholder h…
Settlement, inequality and wellbeing
Agricultural extension institutions in rural Cambodia
Smallholder decision-making and its misalignment with sustainable development goal 2 (Zero Hunger)
The success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on alignment between global aims and local decision-making. Presently missing are analyses that explain how local decision-making determines efforts to prompt transformational change. Specific to SDG2 (i.e., Zero Hunger), disregard for local decision-making manifests an endemic misrepresentation of agricultural extension as a means for achieving increased ‘production and/or productiv…
Team photo-diaries
The prolonged border closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have inspired novel approaches in field-based research. In this paper, we review methodological and collaborative practice reflections on the use of a team photo-diary activity generated by research associates working with smallholder farmers in Northwest Cambodia. Team photo-diaries were introduced as a training tool to encourage reflexivity among Cambodian early career research…
How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia
Recent decades have witnessed widespread agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia. This paper examines how agrarian transitions are shaped by multiple drivers of change, and how these interwoven processes have triggered shifts in agricultural extension practices in three countries in the Lower Mekong Basin: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Drawing on interviews with experts working on the fields of agrarian studies and rural development, this …
Adaptation constraints and prospects for future research priorities in lowland rice-based farming systems
Sustainable agricultural development not only addresses global food insecurity but may also alleviate poverty by enriching the lives of millions of smallholder farmers. Improving the sustainability and profitability of agriculture where smallholders are dominant creates profound impacts because small landholding farmers produce approximately 70–80% of the global food. The need for a thorough understanding of the factors affecting farmers’ adoptio…
Climate change impacts on rainfed cropping production systems in the tropics and the case of smallholder farms in North-west Cambodia
How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia
Recent decades have witnessed widespread agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia. This paper examines how agrarian transitions are shaped by multiple drivers of change, and how these interwoven processes have triggered shifts in agricultural extension practices in three countries in the Lower Mekong Basin: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Drawing on interviews with experts working on the fields of agrarian studies and rural development, this …
Smallholder decision-making and its misalignment with sustainable development goal 2 (Zero Hunger)
The success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on alignment between global aims and local decision-making. Presently missing are analyses that explain how local decision-making determines efforts to prompt transformational change. Specific to SDG2 (i.e., Zero Hunger), disregard for local decision-making manifests an endemic misrepresentation of agricultural extension as a means for achieving increased ‘production and/or productiv…
The Dual Employment Destinations for Rural Cambodians
This paper applies the dual labour market migration concept to Cambodia and Thailand. We examine the migration patterns of 9066 individuals from 2507 households in rural Northwest Cambodia, distinguishing between internal migration within Cambodia and international migration to Thailand. We find that individuals from households with fewer resources, such as education, income, and land ownership, tend to migrate to Thailand, while those with more …
Settlement, inequality and wellbeing
Agricultural extension institutions in rural Cambodia
Climate change impacts on rainfed cropping production systems in the tropics and the case of smallholder farms in North-west Cambodia
Adaptation constraints and prospects for future research priorities in lowland rice-based farming systems
Sustainable agricultural development not only addresses global food insecurity but may also alleviate poverty by enriching the lives of millions of smallholder farmers. Improving the sustainability and profitability of agriculture where smallholders are dominant creates profound impacts because small landholding farmers produce approximately 70–80% of the global food. The need for a thorough understanding of the factors affecting farmers’ adoptio…
How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia
Recent decades have witnessed widespread agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia. This paper examines how agrarian transitions are shaped by multiple drivers of change, and how these interwoven processes have triggered shifts in agricultural extension practices in three countries in the Lower Mekong Basin: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Drawing on interviews with experts working on the fields of agrarian studies and rural development, this …
The Dual Employment Destinations for Rural Cambodians
This paper applies the dual labour market migration concept to Cambodia and Thailand. We examine the migration patterns of 9066 individuals from 2507 households in rural Northwest Cambodia, distinguishing between internal migration within Cambodia and international migration to Thailand. We find that individuals from households with fewer resources, such as education, income, and land ownership, tend to migrate to Thailand, while those with more …
From Theatre to Transformation
The arts are envisioned as able to help address the longstanding ‘implementation gap’ between research and realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For SDG2 (Zero Hunger), Forum Theatre offers a participatory alternative to top‐down interventions, yet its impacts have not been evaluated using rigorous, mixed‐methods that are attentive to both quantitative and qualitative data, to spillover effects, or to diffusion over time. This …
Bridging extreme climate risks, financial precarity, and adaptation gaps
The intensification of extreme climate events is no longer a distant threat but is a pressing, global reality for smallholders. This study unpacks the complex interconnections among extreme climate events, perceived risks, and financial constraints to adaptation by integrating multi-source evidence – from historical climate trends and downscaled climate projections from 25 General Circulation Models to household census data from 996 smallholder h…
Settlement, inequality and wellbeing
Agricultural extension institutions in rural Cambodia
Smallholder decision-making and its misalignment with sustainable development goal 2 (Zero Hunger)
The success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on alignment between global aims and local decision-making. Presently missing are analyses that explain how local decision-making determines efforts to prompt transformational change. Specific to SDG2 (i.e., Zero Hunger), disregard for local decision-making manifests an endemic misrepresentation of agricultural extension as a means for achieving increased ‘production and/or productiv…
Team photo-diaries
The prolonged border closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have inspired novel approaches in field-based research. In this paper, we review methodological and collaborative practice reflections on the use of a team photo-diary activity generated by research associates working with smallholder farmers in Northwest Cambodia. Team photo-diaries were introduced as a training tool to encourage reflexivity among Cambodian early career research…
A Hero's Journey to Systemic Change
Experts in rural development and agrarian change wield considerable influence over programme design and delivery, directing resources and shaping trajectories towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet the pathways through which such expertise develops remain under‐examined. This study examines the journey to expertise among experts in Southeast Asia through the lens of Joseph Campbell's monomyth, the Hero's Journey. Drawing on semi‐st…
Becoming agricultural extensionists
Retaining and attracting youth to agriculture is crucial for food security. Agricultural extension, which diffuses knowledge and technologies to improve production and incomes, can drive sustainable farming in agriculture-dependent economies. In Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations, a youth bulge and increased access to higher education are producing more agricultural graduates skilled for diverse roles, including extension. However, little…
Geography (7 works) · Agriculture (6 works) · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development (6 works) · Economics (5 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Agricultural productivity (3 works) · Business (3 works) · Cambodian History and Society (3 works) · Economic geography (3 works) · Political science (3 works)