Projects that made a difference
The road to food security
Cook Islands
A fruit tree development project increased fruit production, substituting imports and providing a greater variety of fruit for Cook Islanders to eat. The project imported about 57 varieties of assorted fruit trees and seeds from Australia and distributed 6 478 trees of various fruits to the islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Atiu.
Fiji
A rice revitalization project trained some 372 farmers and 64 extension staff in rice farming. The adoption of improved rice technology boosted yields from 2.5 tonnes per hectare to 7 tonnes per hectare.
A milk and beef development project trained 90 dairy farmers and 20 government officials to set up and manage forage plots. Milk yield increased from 3 to 5 litres per cow a day.
The poultry and duck production project trained 200 farmers and agriculture students in all aspects of poultry production and management.
Federated States of Micronesia
A banana rehabilitation project trained 40 farmers, who received acclimatized planting materials. An acclimatization unit was set up in Chuuk to provide hands on training for agriculture staff and farmers to help them raise disease free banana plantlets to the transplanting stage.
Kiribati
A home gardening and root crop nurseries project set up 13 community nurseries on each island. A total of 975 community representatives were trained in composting, irrigation, general husbandry and pest and disease management.
Marshall Islands
The atoll food production project trained 154 farmers and three ministry staff in all aspects of pig husbandry. Each of the multiplication centres has been trained in compost production and how to incorporate pig manure to improve soil fertility in home gardens
A home gardening project trained 876 farmers and extension staff, including women and students. A total of 95 household plots of various sizes were established. Community know-how and skills in the production of vegetables, root crops and fruit trees were greatly improved, leading to opportunities for greater household income and better nutrition.
Nauru
A household food garden project established seven garden plots and trained more than 240 people in the community on how to tend the gardens.
Niue
Under a poultry production project, five chicken coops where built and stocked. Some 35 farmers participated in two national training sessions on chicken permaculture. A training manual was written and published in English and Niuean to help increase farmer expertise.
A smallholder pig farm project trained 25 farmers during two training sessions on pig husbandry and pig farm management. Ten people, including three women, also attended meat processing and food safety training courses. Two officers of the Ministry of Agriculture attended a training course in Fiji on artificial insemination in pigs.
Palau
Some 43 people attended a national training course on value adding, which established a core “processing” training team. The course also developed a processing manual – now under review by FAO. The project helped local food processors to improve their products.
Papua New Guinea
A fruit tree project established two nurseries – one in Erap and the other in Rabaul. Twenty village-based rural service providers were recruited for extension support to farmers. A training manual in fruit tree production was published.
A rice production project distributed 2 tonnes of rice seeds to about 350 farmers from three rice centres at Erap, Goroka and Central Province. The project trained 68 farmers and 12 staff members from the centres, as well as publishing technical pamphlets and introducing extension visits in support of farmer activities.
Samoa
A poultry production project established eight permaculture units for chicken production. The units were spread equally between the two main islands of Upolu and Savaii. Sixty-eight farmers benefited from training courses on poultry management.
A sheep-farming project distributed sheep from a breeding flock of 44 Fijian Fantastic sheep, with four rams, to four sites selected by the Samoan government. An aggregate flock of 320 sheep has so far been produced. Four training sessions for 28 farmers and four government officials were conducted, covering all aspects of sheep production and management. The project met the 100-ewe target level and has started distributing sheep to qualified farmers. At the end of the project, 15 farmers were holding a total of 92 rams and ewes for distribution. Those farmers will also provide technical support through farm visits.
A project on value adding in Samoa helped local processors develop 25 value-added products in two training courses. The local processors learned to improve process flow lines and adopted Codex Alimentarius Commission and HACCP guidelines for their production activities. The Codex Alimentarius Commision is the joint FAO/WHO body that sets international food quality and safety standards. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a systematic preventive approach to food safety and pharmaceutical safety that addresses physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection.
Solomon Islands
A food-processing project built an abattoir and a fruit and vegetable processing unit to improve local meat, fruit and vegetable processing.
A Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility was set up to allow for the safe introduction into the country of improved planting materials. Also, a pest survey was conducted to assist the export of local crops. Officials attended a training workshop focusing on how to protect the Solomon Islands from agriculture pests and diseases.
Tonga
A breeding flock of 40 ewes and 4 rams of Fijian Fantastic Sheep were acquired to establish a breeding herd of 100 ewes. Training on sheep husbandry was conducted for the 22 farmers and 8 government officials. Sheep multiplication sites were established in Tupou College in Toloa, Tongatapu Island and in the islands of Vava’u and ‘Eua.
Under a honey bee project in Tonga farmers were trained to improve the technical capacity of the Agriculture Ministry to support fledgling honey and horticulture producers.
Tuvalu
A piggery was set up in Vaitupu, Tuvalu to breed improved pigs for distribution to farmers. The piggery received 20 young sows and three boars from Fiji. The project supported training on artificial insemination in pigs, which was hosted by Fiji. Officials from Tuvalu, Niue and the Marshall Islands also attended.
Community nurseries were constructed to support home gardening under the Development of Nurseries in Support of Home Gardens Project. Training sessions were held across the nine islands of the group. The project also produced a video to promote production and consumption of local foods.
According to Itaia Lausaveve, Tuvalu’s director of agriculture: “It is sometimes difficult to sustain development projects when they finish, but with Tuvalu’s eight crop nurseries on the out-islands – projects that were part of the Regional Programme – we had island councils take over and continue operating the nurseries.”
Mr Lausaveve explains: “This has been so successful that they have expanded the use of the nurseries to begin commercial vegetable production for local marketing. It has really made a big difference in people’s diets and improved local nutrition. At the same time, the nurseries are maintaining their primary function of providing local gardening material to home gardeners. “
Vanuatu
A rural butcheries project set up three butcheries in Vanuatu.
Five nurseries to distribute saplings throughout the community were set up by an agro-forestry project, which also provided training for each community group involved.
A dehydrated food crops project increased cassava-processing activities by training producers to make dried cassava chips. Partnerships were set up with the private sector to link producer-processors to markets for the processed
chips. Two training courses on quality cassava chip production were conducted for 40 participants, including six women.
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