| ID: | 75455 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Fiji |
| Title: | Fiji - Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) - July 2022 |
| Description: |
A former hotel worker and now a full-time farmer, Aliti Mere is one of the first female turmeric women farmers in Fiji. Originally from Nalotawa, Yakete in the Province of Ba; Aliti Mere’s farm is located at Marinitawa, Ba and she is an active member of the Marinitawa Farmers Cluster that was formed during the pandemic to help strengthen farmer's skills, knowledge and improve the upstream and downstream links of the farm value chain. During the pandemic farmers from the Marinitawa Cluster adopted the ‘Solesolevaki’ model and worked on each of the 25 farms at Marinitawa twice a week to help with farm operations. PIRAS through Rise Beyond the Reef was able to support the Marinitawa Cluster with land prep and distribution of planting materials: turmeric and cassava that will increase production capacity for the export market. The aim of PIRAS is to mitigate the effects of COVID and take steps toward livelihood recovery which includes the provision of planting materials and land preparation. Aliti Mere is a 41-year-old turmeric farmer who lives in Marinitawa, Ba with her family in a small agricultural settlement. She is married, a mother to a young boy, and also an active women farmer of the Marinitawa Farming Cluster. Aliti Mere was a sugarcane farmer for more than a decade. Through the PIRAS project, she and other women farmers from the Marinitawa Cluster attended food processing training on ways to make their own flour from cassava and jams from seasonal fruits. “I've learned a lot from this food processing training, during the pandemic price for flour increased and I’m thankful that I now know how to make my own flour from cassava which saves me a lot of money to purchase other basic items for my family’’ says Aliti. During the pandemic, the Marinitawa Cluster came together to assist Aliti Mere in planting turmeric, cassava, and a little bit of Saccharum edule locally known as Duruka. She hopes to shift from being a subsidiary farmer to a semi-commercial farmer with the opportunity to export turmeric and other products to the US market. The PIRAS project aims to assist farmers with post-harvest handling, food processing, and access to the market to accelerate their recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. |
| Size: | 17.91 MB; 6720 x 4480 pixels; 569 x 379 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1778 x 1185 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Laisiasa Dave |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Laisiasa Dave/Pacific Farmer Organizations |
| Categories: | none |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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