| ID: | 83759 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Kiribati |
| Title: | Kiribati – Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) – November 2022 |
| Description: |
Ms Aborina Ramten, 23 years-old, is a member of the Tungaru Youth Farmers Association located in Temwaiku, Tarawa Settlement, Kiribati. During the COVID pandemic and all the lockdown restrictions, many people in Aborina’s community struggled with daily food supply shortages and had no income to support them throughout the crisis. Some, like Aborina, were motivated to return to gardening to grow food for themselves. Like so many people across Kiribati, Aborina continued to struggle even after the worst of the pandemic had passed. That is, until early 2022 when PIRAS’ implementing partner, Live & Learn Environmental Education, helped the association get organized and young people like Aborina back on their feet. With PIRAS support, the association gained access to agricultural land to create a demonstration plot where youth can learn and experiment with different farming techniques. PIRAS provided the group with tools and seeds, as well as training on planting seeds, growing and transplanting seedlings and managing plant growth, which helped the young farmers increase their production and income. They grow various vegetables, such as zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, and eggplants. They either consume everything they produce or sell it at the nearest roadside market. The young gardeners also learned how to produce compost using shredded leaves, crumbled branches and other organic matter to enrich the sandy soil. Seed saving, a critical technique in a region where seeds can be scarce and expensive, is another skill the young gardeners have acquired through the training. “Thanks to PIRAS and Live & Learn, we learned valuable skills, and received tools, food cubes and rainwater collection tanks that increased our capacity to produce nutritious vegetables more efficiently and in greater quantity. We have improved our diets and increased our income, and I have gained skills in cooking and saving seeds. I know that wherever I go, this knowledge will always be with me,” said Aborina. Before COVID, Ikiribati relied on coconut and fish and sometimes breadfruit as staples of their traditional diet. With their increased capacity to garden, Aborina and members of her association have achieved a healthier daily diet. Instead of eating vegetables only once a month, as they typically did before COVID, now it is more likely that their daily diet includes the vegetables they’ve grown in their garden. The Association’s impact has been significant. For Willie, observing the youth gain knowledge, skills and confidence has been the most rewarding part of the project. They have learned how to grow their own food and can support their families with fresh, healthy vegetables, while making a positive impact on the environment. They have become leaders in their communities and ambassadors for sustainable farming practices, inspiring others to take up gardening as well. Launched in 2022 in collaboration between IFAD and the Australian Government, the Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus (PIRAS) Facility is a regional initiative that aims to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural island households. The programme supports food system and economic recovery by prioritizing food self-reliance, improving local nutrition and developing sustainable, equitable agricultural livelihood opportunities for rural communities in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. In Kiribati, PIRAS works in collaboration with the Atolls Food Future Project, implemented by Live & Learn Environmental Education, and focuses on increasing farm production, nutrition and climate resilience by providing farmers and gardeners with nutrition-sensitive seedlings and planting materials, labour-saving tools, and equipment. It trains them in the safe use and maintenance of water tanks, composting production and soil preparation, and liquid fertilizer production and application. |
| Size: | 4.86 MB; 5472 x 3648 pixels; 463 x 309 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1448 x 965 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Barbara Gravelli |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Barbara Gravelli |
| Categories: | New from Asia and the Pacific |
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