| ID: | 83745 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Kiribati |
| Title: | Kiribati – Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) – November 2022 |
| Description: |
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Teekai Tabwea, from Teaoraereke, South Tarawa decided to try his hand at farming, seeking relief from the long hours and difficult work of being a fisherman. Teekai established a home garden with his Kainga (extended family group) and relied primarily on income he got from market sales to support his family, occasionally supplemented by fishing. He earned enough to purchase additional food items and pay school fees for his two school-aged children. When the pandemic hit, Teekai continued gardening and selling his fruits and vegetables within the limited market hours. Sometimes, people came directly to his home to purchase fresh vegetables. After the pandemic restrictions ended, Teekai got help from gave to improve his production and decrease his costs. A 5,000-litre rainwater collection tank provided by the project give Teekai easy access to fresh water to irrigate his garden. He also received labour-saving tools; a variety of vegetable seeds like tomato, eggplant, and cabbage to expand the variety of vegetables he grows, and training on composting, planting and growing seeds, and managing plant growth. And the training PIRAS offered to Teekai provided him with the skills and techniques he needed to grow vegetables in the poor atoll soil. Teekai said, “I hope to further extend my garden with additional equipment and a greenhouse in the future. We are grateful to Australia and IFAD and to Live & Learn for the support we have received and look forward to future collaboration.” 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: | 5.59 MB; 5472 x 3648 pixels; 463 x 309 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1448 x 965 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Copyright: | © IFAD/ Barbara Gravelli |
| Categories: | New from Asia and the Pacific |
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