| ID: | 83708 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Kiribati |
| Title: | Kiribati – Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) – December 2023 |
| Description: |
Iotebwa Otea, Jaré Katokauea, Teunaia Anterean and Tokataake Bakaea (left to right) mix compost materials in the garden of the Live & Learn- and IFAD (PIRAS)-supported Tungaru Youth Agriculture Association in Temwaiku, Tarawa. Iotebwa Otea, Jaré Katokauea, Teunaia Anterean and Tokataake Bakaea are four of the association’s six members. The group mainly focuses on agriculture-related activities, such as growing vegetables and making compost. Buyers come to their garden to buy cucumbers, cabbage, papaya, eggplant and watermelons on the spot. On the rare occasion that produce is left over, they take it to be sold at the local market. In an average week, the group harvests about 10 watermelons, 40 cucumbers and 400 cabbages and earn about AU$ 500. Live & Learn taught the young gardeners the simple, yet innovative keyhole technique for building raised beds for composting and cultivating vegetables. They make compost using waste materials abundantly available in most households, such as kitchen scraps, grass clippings, coconut husks and leaves, to improve soil health and growing conditions, increasing productivity with greater moisture and nutrient retention. Before joining the association, Iotebwa (left, 34 years old) was unemployed. Originally from the island of Abaiang, Iotebwa, he now lives with his wife and five children in Temwaiku, Tarawa where he has been active in the association since 2021. Not only has he learned about gardening, the project-supported activities have also enabled him to generate income for his family. “The difference this project has made for me is big, it’s like a blessing. With the AU$ 100 or so I earn each week from my share of the produce we sell, I can buy rice, tin food and provide my family’s basic needs. What we don’t sell from the garden, we eat ourselves, which is important for my family.” Iotebwa hopes to continue working with the project and to motivate other young people to do gardening. As resources and funding become available, the association has future plans to expand their gardening activities, to involve the local community and train more people in gardening. “What we have accomplished has been successful. I hope I can inspire more youth to follow our example,” Iotebwa said. 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: | 18.02 MB; 5616 x 3744 pixels; 475 x 317 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1486 x 991 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Marco Salustro |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/ Marco Salustro |
| Categories: | New from Asia and the Pacific |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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