| ID: | 86663 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Tonga |
| Title: | Tonga - Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) - November 2022 |
| Description: |
Sivilaise Manumanu, 60 years old, is a community leader in ‘Ahau village on the western end of Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island. In the aftermath of the January 2022 Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption and tsunami and the challenges posed by COVID, 17 youth from the community formed a cluster farming group. With 17 members, the group evenly divided the land available to them, cultivating yams and taro. They turned to the IFAD-funded Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) for assistance after the HTHH disaster. Thanks to PIRAS, they received training on improved farming practices, as well as tools to help make land cultivation more efficient and less labour intensive – like wheelbarrows. This support came at a crucial time, alleviating hardships and empowering them to enhance food production for their families. Sivilaise is also a part of a women’s collective gardening group that has benefitted from training provided first by the Tonga Rural Innovation Programme (TRIP II) on best gardening practices, as well as receiving seeds and seedlings and gardening tools. This was particularly important during the COVID lockdown period when travel restrictions were in place, and it was difficult to find fresh foods. The women continued to harvest from their garden, knowing the benefits to their health and wellbeing of eating the fresh vegetables. With support from PIRAS, Sivilaise and the women in her gardening group were able to recover and restart their activities after the devastating impact of HTHH. Now, she sells the fruits of their labour at a small street market stand she has set up in front of her house, providing a steady income herself and the other families. “The assistance we received from PIRAS during those tough times truly lightened our burdens and improved our livelihoods.” MORDI Tonga Trust is the local implementing partner for PIRAS, which complements the IFAD-funded Tonga Rural Innovation Programme (TRIP II) project. Working in partnership and with the financial support of DFAT (AUSAid), PIRAS provided COVID19 recovery intervention to tackle the urgent agricultural needs emerging from HTHH. TRIP II helps the islanders develop and implement their community-driven development plans, and supports them to increase production capacity of nutritious, locally grown foods. |
| Size: | 13.79 MB; 4988 x 3358 pixels; 422 x 284 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1320 x 888 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Barbara Gravelli |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Barbara Gravelli |
| Categories: | New from Asia and the Pacific |
Loading...
Loading...