| ID: | 86039 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Solomon Islands |
| Title: | Solomon Islands - Pacific Islands Rural and Agriculture Stimulus Facility (PIRAS) - November 2022 |
| Description: |
Angeline Uala, 44 years old, cuts seed yams for planting. One yam can produce cuttings for growing up to six new plants. She is a small-scale farmer and member of the Ringgi Coastal Association located on Kolombangara Island, Western province. She also works at the Ringgi germplasm garden created by PIRAS where she learned about yam reproduction. PIRAS established nine community-based germplasm centres that multiply and distribute high-quality planting materials, boosting local crop genetic resources and improving resiliency and food security. These centres also provide community-wide, hands-on education to rural farmers in the form of Diversity Fairs that promote farmer-to-farmer exchange, visibility for farmers’ associations, a marketplace, and information sharing through demonstrations, technical assistance, and crop showcasing. These PIRAS-supported fairs were specifically designed to meet the multiple needs of rural and remote communities, and instead of being hosted in the urban areas, the fairs are held in the rural communities closer to where farmers live. She benefits of seeds, seedlings, hand tools, wheel borrow, shadecloth, and training programmes on aspects of agricultural production such as food processing and preservation techniques, compost and capacities in improving agricultural production. “I do vegetable gardening. But, during the pandemic, we found quite it hard because we weren’t used to growing a large variety of different vegetables, like no greens. So we worked hard to plant more in our gardens. PIRAS has really helped us with seeds and seedlings so we can grow a greater variety of food in our gardens.” Like Angeline, most people did some subsistence farming and gardening before PIRAS arrived on the island in March 2022. With the lockdown and trade restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the people were no longer permitted to travel to nearby markets to sell their produce or buy the things they needed. Many focused on doing their own backyard gardening and farming, growing enough for survival. By the time things started to open up again, most of the people no longer had the resources they needed to meet their family needs. PIRAS helped Angeline and others in the community restart their farming and gardening by providing them with seeds and seedlings, chickens and pigs, labour saving tools and other inputs. Importantly, PIRAS also provided training on how to plant the seeds and seedlings, and how to produce seeds from the crops they harvested. The people also learned how to manage the soil and how to look after their livestock. Moving from subsistence production to producing more, they are able to sell what they produce and earn an income, helping them become more food secure and resilient to future crises. PIRAS is a collaboration between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Australian Government that supports food system and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific. Working through local implementing partner, Kastom Garden Association, the programme prioritizes strengthening food self-reliance, improving local nutrition and developing sustainable, equitable agricultural livelihood opportunities for 30 island communities in Solomon Islands’ Western, Choiseul and Central provinces. |
| Size: | 10.00 MB; 4967 x 3311 pixels; 421 x 280 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1314 x 876 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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