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Farming communities in Samoa benefit from sustainably producing nutritious and healthy crops in the island’s lowland areas. But what happens with the produce after harvesting?  A study was conducted recently by FAO which profiled the farmers’ current production and marketing activities aiming at increasing their income. FAO, through its Forest and Protected Area Management (FPAM) project, has been working, with the Government of Samoa in establishing of three Community Conservation...

Madankumar Janakiraman joins the team at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional office in Samoa. Madankumar will be based in Apia as Programme Officer for the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Through its strategic investments, GEF works with partners globally to tackle the planet’s biggest environmental issues.  GEF 's funding also helps reduce poverty, strengthen governance and achieve greater equality between women and men.   An Indian...

FAO is seeking stakeholder input on the draft Global Action Programmeon Food Security and Nutrition in Small Island Developing States. Who should participate?              All stakeholders, including national governments, private sector, civil society, academia, the scientific community, local authorities, international organizations, donors and development partners.  What is needed?                              Your input on the Draft Global Action Programme  (The final version will be presented at the FAO Conference: 3-8 July 2017)  By when?                                          ...

The impact on the fishing sector of Tropical Cyclone Winston which struck Fiji in February 2016 is still evident today. It’s been reported in the town of Levuka on the island of Ovalau of damaged infrastructure, destroyed fishing boats and a decrease in the size and quality of fish catches after the typhoon. FAO working in co-operation with the Fisheries Department in Fiji have conducted workshops to repair previously damaged fishing boats...

Forest Resource Management Officer , Mr Aru Mathias is leaving Samoa after serving nearly two decades for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Mr Mathias, a national of  Vanuatu , arrived in Samoa in March 1999. “ I arrived in Samoa on three year contract as Forest Resource Management Officer and stayed 17 years”. During his time here Mr Mathias has noticed significant change in Samoa and...

Farming families in the Samoan island of Savai’i benefit from sustainably producing nutritious crops in lowland areas while helping to conserve the cloud forest eco-systems in the island’s highlands. FAO has been working with the Government of Samoa in establishing Community Conservation Areas in the villages of Taga, Gataivai and Matautu. Part of a much larger global environment project, the conservation areas were established to preserve the biodiversity and maintain...

Biodiversity and ecosystem services are at the heart of sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and contributing to national development goals and objectives. Ecosystem-based approaches to agriculture – that build on the natural ecosystem from soil fertility, ecological management of pests and weeds, integrated and organic farming systems – to deliver better outcomes for food and nutrition security and reduce negative environmental influences. In addition, ecosystem-based agriculture can open up more opportunities...

FAO is using data collection technology to reduce the impacts of disasters on agriculture and food security in Fiji and across the Pacific.  As part of this initiative, FAO and the Fiji Ministry of Agriculture have been running a training exercise that changes the way disaster assessment and response is handled across the Pacific.   The training introduces KoBo Toolbox, a free data collection software which can be customized to...

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Risk and Resilience Unit (RRU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have been working together since the beginning of 2016 to develop a food security monitoring system for Vanuatu. This collaboration is possible thanks to funding from the European Union.   The food security monitoring system is a tool that monitors food production while strengthening the...

With El Nino following hard on the heels of Tropical Cyclone Pam in March 2015, subsistence farmer Ruta Bule faced a difficult recovery. “Cyclone Pam came and that was bad. The storm spoiled our gardens. But then El Nino came and that was even worse.” Said Ruta. Rebuilding lives and making land productive again takes time and effort.  Fruit trees and gardens have suffered causing concern for food security of families...