FAO.org

Namu Robby lives with his family in the Anabrou settlement area of Port Vila. His family has a small business, making furniture out of local timber, with a few family members working in town. Tropical Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu on March 13 2015, causing widespread damage and destruction throughout the country. Namua was one of many affected As with most settlements in the capital, many family members live together in very close...

The Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries held two consultations in Upolu and Savaii on the 13th and 14th July 2016 respectively. The consultations aim to introduce the review process of the Community-based Fisheries Management Programme (CBFMP) as well as collect preliminary information from the representatives of 70 selected communities in  Upolu and Savaii who joined the programme. The CBFMP was initiated in 1995 under the Australian funded...

An online database has been developed which documents international, regional and national shark measures. The Shark Measures Database collates management measures to assist the sustainable use and conservation of shark resources; making all shark related regulations and guidance to fishery and conservation managers accessible in one website. The database was developed by FAO, in cooperation with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and...

Students from Faleata College in Apia, Samoa have waited eagerly for the arrival of seedlings and equipment to begin their school project. The Head of Department for Agricultural Science and Horticulture, Toleafoa Tuputala Aneliu Tuipe’a was pleased to receive equipment and seedlings which would be used to encourage gardening activities at the school. “We are very happy to receive needed seedlings and gardening equipment using vouchers we won in a competition at...

The Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, and the Ministry of Agriculture have launched – Wakatu Fiji –, a groundbreaking campaign to better support community efforts to sustainably manage their land and forests. The campaign was developed with support from FAO and cChange, a local communications NGO. The campaign (Wakatu which means ‘tree’) aims to promote actions at all levels, and in all sectors, to sustainably use...

The Integrated Agriculture Census (IAC) project is a multi-donor project to improve agricultural information to help develop evidence based policy which will deliver better food security and income from agriculture for the people of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A national census of agriculture has not been carried out in FSM since 1969 which means that accurate, consistent, relevant, and overall timely agricultural data is very limited. This has led...

FAO and the Cook Islands Ministry of Agriculture have begun a project to help local farmers and processors produce more nutritious and safe food for the local market, ensuring food security for the island nation. An inception mission was held in April. At the meeting, it was important to update communities on the next steps in the process and to ensure that they remain an integral part of the project implementation....

Food Security for Tonga is at the heart of the new 'Tonga 2015 National Agricultural Census' report that was released in April in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. The project to compile a National Agricultural Census report for Tonga was initiated in 2014 and funded by FAO. The report covers fisheries, agriculture, forestry, food and livestock and is made up of two books. The main larger report outlines the structure of the agriculture sector, along...

The abandonment and discarding of commercial fishing  gear is one of the most problematic types of marine debris. It can remain in the oceans for years continuing to entangle fish and marine animals in its nets and killing them– a phenomenon known as ‘ghost fishing’. The marking of fishing gear can reduce this phenomenon. Marking gear is needed for two basic reasons. Firstly, to locate the gear, and secondly to identify...

UN Agencies, UNESCO, FAO and UNDP, in partnership with the National University of Samoa (NUS) Media and Journalism Programme, hosted a Media Seminar to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. The Seminar will brought together Communication Officers from government ministries and media representatives and was held in April  in Apia, Samoa With 2016 as the official year to strengthen global commitments on sustainable development through the promotion of 17 Sustainable Development Goals,...