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Paula Cagi is a 47 year-old farmer/fisherman rebuilding his life and livelihood after Tropical Cyclone Winston left him devastated. Standing by the foundation of what was left of his home, Cagi recalls the “horror” vividly.  “We watched our house uprooted by the strong winds and then swept out to the sea by the angry surging waves. Nearly 85% of the houses in this village were damaged or completely destroyed. “ “It not only...

FIJI'S agricultural sector will gain immensely from the physical presence of FAO, which officially launched an office in Suva in April. Located within the Ministry of Agriculture complex, the existence of the international government organisation in Fiji, is the culmination of the host country agreement that was sealed in Rome between the Hon. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and FAO's Director General Jose Graziano da Silva. The Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime...

Students from St Mary’s College in Apia, Samoa can finally begin their school garden project. The students have obtained the needed seeds and gardening equipment using vouchers they won at a competition, which was part of the World Food Day 2015 celebrations. The vouchers were supplied by FAO through the UN Youth Employment Programme. The competition provided an opportunity for the students to showcase projects and to provide an incentive to continue...

In Fiji, 313 small farmers are the first beneficiaries of FAO Livestock Emergency Response Project, funded by donor agency, the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA).  Each farmer, including women, will take delivery of a box containing chicks. FAO is working closely with the Government of Fiji on this project, in response to Cyclone Winston which struck Fiji in March, and officers of the Ministry of Agriculture are responsible for...

FAO’s International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a significant agreement contributing to sustainable food security for all peoples. The Pacific Community (SPC) through its Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees has supported the accession of Tuvalu to this international treaty. Tuvalu’s Minister for Natural Resources, Hon. Elisala Pita signed the instrument of accession to the Treaty, confirming Tuvalu as the most recent addition to the 137...

FAO is supporting Samoan farmers to consistently market top quality produce through a project targeted at the community, private sector and institutions. FAO has recently launched a new initiative to reduce postharvest horticulture fruit and vegetable loss in Samoa, to be led by Prof Steven Underhill from the University of Queensland, Australia. Throughout 2015, Prof Underhill in collaboration with staff from the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) undertook an in-depth study...

Students from St. Joseph’s College have put vouchers they won in a competition for agricultural equipment to good use.  The competition, which was part of the World Food Day 2015 celebrations, was aimed at High Schools that give agriculture a high profile in their school curriculum. The competition provided an opportunity for the students to showcase projects and to provide an incentive to continue with agriculture in their studies and possibly...

Six of seven species of sea turtles are considered critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. Factors such as human consumption of meat and eggs, predation on eggs, nesting disturbance, climate change, marine pollution and boat collisions all have contributed to declines in sea turtle populations, but interaction with fishing gear is considered to be one of the most serious threats. Most fishers do not record sea turtles as bycatch in logbooks, and...

FAO and the Government of Niue are partnering to increase local fruits production to satisfy local demand as a means to improve food and nutritional security and increase employment. Officials of the Government of Niue and key stakeholders including farmers and women participated in the inception workshop to mark the formal launching of the two year project entitled – Niue Household Fruit and Nut Trees Integrated Replanting Project – on 10...

The Government of Samoa in partnership with FAO officially launched the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) at the Development Bank of Samoa building in Apia recently. Along with the survey, a FAO report on Dietary patterns of Samoan households was also launched. These documents were used to provide an overview of average diet of Samoan households, and maps which households are most at risk the effects of poor nutrition.  The...