Joint project in the Cook Islands aims to boost food security
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. The first project steering committee meeting pulled together key stakeholders from the government and private sector to confirm the working arrangements for the project.
The meeting was opened by Honourable Kiriau Turepu, the Cooks Islands Minister of Agriculture, National Environment Service, Business Trade and Investment Board, who outlined some of the challenges facing agriculture in the Cook Islands.
He emphasised the importance of food security for the country, and the need to produce healthy food and reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture. Honourable Kiriau Turepu also said the country needed to increase the resilience of agriculture in the face of climate change.
The FAO – Ministry of Agriculture initiative builds on previous agricultural projects in the Cook Islands, aiming to strengthen the capacity of farmers from Rarotonga and the Pa Enua through hands-on training in production, processing, and the marketing of agricultural products.
The project will focus on the selected priority crops such as noni, vanilla, pineapple, as well as fruit and vegetables with potential to improve tourist offer during winter months.
New Zealand-based development consultancy FCG ANZDEC, which is implementing the project in cooperation with the Research and Extension Division of the Department of Agriculture, has brought together a team of international and local Cook Island experts.
The first trainings to be conducted in May 2016 will include training for selected micro and small enterprises in Rarotonga; training in production and post-harvest processing of the vanilla beans in Mangaia; and training in organic noni production in Mangaia.
Other trainings will follow on the islands of Mitiaro and Atiu over the coming months.
The project will continuously support “community champions” and build their capacity to ensure sustainability after the project ends in December 2017.