A growing population and the increased demand for food are burning problems in the present day. Many scientists, organizations, individuals and political bodies are coming forward to find solutions to this problem. Feeding so many mouths is not a simple task, but research and hard work are making the impossible at least feasible.
These are some methodical and sustainable ways of reducing poverty through agriculture and farming, especially in places with unfavorable climates, degraded soil and poor socioeconomic conditions.
Reforestation Through Cash Crops in Guatemala
Although Guatemala’s name means “a land of endless trees,” 80 percent of them were destroyed within a decade due to cattle breeding, corn farming, illegal settlements and destructive logging practices.
In order to restore the land to its previous condition, an organization named Livelihoods Funds, along with the government of Guatemala, took the initiative in reforestation by planting four million trees of various species over an area of 4,000 hectares.
The trees are mostly cash crops like rubber, coffee, patchouli, cocoa, mahogany, laurel, cedar and citrus plants. This helps the local community with reducing poverty through agriculture, boosting economic development and prevents climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Reducing Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa
Hunger, malnutrition and stunting prove detrimental to the economic advancement of any country. The Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) came up with the initiative of helping individual farm families of Africa through nutrition-sensitive agricultural development.
Their aim is to provide technical assistance and a knowledge base for increasing food security with improved nutrition. Currently, their work is concentrated in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Alternative Food Production in Kenya
Kenya suffers from inadequate rainfall, which affects the production of maize, the primary staple crop of most smallholder farmers. The result is that a vast population suffers from hunger and starvation.
One Acre Fund is helping the Kenyan government with reducing poverty through agriculture by planting drought-resistant crops like millet and sorghum, which act as a source of food and income during times of inadequate rainfall. The organization also trains farmers in sustainable planting techniques and fertilizer usage.
Integrated Pest Management Techniques in Honduras
CropLife International, along with the United States Agency for International Development, is helping the people of Honduras with integrated pest management techniques. With the help of field officials, they train the farmers in good agricultural practices.
The pest management helps protect the crops and increases their quality and productivity, fetching better incomes for the farmers while improving their livelihoods. It is a powerful example of fighting extreme poverty.
Bio-fortification in Rwanda
In Rwanda, an organization named HarvestPlus has introduced a nutritious variety of beans through bio-fortification, a process of increasing vitamins and minerals in plants through biotechnology. The beans are rich in iron and also have the capacity to resist viruses. They are suitable for extreme climates, producing a higher yield and thus increasing the incomes of farmers.
Fish Farming in Cambodia
The Feed the Future project in Cambodia is helping hatcheries raise good quality young fish known as fingerlings. The project provides cost-effective and simple technology to manage the clarity, nutrients and water quality of ponds. As a result of this technology, the growth rate and average weight of fingerlings have increased. helping individual hatcheries thrive.
The above methodologies are mainly applied in sub-Saharan and Latin American countries where there are extreme temperatures, drought and unsuitable soil. But these models can also be implemented in other parts of the world to increase the productivity of crops and meet the growing demand for food and simultaneously reducing the poverty of farmers.
– Mahua Mitra
Photo: Pixabay
The Success of Humanitarian Aid to Angola
https://borgenproject.org/poverty-angola-causes-updates-statistics/
Angola is in southern Africa, bordered by Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. As of today, Angola continues to suffer from the repercussions of a civil war that lasted more than three decades. The local economy and the infrastructure are inadequate and unstable, and the majority of people residing in Angola live in poverty, with difficulty sustaining their livelihoods. Their difficulties also include malnutrition, illiteracy, high infant mortality rates and a lack of healthcare and quality education. This is why it is essential to ensure the success of humanitarian aid to Angola.
People in Need (PiN) is an organization that has been supporting Angola for more than 10 years. PiN is a Czech nonprofit and non-governmental group that provides humanitarian assistance through long-term development projects as well as educational and human rights programs. Their mission to help Angola began with setting up aid in Bié, which was one of the provinces most affected by the war and destitution.
In the early stages of PiN’s humanitarian aid to Angola, they focused on restoring and improving elementary education, while also working on developing agricultural markets in more rural areas to help crop production and economic development. The most important goal for PiN is to enable the people of Angola to provide for themselves and take control of their livelihoods.
In September 2017, PiN began working in Huambo and Huíla. The focus in these provinces was to address health issues involving mothers and children, water access, nutrition and sanitation. In doing all of this, PiN has helped upwards of 875,000 people living in Angola. This includes helping 37,000 children escape malnutrition, building 14 schools and four centers for education, developing over 10,000 toilets and providing training and tools for more than 3,000 farmers. They are able to do this so efficiently because PiN involves the communities in all of their projects and also works with local authorities in Angola.
Not only does PiN help with long-term aid, they also work with Angola in emergency situations. A specific example includes providing sanitation, hygiene and drinking water for citizens in the north, where over 33,000 people are seeking refuge from ongoing violence in the bordering country of Congo.
One of the most important goals that PiN has had is to help local children gain access to a quality education. In addition to building new schools, PiN also focuses on giving the staff at the schools specialized training, which more than 1,850 teachers have participated in. Also, 25,000 teaching materials were distributed in order to better help the teachers give the children a quality education. And because a large portion of the adult population is illiterate, PiN also focuses on assisting that part of the population to reduce illiteracy. By implementing these tactics, PiN has taught around 450,000 children and 1,2000 illiterate adults to read, write and do basic mathematics.
This is just one example of successful humanitarian aid to Angola. Assistance like this is essential for nations like Angola to survive such harsh living conditions. PiN has helped thousands of children and adults have a better quality of life through better sanitation, education, agriculture and infrastructure. It is aid like this that allows people to thrive in difficult places.
– McCall Robison
Photo: Flickr
Myanmar’s Healthcare System World’s Worst
In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the healthcare systems of 190 countries throughout the world. In this ranking, Myanmar’s healthcare system was listed as the worst overall. Myanmar is still a grade three level of concern to the WHO, meaning multiple major events have affected public health in Myanmar.
Health of Mothers and Children
Shortly after becoming independent from Great Britain in 1948, Myanmar — formerly Burma — became the subject of a dictatorship, which lasted until November 2015. Under this dictatorship, nearly a third of the country’s budget was allocated for the military, while just over one percent of funding was set aside for Myanmar’s healthcare system. As a result, infant and maternal mortality rates and infectious illness rates were astronomical; the maternal mortality rate was listed at 380 per 100,000 live births, nearly 60 times the rate of Japan. As of 2013, the government increased healthcare spending to almost four percent, but the people of Myanmar are still struggling with overall wellness.
The Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA), founded to improve the health of mothers and children in Myanmar, has collaborated with various organizations like the International Planned Parenthood Federation, United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF to redesign Myanmar’s healthcare system. By providing education on disease and STI prevention, advocacy programs and family planning services, the MMCWA aims to lower maternal and infant mortality rates and help level out birth rates in Myanmar.
Overall Healthcare in Myanmar
Another organization, Medical Action Myanmar (MAM), is working from the bottom up to improve overall healthcare in Myanmar. MAM’s focus is on communities with little to no access to healthcare. The organization is working to create a network of health services and provide medical treatment and preventative education. To decrease the incidences of HIV in the country, MAM is providing safe needle exchange, condom distribution and STD treatment. The services are free for those who cannot afford them.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also provides public health interventions and health assistance to communities in Myanmar. USAID’s focus often lies in extending assistance to high-risk communities that wouldn’t usually have access to healthcare. By performing the country’s first-ever demographic survey, USAID was able to identify what health concerns were most prevalent and, over time, has provided treatment to those suffering from tuberculosis, malaria, diarrheal disease and other emergent health concerns.
Growth efforts in Myanmar are off to a slow start after being under a dictatorship for so long, but the government is determined to make a change. The Ministry of Health’s “Vision 2030” goal of improving nine major sectors of Myanmar’s healthcare system, although lofty, is an incredible beginning to the transformation of the country with the world’s worst healthcare.
– Anna Sheps
Photo: Pixabay
Increasing Financial Inclusion and Credit Access in Thailand
A 2013 study conducted by FinScope revealed that 74 percent of the adult population had access to a bank account, with 23 percent using other formal financial services and only 1 percent using informal services. Thus, credit access in Thailand is considered to be quite inclusive and available. However, there are still improvements that can be made in regard to broadening financial access for the remaining 1 percent. Thus, financial inclusion and widespread accessibility do not necessarily account for the whole adult population spanning across all levels of incomes.
Thailand was highly affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and this caused the Bank of Thailand and the Ministry of Finance to largely invest in stable, low-risk bank operations while tightening lending regulations, which evidently excluded the low-income populations working in the informal sector who were considered to be high-risk. Thus, the United Nations Capital Development Fund argues that the main area for improvement could be through widening access for insurance and credit products for various groups of individuals working within this informal sector.
There are several challenges to widening financial inclusion and credit access in Thailand, which include:
This has resulted in individuals and small businesses in Thailand having to resort to less credible and desirable forms of money lenders. Another major barrier seems to stem from the laws that surround commercial banks acquiring credit information. Currently, the law prohibits banks to inquire about a guarantor from the National Credit Bureau (NCB) even with consent, but instead, the guarantor must go to the NCB and then submit their credit information to the bank, which is inefficient and time-consuming for both parties.
The Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Summit held in October of 2015 outlined some policy recommendations to improve credit access in Thailand, which include:
Although credit access in Thailand has been steadily broadening, there is a portion of the population, albeit small, that is falling outside of this growing financial inclusive sphere. But with ongoing research by various institutions and an increasing awareness of this issue throughout the country, credit access will hopefully become available for everyone in Thailand.
– Miho Kitamura
Photo: Pixabay
Better Disaster Preparedness: Humanitarian Aid to the Solomon Islands
As islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Islands are constantly threatened by some of the worst that weather and climate change have to offer: cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes and extensive flooding. In response to this, organizations like the Asian Development Bank have worked to create disaster-resilient infrastructure, including structures and roadways. Its Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Improvement Program aims to improve transport infrastructure and maintain roadways so that they will be fully accessible year-round.
A vital piece of creating consistently accessible roadways in the Solomon Islands is ensuring that all roads are climate-resilient, which is the goal by 2030, according to the Asian Development Bank. By improving transport conditions, the Asian Development Bank hopes to boost the local agriculture industry and reveal new economic opportunities for those living in rural areas.
Natural disasters in the Solomon Islands can have devastating effects. With its ranking of sixth on the World Risk Report’s disaster exposure rating, reducing these effects should be a top priority. Without the implementation of communication technologies to warn civilians of imminent threats, disasters can cause an exponentially higher level of destruction and death than what could have been avoided.
According to ABC International Development, the Solomon Islands Media Assistance Scheme (SOLMAS) was a project that worked to implement a stronger communications program. Funded by the Australian government, SOLMAS helped the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation upgrade its transmission infrastructure to expand the broadcasting audience. By increasing the audience and reaching out to rural areas, disaster awareness and preparedness have improved drastically.
Also reaching out to citizens in rural areas is the World Bank, which implemented the Rural Development Program (RDP). According to the World Bank, less than 20 percent of people in rural areas have access to electricity, falling to below 5 percent in the outer islands. Sanitation also presents an alarming statistic, with only 15 percent having access to flush toilets. Beginning in 2008, RDP supplies grants to in-need communities. More than 300 projects have been completed, positively impacting about 50 percent of the rural population, or 225,000 people. Projects providing humanitarian aid to the Solomon Islands have spanned water access, electricity and education to road maintenance. As of 2013, the rural area’s access to clean water doubled and more than 50 percent of farmers changed their agricultural practices following advice from the project.
Despite the lack of adequate infrastructure, rural areas are not the only region to receive humanitarian aid to the Solomon Islands. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Program, open public spaces are a rare commodity in urban areas with overcrowded cities. UNHabitat is currently working to improve conditions in the capital city of Honiara by developing a sustainable plan to maintain public spaces. The project, Participatory Slum Upgrading Program, cost about $100,000.
Humanitarian aid to the Solomon Islands has been proven to improve living conditions in the islands and is essential to creating sustainable infrastructure. By upgrading sanitation, access to water and transport infrastructure, economic opportunities will continue to open.
– Austin Stoltzfus
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Sustainable Agriculture in Romania and Economic Growth
History of Agriculture in Romania
Throughout time, agriculture has been important in Romania, as more than 14.7 million hectares (one hectare is about 2.5 acres) of land serve agricultural purposes. Of that land, about two-thirds are suitable for farming. During the first half of the 20th century, farmlands were reallocated to peasant farmers from larger landowners. However, the rise of communism in the mid-20th century resulted in collective agriculture, followed by questions of ownership in the years since communism’s end. Despite accounting for more than 25 percent of the Romanian workforce, in the early 2000s, the agriculture industry (including forestry and fishing) was less than 10 percent of Romania’s GDP. Today, the majority of farms in Romania are run by small landowners and are less than five hectares.
The World Bank Waste Management Project
The World Bank has worked since the early 2000s to help promote economic growth and sustainable agriculture in Romania, leading to it becoming the fastest growing economy in the EU in 2017. Currently, the Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control Project (INPCP) is working to promote a cleaner and safer environment. Many of the small agricultural production sites in Romania lack proper equipment for waste management. Contamination from that waste can lead to groundwater pollution, causing health risks to people and damaging the environment. INPCP works to manage the waste by providing rural farmers with the tools necessary to safely dispose of the waste contaminants.
Organic Farming
Organic farming could be a key tenet of sustainable agriculture in Romania in future years. As of 2016, organic farming practices saw large growth: over a five-year span the land area increased by 40 percent and the number of certified organic farmers increased fourfold. Organic farming strives for sustainability in all aspects, from the soil to the crop to the consumer. Organic farming practices are increasing globally, and Romania has much room for future growth in this sector — only 2 percent of the total agricultural land area is used for organic growing.
Urban Agriculture
Currently, the majority of the Romanian population lives in rural areas. However, as countries experience economic growth (such as the growth occurring in Romania), people often begin to move toward cities. Within cities, the green space for gardening is often minimal and creative gardens are necessary. Kaufland Romania, a food retailer, is investing over $350,000 to create community urban gardens on its rooftops, in its parking lots and in Bucharest schools. These gardens not only provide local food in a big city but also create environmental benefits through pollution reduction. According to a survey by Kaufland, in Romania, seven out of 10 respondents already practice urban agriculture by growing food in their own homes. The new larger urban gardens will allow for the sharing of techniques, social gathering and community education.
As the economy continues to grow, projects in sustainable agriculture in Romania will further bolster the economy and reduce poverty. Not only do these projects benefit the economy, but they also improve the environment and can create a sense of community.
– Hayley Herzog
Photo: Adam Jones
The State of Water Quality in Nigeria
A confluence of geographic, climatic and institutional factors contribute to their plight. Because much of Nigeria’s drinking water is unpurified groundwater, it usually contains pollutants and chemical contaminants like heavy metals responsible for debilitating diseases like dysentery, typhoid and cholera. Estimates suggest that these diseases – preventable with clean water and basic sanitation – claim the lives of about 60,000 Nigerian children under five each year.
The Nigerian government is tasked with reducing these numbers and providing potable water to their people. So far, they have been largely unsuccessful. Despite annual budgets of around $500 million for water sanitation programs, the country was unable to meet its goals for clean water access by 2015.
This is due to pervasive government corruption and ineffectual mechanisms to hold them accountable. Typically, funds are dispersed from the national government to the 36 states, which have discretion in spending and giving some of the money to localities.
According to a senior official, “There is no clear tracking for budgeted funds or expenditures…Most of the states don’t have water policies; there is no state in the federation that has a regulatory agency for water”.
To mitigate this corruption, the Pan Africa Chemistry Network suggests a national water strategy with clear roles for all institutions involved, as well as instruments to ensure better accountability. With such a framework in place, the government would be better equipped to meet the challenges of water quality in Nigeria.
Despite these setbacks, there are significant opportunities for improvement. Amid government dysfunction, optimism emanates from ingenuity. Technological innovation is enabling the purification of water across the continent.
One such invention to improve water quality in Nigeria is the EPA Compact Water Plant, which uses a process called hydraulic flocculation to clean contaminated water. One model uses a solar panel to provide the energy for the process, which can be performed by an individual. Tested in four African communities, this technology has performed well, and its proliferation across Nigeria could be an enormous improvement to current methods.
Janet Daniels, a resident of the capital city of Abuja, has an acute understanding of the impact such technology could have. Currently, she is forced to collect her water from a local borehole.
“We cannot wait for the government to do anything” she laments. “I have to boil the water [because] it has little particles of stuff in it”.
For people like Janet Daniels, gaining access to potable water is a daily toil. By emphasizing accountability and providing new technologies like the EPA Compact Water Plant, Nigeria can ensure that clean water is no longer mistaken for a luxury.
– Brendan Wade
Photo: Flickr
Tech Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture in Serbia
The BioSense Centre at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia has partnered with the Foundation for Agricultural Research (DLO) at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, the leading research institute for applied research in agriculture and food security in Europe. BioSense, the regional leader in sustainable agriculture and advanced IT solutions research, is working with the DLO to increase food security in Serbia through the integration of advanced IT solutions into agricultural practices.
BioSense has pioneered a new trend in sustainable agriculture in Serbia called precision agriculture, which utilizes Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and Remote Sensing to acquire detailed crop data for analysis. The WSN is made up of tens or hundreds of sensors distributed appropriately throughout crop fields. The sensors communicate through wireless signals and acquire data on a variety of factors, including:
WSN make crop monitoring much more efficient and accurate. This advanced technological solution to precision agriculture can help farmers pinpoint and address problems or weaknesses within their fields. This will enable farmers to produce more food with fewer resources and inputs.
The integration of agriculture and advanced IT solutions is an important potential source of economic growth. Agriculture is one of the biggest industries in Serbia, making up almost 10 percent of its total GDP. Serbia has ideal conditions for agricultural production, with fertile soil, good climatic conditions, experienced farmers, good infrastructure and a rich farming tradition.
Serbia’s current farm structure is dominated by small farms. The country’s potential accession to the European Union may threaten the livelihood of small farmers and “farming heritage” as larger foreign competitors move into the market. Farmers must be willing and able to utilize the kind of advanced IT agricultural solutions developed by institutions like BioSense in order to increase their productivity to keep up with new competitors.
Sustainable agriculture in Serbia will be driven by research-based innovations in advanced IT solutions. BioSense’s strategies like precision agriculture and WSN would not only benefit Serbian farmers striving to drive up productivity in a more competitive agricultural market, but would contribute to the global struggle for food security.
– Sydney Lacey
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Reducing Poverty Through Agriculture
These are some methodical and sustainable ways of reducing poverty through agriculture and farming, especially in places with unfavorable climates, degraded soil and poor socioeconomic conditions.
Reforestation Through Cash Crops in Guatemala
Although Guatemala’s name means “a land of endless trees,” 80 percent of them were destroyed within a decade due to cattle breeding, corn farming, illegal settlements and destructive logging practices.
In order to restore the land to its previous condition, an organization named Livelihoods Funds, along with the government of Guatemala, took the initiative in reforestation by planting four million trees of various species over an area of 4,000 hectares.
The trees are mostly cash crops like rubber, coffee, patchouli, cocoa, mahogany, laurel, cedar and citrus plants. This helps the local community with reducing poverty through agriculture, boosting economic development and prevents climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Reducing Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa
Hunger, malnutrition and stunting prove detrimental to the economic advancement of any country. The Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) came up with the initiative of helping individual farm families of Africa through nutrition-sensitive agricultural development.
Their aim is to provide technical assistance and a knowledge base for increasing food security with improved nutrition. Currently, their work is concentrated in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Alternative Food Production in Kenya
Kenya suffers from inadequate rainfall, which affects the production of maize, the primary staple crop of most smallholder farmers. The result is that a vast population suffers from hunger and starvation.
One Acre Fund is helping the Kenyan government with reducing poverty through agriculture by planting drought-resistant crops like millet and sorghum, which act as a source of food and income during times of inadequate rainfall. The organization also trains farmers in sustainable planting techniques and fertilizer usage.
Integrated Pest Management Techniques in Honduras
CropLife International, along with the United States Agency for International Development, is helping the people of Honduras with integrated pest management techniques. With the help of field officials, they train the farmers in good agricultural practices.
The pest management helps protect the crops and increases their quality and productivity, fetching better incomes for the farmers while improving their livelihoods. It is a powerful example of fighting extreme poverty.
Bio-fortification in Rwanda
In Rwanda, an organization named HarvestPlus has introduced a nutritious variety of beans through bio-fortification, a process of increasing vitamins and minerals in plants through biotechnology. The beans are rich in iron and also have the capacity to resist viruses. They are suitable for extreme climates, producing a higher yield and thus increasing the incomes of farmers.
Fish Farming in Cambodia
The Feed the Future project in Cambodia is helping hatcheries raise good quality young fish known as fingerlings. The project provides cost-effective and simple technology to manage the clarity, nutrients and water quality of ponds. As a result of this technology, the growth rate and average weight of fingerlings have increased. helping individual hatcheries thrive.
The above methodologies are mainly applied in sub-Saharan and Latin American countries where there are extreme temperatures, drought and unsuitable soil. But these models can also be implemented in other parts of the world to increase the productivity of crops and meet the growing demand for food and simultaneously reducing the poverty of farmers.
– Mahua Mitra
Photo: Pixabay
Sustainable Agriculture in Guyana
The volatility of international price rates and extreme weather changes challenge the Guyanese agricultural sector. However, this sector also has great growth potential in the country, and the Guyanese government and other foreign nations are investing in sustainable agriculture in Guyana.
The Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working closely with the Guyanese government to promote sustainable agricultural systems and alleviate hunger and poverty.
Guyana’s 2012-2015 National Medium-Term Priority Framework, which is now known as the Country Programming Framework (CPF), is guiding the FAO’s assistance in the country. The CPF centers on four priority areas:
Among its projects, FAO’s most successful initiative in Guyana’s agriculture sector aims to train people on how to respond to extreme climate change and natural disasters. Droughts and floods severely affect farmers and the agriculture sector in Guyana. The FAO assisted the Guyanese government in the formation of a Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Plan.
The project included training Ministry of Agriculture extension officers and other stakeholders in accordance with the FAO Livelihood Assessment Toolkit and a “full assessment of existing mechanisms for prevention, mitigation and preparedness, as well as response and recovery.” As a result, an informative report emerged to help the development of sustainable agriculture in Guyana. This project had success at the community level, and the Guyanese government has called on the FAO to help implement the DRM Plan in response to extreme climatic changes.
Other Projects for Sustainable Agriculture
Several other projects funded by foreign organizations are working to develop sustainable agriculture in Guyana. For instance, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded Rural Enterprise and Development Project (READ) seeks to strengthen “intermediary service providers, institutions whose services add value to production and marketing systems and improve rural welfare.” In addition, the program works with rural communities to improve their capacity to capitalize on market opportunities.
Similarly, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Agricultural Export Diversification Program (ADP) aims to establish institutions and services for a sustainable increase in the incomes from “the export of non-traditional agricultural exports in aquaculture, fruits and vegetables and livestock subsectors.” This project focuses on developing commodity chains on the nontraditional agricultural products in order to address Guyana’s export growth rate volatility.
Investment in sustainable agriculture in Guyana is crucial in order to boost productivity and sustainable use of resources in the country. Hopefully, with similar continued efforts, the country will be able to reduce poverty and promote food accessibility for everyone.
– Mehruba Chowdhury
Photo: Flickr
Enabling Sustainable Agriculture in Tonga
Of all the Pacific Island countries, Tonga has one of the highest rates of subsistence food production. The method is self-sufficient and farmers produce enough food for local consumption with a little surplus for trade. More than 95 percent of Tonga’s agriculturally active households engage in subsistence and semi-subsistence agriculture activity, and only five percent engage in commercial activities.
Small landholdings, typically eight acres or 3.24 hectares, enable sustainable agriculture in Tonga. Multi-crop systems based on root crops provide food security, employment and income.
Root crops constitute 50 percent of Tonga’s total exports, with half being taro. Approximately 60 percent of Tonga’s exports are destined for New Zealand.
Watermelon exports increased from 86 tons in 2010 to 271 tons in 2013. Tonga’s goal is to export 1,000 watermelons per year to New Zealand over the next three years; New Zealand imports 2,500 tons of watermelons annually. Other export destinations include Samoa and American Samoa.
Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests (MAFF) plans to improve sustainable agriculture in Tonga by implementing the Tonga Agriculture Sector Plan’s four programs:
MAFF’s main purposes are to:
The Tongan government is focused on establishing a secure agricultural sector plan that promotes sustainable agriculture in Tonga. With the majority of Tongans reliant on agriculture, successful implementation of the Sector Plan is vital to the population.
– Carolyn Gibson
Photo: Flickr