Building new markets, community resilience and food security
Our Skills for Agribusiness workstream is implemented in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), with the aim of improving sustainable and profitable agricultural practices by local farmers.
Training and coaching activity is directed to increasing the quality and volume of local food and agri-product supply, building capacity to supply to local and international markets, with a specific focus on cocoa, vanilla, pepper and honey.
While our work is undertaken closely with DARD, we are taking a whole-of-government approach to strengthen Market Systems Development across these products’ value chains.
We are also supporting the establishment of ‘seed banks’ across Vanuatu. The seed bank concept is now a major focus of DARD for national roll-out, as it has proven to be a critical resource for farmers following environmental disasters.
Farm-2-School Initiative
Designed to facilitate market linkages between farmers and schools, while also upskilling school chefs and farmers, ‘Farm to School’ is a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Livestock, the Department of Fisheries, and the Department of Education.
Local farmers are supported to produce the quality and quantity of ‘healthy kakae’ required by the school to feed its students – thereby reducing the school’s reliance on expensive, imported, processed food items.
Farmers now have a new market access opportunity and students are reporting improvements in learning due to consumption of healthier meals. The model, which commenced in Ambaebulu, Penama province, following the devastating ashfall, is now being rolled out to schools across the province.
See our Farm-2-School video below to find out more.
Farm-2-Hospital Initiative
Through the Sanma Skills Centre, we are implementing a Farm to Hospital initiative in partnership with the Northern Provincial Hospital (NPH) in Sanma and DARD.
The objective of the initiative is to support the NPH to create a sustainable farm that can supply organic food and protein to the hospital kitchen which is then used for patients’ meals while reducing kitchen expenditure.
Through this partnership, a poultry farm, fishpond and vegetable plantation have been established at NPH, with training provided to hospital personnel in farm and production upkeep.
In addition, training and coaching is delievered to hospital kitchen staff in the use of the new food sources in the preparation and presentation of healthy meals for NPH patients.
See our Farm-2-Hospital below to find out more.
