Vanuatu has joined a growing regional network of farmer-led training initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and resilience.
This week, 25 lead farmers, farm advisors, and technical officers from Vanuatu’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) are completing a Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitation training in Port Vila, delivered by the Pacific Community (SPC).
FFS is a participatory approach that brings farmers together to learn by experimenting in their own fields, observing results, and adapting practices to local conditions. It builds farmer-to-farmer capacity, supporting climate-smart, organic, and resilient agriculture.
The training, held from 15–19 September 2025, was organised under the Promoting Pacific Islands Nature-based Solutions (PPIN) project, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) through the Resilient Ecosystems for Climate Change Adaptation (RECCA) initiative. PPIN is implemented by SPC in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Oceania, as Project Management Unit).
In Vanuatu, SPC collaborated closely with DARD through its Climate Change and Sustainability (CCES) Division and Land Resources Division’s (LRD) Pacific Organic Learning Farm Network (POLFN) project to deliver the course.
Over five days, participants were introduced to the Food and Agriculture Organization FFS methodology, adapted for Pacific contexts.
The course combined agro-ecosystem analysis, participatory field exercises, and talanoa-based reflection, giving participants the skills to design and implement their own FFS programmes focused on organic farming, agroecology, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
Organic Farming System Officer at DARD, Mr Jobson Nihmei, said that embedding Farmer Field School approaches into extension services will help ensure that lessons reach farmers in rural communities, many of whom are already facing the combined pressures of climate change and food insecurity.
“This training provides our officers and lead farmers with new tools they can take back to their communities. It supports Vanuatu’s agricultural priorities and strengthens the capacity of our extension services to respond to climate challenges.”
This aligns with SPC’s role in linking national priorities to regional platforms for technical exchange and capacity building.
Training and Capacity Building Officer for Nature-based Solutions with SPC’s CCES Division, Ms Rakeshni Lata, said farmer field schools were more than training.
“It is building local systems for resilience. By equipping Vanuatu’s farmers and agriculture officers with facilitation skills, we are embedding climate-smart practices into the national extension system and ensuring solutions are scaled in ways that reflect local realities and Pacific science.”
The training placed strong emphasis on peer-to-peer learning and field-based observation, allowing participants to apply techniques directly in local contexts. This approach helps ensure that methods are tested, adapted, and owned by communities themselves.
DARD Field Assistant, Island of Pama, and training participant, Mr Paulsako Vity, said this training showed how to learn with farmers, not just teach them.
“We now have practical tools to test new methods, observe the results in our fields, and share that knowledge across our communities.”
By linking with SPC’s Pacific Organic Learning Farm Network, already active in Fiji, Tonga, and Solomon Islands, Vanuatu’s new facilitators become part of a regional platform for technical exchange and shared learning. A follow-up mentoring programme in October will provide continued guidance as participants pilot Farmer Field Schools in their own communities.
For more information:
- Rakeshni Lata - Training and Capacity Building Officer for Nature-based Solutions, PPIN, CCES, Pacific Community (SPC), [email protected]
- Sunayna Nandini- Information and Communications Officer, CCES Pacific Community (SPC), [email protected]