Nearly 90 per cent of Tonga's population resides in rural areas, and a good majority are smallholder farmers who typically cultivate root crops, providing food security, employment, and income. Although many are engaged in agriculture, only about 5 per cent farm for commercial purposes, while the other 95 per cent are smallholder farmers practising subsistence farming.
In this video, we hear from local farmers who have recently received training at the Ovava Organic Learning Farm Centre, led by Farm Trainer Amanaki Funaki. The Learning Centre was established in 2023 through collaborative efforts spearheaded by the Pacific Community (SPC) through the Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network (POLFN). Through POLFN, Ovava conducted its first of many training with local farmers on 29-30 July 2024.
The training engaged farmers with hands-on exercises covering composting techniques tailored to their specific crop or plant needs and climate conditions, as well as marcotting, which allowed them to propagate new plants from existing ones with ease. Additionally, they explored the benefits of intercropping—the strategic pairing of complementary crops to maximise land usage and ecological synergies. Perhaps most impactfully, the training delved into agroforestry, teaching the farmers how to thoughtfully integrate trees and shrubs into their farming systems to enhance biodiversity, soil health, and yield.
Throughout the training, Funaki emphasised blending organic methods with the farmers' traditional farming knowledge and practices, empowering them to adopt a holistic and sustainable approach to food production.
The POLFN Project is implemented through the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community at SPC and is supported by the Kiwa Initiative, a multi-donor programme that aims to build resilience to climate change through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). POLFN is operating in Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Nauru, and is funded by the European Union, Agence française de Développement (AFD), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Kiwa's implementing partners include the Pacific Community (SPC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Oceania Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
For more information, visit:
- The Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community
- The Kiwa Initiative - Climate Resilience in the Pacific Islands thanks to Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
- L'Initiative Kiwa - La Résilience Climatique dans le Pacifique grâce aux Solutions fondées sur la Nature (SfN)
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