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Strengthening the Capacity of Farmers and Food Vendors to Supply Safe Nutritious Food in Guadalcanal, Malaita and Temotu Provinces of Solomon Islands - TCP/SOI/3601

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 12

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) With more than 1 000 islands covering a total land area of 28 369 km2 spread over 1.3 million km2, and a population of 515 870 (in 2009), the small island developing state and least developed country of Solomon Islands faces significant food security challenges. As the population grows, there is a need to ensure that food is accessible, affordable and nutritious, providing vital nutrients and proteins to support the health of the population. The increased availability of low-cost imported foods high in carbohydrates and fat is changing dietary patterns in the country. FAO’s 2014 Nutrition in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories states that one third of children under 5 are stunted as a result of failing to meet their daily energy and nutrition requirements. Among adults, nearly 30 percent of women and 25 percent of men are overweight while 14 percent of women and nearly 9 percent of men are obese. The combination of stunted children and overweight adults creates a triple burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases. This Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project was formulated to address these food and nutrition-related challenges by building farmer organizations’ capacities to adopt improved agricultural production methods in order to increase root and cash crop production - and the crop’s market competitiveness relative to imports - contributing to their increased availability. Given the country’s increasing youth population, particularly in rural areas, the project placed emphasis on students and young farmers. It also sought to strengthen market linkages between farmer organizations and school canteens in order to improve the nutrition content of school meals. Finally, it assisted school canteens and food vendors in adding value and processing local foods. Its ultimate aim was to increase the consumption of locally grown foods - especially root crops, which are high in micronutrients - to improve food and nutritional security within rural communities. Farmers’ productivity was enhanced through training in community nurseries and demonstration sites in each province. These nurseries also acted as genebanks where farmers from surrounding communities could access improved planting materials. The training curriculum included soil improvement techniques, diversification and intensification of production, pest and disease management, seed production and storage, and post-harvest management. Students were included in the training in line with the project’s focus on youth.

Language English

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