Savai'i Farmers Receive Horticulture And Food Safety Training
20 youths from farming families residing in Savai'i
graduated on the 11th of November this year, after successfully
completing the 12-week course.
Photo: Supplied
Young farmers from the big island of Savaii took part in a 12-week
specialized training course that taught them (farmers) on
horticulture, food safety practices, and the usage of these skills in
setting up a farm business.
A total of 20 youths from farming families residing in Savai'i
graduated on the 11th of November this year, after successfully
completing the 12-week course. The graduation ceremony was held at the
Va-i-moana Hotel located in Asau.
The University of the South Pacific at Alafua (USP- Samoa), and the
Waikato Institute of Technology NZ (WINTEC) collaborated to hold the
initiative.
According to the organizers of the program, the training goes together
with the Government's effort to support communities through the
engagement of young farmers to build resilient communities, improve
food safety, food security and overall economic growth.
The customized training is part of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (MFAT) funded project “Improved Livelihoods through
increased protection of the Premium Cocoa Value Chain” aimed at
empowering rural youth with transferable agribusiness skills to ensure
they are able to earn sustainable livelihoods from horticulture.
The overall objective of the project, which was initiated in the
middle of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, is to increase
resilience and protection of the premium cocoa sector, to strengthen
the linkages between agriculture and tourism, as well as the provision
of structured training for youth to provide new income opportunities
and promote wider gender-balanced participation for both value chains.