A joint monitoring visit between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA Fiji) concluded in the Western Division yesterday.
The visit is to gauge the effectiveness of the Cash for Cultivation Initiative that assisted farmers who were affected by TC Yasa and TC Ana.
According to a statement, this followed the payout of over half million dollars in the second phase of the initiative to 3000 farmers nationwide who were affected by the Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Ana and further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the visit, the team was able to hear first-hand from the beneficiaries in Ba, Lautoka and Sigatoka how they utilized their multi-purpose cash to support food security and sustainable livelihood.
Paulo Namo of Ba was one of the recipients visited yesterday. He said he was thankful to the support received that allowed him to recover from the impact of flooding caused by TC Ana.
“Au sa vakayagataka tiko na qele ena teitei ena loma ni 3 na yabaki kau dau volitaka tiko na noqu I tei ena makete o Ba kei Lautoka. Na waluvu e mai vakacacana kece na noqu I tei kau vakavinavinaka ena veivuke e yaco mai ni mai taracake tale kina na noqu bula kei na noqu sasaga me tekivu tale na teitei.”
(I have been farming here for the past 3 years supplying vegetables and root crops to the markets. I lost all my crops during the flooding and I am grateful for the assistance received that enabled me to restart my farm again.)
From his $200 immediate assistance, he was able to pay for transportation of his cassava cuttings considering the distance of his farm from the main road and also pay for labour.
Mr Namo said his water sprinkler was also damaged during the flood and he was able to buy new parts from the sale of his vegetables planted from the land he cultivated to qualify for the multi-purpose assistance.
For 59 year-old Suriya Sharma from Nukuloa in Ba, she was able to use the $200 to pay for tractor fuel to prepare the land and she is keeping the rest to purchase seeds. She isn’t taking her produce to the market because of poor sale so she is using her farm for food security purposes while exploring areas to diversify her farm. She is also a seasonal rice farmer.
ADRA Fiji Country Director Iliapi Tuwai says they are thankful to the continues support from the Australian Government that has enabled them to assist these farmers in rebuilding their lives after the cyclones and the double blow of COVID-19.
The first phase of the initiative saw 1000 farmers across Fiji were assisted through multi-donor funding.
The Cash for Cultivation Initiative provided funds to help farmers clear and prepare land and purchase planting material to re-establish at least 1-acre plot of land.
