Members of the community of Nagado near Nadi flocked to the livestock training provided by SPC's Animal Health and Production team on Thursday 24 October 2013. SPC has also provided two fully equipped chicken sheds and 200 meat chickens, as well as feed costing up to FJD 8,000 to the community of Nagado.

Nagado is a farming community located in the Vaturu district in Nadi, where there are few economic opportunities in agriculture and many of the farming methods used are not sustainable. In addition, family nutrition is poor and unvaried, which leads to health problems. The need for new economic opportunities and better nutrition in Nagado was identified during a recently conducted participatory rural appraisal.Community members were eager to receive hands-on experience at the workshop, which was mainly on poultry farming, describing the different types of chickens, how to breed them, and how to establish and maintain a poultry farm. They were also taught about waste management, and how to protect the poultry from prey and also from weather changes.

The training was provided through the project Vegetation and Land Cover Mapping and Improving Food Security for Building Resilience to a Changing Climate in Pacific Island Communities, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by SPC. The project aims to enhance living conditions in Nagado by not only improving nutrition, but also augmenting family income, as it will open up new economic opportunities, such as selling poultry products in nearby markets.

Andrew Tukana, SPC Animal Health and Production Senior Research Technician, stressed the importance of trying to keep money in Fiji, as buying exported goods benefits people overseas more than it benefits Fijians.

SPC and the Ministry of Agriculture will be monitoring the progress of the farms, and similar livestock training is planned for four other communities in the Sabeto catchment: Korobebe, Naboutini, Narokorokoyawa and Koroiyaca.

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Photo Caption: SPC's Animal Health and Production Coordinator, Dr Ken Cokanasiga, handing over the poultry shed to the Nagado community.

For more information, please contact:

Andrew Tukana, Animal Health and Production, Senior Research Technician Land Resources Division, SPC,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +679 3370 733

Miriama Brown, Pacific Agricultural & Forestry Policy Network (PAFPNet) Technician, Land Resources Division, SPC,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +679 3370 733

Vuki Buadromo, Project Manager, Enhanced Climate Change Resilience of Food Production Systems USAID Project,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
, +679 3370 733