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Technicians involved in Aore Adventist Academy’ food bank have shared experiences with their counterparts in the Ministry of Agriculture as they prepare to implement the projects.
The ‘Think Big” food bank project is an initiative is aimed at increasing production in sectors like agriculture that will in turn improve the livelihood of communities.
“Based on the government’s focus on productive sectors such as agriculture, the resources allocated to the productive sectors this year, we want to initiate projects that focuses on increasing production and multiply, creating more impact on services of growing our productive sectors,” said Mark Vurobaravu, the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Vurobaravu said the food bank or food basket at Aore Adventist Academy is one of the projects that was identified as having a real need for support.
He said the school has a lot of land that is undeveloped and it has a huge potential for agriculture development.
“Recently MALFFB has entered into a partnership with Aore school through a signed Technical Cooperation Framework to restore agriculture production to assist the school and nearby communities to recover as their livelihood and food security depends on the agriculture sector to revive the services of Aore school.
“Frontline Technicians that are working on the ‘Food Bank’ on Aore shared their experience on the implementation of activities currently underway on Aore school.
“This approach is considered as this year there are 12 ‘Think Big’ projects on establishing ‘Food Baskets’.”
The Provincial Agriculture Officer (PAO) for SANMA, Joel Kalnpel, said, “Most of the activities on Aore school community ‘Food Bank’ will be completed this month.
“The DARD has cleared a 2-hectare land for the production of agriculture crops such as 5,000 sweet potatoes, 10,000 cassava, 1,000 island cabbages, 100 local corns, 100 packets of mixed beans, 700 banana suckers and 50 citrus seedlings.
“Sanma Forestry Department were able to mill 4 hectares of fallen trees (500 trees) for reconstruction of damaged school buildings.
“The Fisheries Department will construct two fishponds while the Livestock Department will revive the cattle paddock and pasture in a 27 hectares area.
“The use of appropriate farm machineries such as DARD’s tractor and Aore school tractor, rotovator and drill, have contributed immensely in mass production of the crops.
“Aore school has contributed positively to assisting MALFFB Team in implementing activities of the ‘Food Bank’,” Kalnpel said.
DARD’s Deputy Director, Vurobaravu, said the experience on Aore school will assist and guide the MALFFB with other “Think Big’ projects that will be implemented this year.
“’Think Big’ means we want to produce in a large scale, bigger than the normal production, setting up ‘Food Basket’ or Food Bank’ creating an avenue where sufficient food is produced to support and restore food security and also to ensure adequate planting materials to support the efforts of each communities to increase production and improve livelihood.
“On Aore school, 14 hectares of coconuts will be replanted, in addition to fixing of fencing, restoring livestock paddock, pasture improvement, installation of irrigation system and milling of fallen trees.
“It is an integrated system designed by the MALFFB as part of its recovery support to Aore school as well as other selected sites of ‘Food Basket’ as part of recovery and also disaster preparedness.”
Photo supplied Caption: 2 hectares of land cleared and ploughed ready for planting at Aore School Food Bank