Vanuatu Government assists communities with Vt32 million worth of agricultural tools
The Government of the Republic of Vanuatu has assisted local communities with Vt32 million worth of agriculture tools as part of its response, recovery and reconstruction efforts to its people to the effects of Tropical Cyclone Pam.
The official handing over of agricultural tools took place at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) between the representatives of the Ministry of Climate Change and Natural Disasters and the Ministry of Agriculture early this month.
The aim of this initiative is to support our rural communities and especially local farmers with the necessary tools needed to bring about quick recovery to their subsistence and agricultural activities from the effects of Cyclone Pam.
The total quantity of agricultural tools are 21,900 bush knives, 4,300 axes, 800 spades and 2,200 crow bars. The distribution of tools have already started throughout the affected rural communities and mainly to the identified farmers based on a distribution plan prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in close coordination with the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster in Vanuatu. The distribution of tools will be completed next week with already 90 percent of all tools have now been distributed.
The purchasing of the tools was made possible through the Increasing Resilience to Climate Change and Natural Hazards (IRCCNH) Project in Vanuatu, which is currently managed by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department (VMGD) through its Project Management Unit (PMU). The project is jointly funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the European Union (EU) and the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR), and administered through the World Bank Group.
The IRCCNH project is a Government owned Project with an overall development objective to help increase the resilience of communities in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate variability and change and natural hazards on food and water security as well as livelihoods.
With this objective, it was the Government’s wish to use some of the project resources to contribute to the Government-led recovery efforts as an immediate response to the effects of Tropical Cyclone PAM. This decision, part of the Post Pam Action Plan of the IRCCNH project, was also critical since our country’s population is highly reliant on subsistence farming for food security.
Distribution of the farming tools have already began in mid-June through the Logistics team at the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) with close coordination with the Department of Local Authority (DLA) and the Agriculture Department (DARD). The dispatching of these tools will end beginning of August 2015.
The tools were distributed to approximately over 32 Area Councils reaching over 17,594 households and benefiting over 84,792 individuals in the following islands – Tanna, Tafea outter islands, South Pentecost, Ambrym, Paama, Epi, Efate rural and offshore islands and the shepherd’s group.
For more information regarding the tools please contact VMGD on 24686, email fiautu@meteo.gov.vu Or Agriculture Department on 22525, email agriculturestaff@vanuatu.gov.vu and or NDMO Logistics on 22675.