Through a new Food Bank project, remote island communities in Fiji’s Yasawa Islands in the Western Division will be better prepared to have food supplies in times of disaster, even if their crops are destroyed.

This initiative is the result of a Private Sector Engagement partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Ba Provincial Office, Commissioner Western’s Office and Vinaka Fiji, which is a volunteer programme sponsored by tourism company Awesome Adventures Fiji. It is being enabled by the Pacific Risk Resilience Programme in partnership with Live & Learn Environmental Education.

The Department of Agriculture plans to use existing farmer networks to create Food Banks, and to also establish complementary agricultural Knowledge Hubs for farmers to share risk-sensitive farming information such as mixed cropping and climate resilient crops. Knowledge Hubs will assist local farmers while facilitating the growth of Food Banks and other agricultural initiatives.