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Friday 19 >> Fiji Times > Timoci Vula
More than 100 farmers, including women and youths, attended a training workshop aimed to enhance their farming knowledge and skills so they can see improved quality productions.
Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC) CEO Jiu Daunivalu said that a major focus of the workshop was on empowering farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills.
She reasoned so farmers could engage effectively in collective action and joint efforts, and that had the potential to achieve higher production yields, sustainable income, poverty alleviation, food and nutrition security, and resilient livelihoods for the farming families.
“The aim is to professionalise farmers and their clusters or farmer organisations, as entrepreneurs and partners in agribusiness, by forging strong linkages with other farmers, buyers, financiers and other key value-chain supporters and enablers, thus supporting the overall strengthening of the farmers’ organisations or clusters,” Ms Daunivalu said.
“This will enable farmers, their clusters or organisations, to access and apply professional and technical skills and best farming practice, in order to achieve sustainable production, food security, and to engage in value-adding activities that ensure compliance with market requirements.”
The training workshop – titled ‘Organising Farmers through Collective Action of ‘Solesolevaki-Rural Millionaire Concept’ to Improve Entrepreneurship Skill and Agribusiness Relations for Inclusive Economic Growth & More Resilient Livelihoods for Farmers, Youths and Women’ – was organised by the FCLC and Ministry of Agriculture, supported by EU, IFAD, and ACP-funded Farmer Organisations for Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (FO4ACP) Program through the Pacific Islands Farmers Organisations (PIFON).
Representatives of key government agencies such as Ministry of Agriculture, Fiji Development Bank, Business Development Unit of the iTaukei Affairs, and Fiji Police Force Community Policing also participated in the training workshop.
Ms Daunivalu said empowering farmers was a team effort by enablers, who played an important role in raising awareness of rules and policies, and upskilling rural farmers, youths and women in becoming successful entrepreneurs and partners in agribusiness.
View the article : Fiji Times