NZ Ambassador visits Haiyan-affected coconut farming community in Leyte.
Manila - During a recent field visit to an FAO project site in the Leyte community of Malitobgay, Ambassador David Strachan from the New Zealand (NZ) Embassy praised the coconut farmers for their recovery efforts.
The field visit included a tour of a contour farming site that was developed by the local community-based farming organisation using sloping agricultural land technology (SALT). It also coincided with the distribution of household farming kits for coconut farmers which included included seed-storage drums, vegetable seeds, heavy-duty tarpaulins, drying nets, watering cans and organic fertilizer.
Speaking at the event, the Ambassador praised the beneficiaries for their inspirational resilience and was proud that the people of New Zealand were able to contribute to their recovery and that their sustained hard work would ensure a more self-reliant farming community.
Accompanying the NZ delegation were Tiffany Babbington, Deputy Director from the International Development Group, Hannah Walton-France of the NZ Aid Program and FAO-Philippines Representative José Luis Fernandez.
“Being here today is a testament to the excellent partnership between FAO and its partners at all levels, in the delivery of our support to the recovery and rehabilitation of communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda,” said Fernandez after thanking the NZ Government for the support communities have received.
“We hope that through our partnership and this programme, we are able to facilitate farming communities in building back a better future for their families.”
In addition to distributing household farming kits and developing SALT sites, the NZ-funded project is providing 4 000 small-scale coconut farming households with rehabilitation support through intercropping and livestock integration to intensify and diversify livelihoods in coconut-growing areas; establishing home and community seed banking; establishing value-adding activities, providing community-based processing and packaging of marketable products; building capacities in risk assessment and climate resilience; and integrating soil conservation with trees in sloping areas to prepare communities for future disasters.
The NZ project is part of FAO’s Typhoon Haiyan Coconut-Based Farming Systems programme that is providing support to 35 500 Haiyan-affected families across three regions of the Philippines. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with government partners from the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Trade and Industry and the Philippine Coconut Authority.