The Fijian Ministry of Agriculture is distributing Agriculture Response Packages for COVID-19 in collaboration with the EU funded Fiji Pro-Resilient programme to ensure access to adequate food in Ra province, Fiji.
Following the announcement of the Agriculture COVID-19 Response, the Home Gardening Programme and the Farm Support Package have organised delivery of seeds and planting material for farmers. The objective is to boost production of short-term crops to mitigate the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The EU-Fiji Pro-Resilient programme is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The programme supports the distribution of seedlings, planting material and logistics. This initiative will strengthen the national agriculture production to ensure self-sufficiency and resilience of the Fijian food system. An Emergency Response Assistant funded by the project has also been deployed to the Ra Province to ensure smooth distribution.
The response package was designed on the basis for the provision of access to nutritious and healthy foods and as a direct link to increasing the nation's food self-sufficiency, reducing the reliance on food imports and placing emphasis on restricted movement, which would promote the practicality of homegrown foods through home gardening.