BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Minister Franklyn Derek Wasi has reaffirmed his support for the Farmers Field School (FSS) which concluded recently in Honiara.
Mr Wasi made the statement during the closing event of the two-week training of facilitators for Farmers Field Schools being held here in Honiara from July 15-27.
“The government of the Solomon Islands is a signatory to several important global agreements and instruments that commit ourselves to deliver in support of increasing agriculture productivity, environmental protection, and transformation of entire agri-food systems towards greater sustainability,” he said.
“For that reason, we are proud to collaborate with local NGO partner Kastom Gaden Association (KGA) and take an active part in the implementation of this EU-funded and FAO-implemented project which aims to promote environmental sustainability in Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) countries by strengthening environmental governance and the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs),” said Minister Wasi.
He stated that the specific capacity-building activity, implemented within the context of the above-mentioned project, is focused on developing a core team of facilitators for initiating a Farmers Field Schools program in Solomon Island.
“Farmers Field Schools are globally recognized as a relevant, innovative, and empowering tool for ensuring that smallholder farmers can acquire and master the required knowledge and skills for transitioning towards a more productive and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture is committed to supporting the implementation of this innovative education and rural development program and working with you to provide the necessary support, including fostering an enabling policy and regulatory environment for this program to develop and flourish,” said Wasi.
“At this juncture, I wish to inform all of us that the Solomon Islands Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) through MAL, is doing its best to resource our Field Experiment Stations (FES) and reestablish the national agriculture research center, which I believe will contribute toward the further development of FFS.
“And on a personal note, I am truly proud and feeling so satisfied, to stand before all of you today to witness in person, the successive conclusion to the first ever Farmer Field Schools training of facilitators, as it was during my time at FAO that the LOA for this training was developed.
“Therefore, to all participants graduating from the course today, I would like to congratulate all of you on the successful completion of this course. I wish you all good luck with the next steps to be taken to put your follow-up plans into action and to continue developing your FFS knowledge and implementation skills. I must sincerely acknowledge all the stakeholders who have contributed in one way or another to the success that we are witnessing today. Let us all continue to work together in this space as we endeavor forward to develop our agriculture sector as the basis for our livelihood and economic growth,” he said.
