The Republic of Kiribati is an important partner country of Taiwan in the South Pacific region. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) has dispatched a long-term agricultural technical mission to assist local residents in producing fruits and vegetables and raising pigs. The main purpose is to enhance food supply in Kiribati while promoting public health and nutrition by encouraging local people to consume more vegetables and improve their nutritional well-being.

To increase food security in the Kiribati outer islands, the Taiwan technical mission dispatched specialists in livestock, horticulture and nutrition with high-quality seedlings and piglets to Christmas Island in early November 2016. By teaching local people to enhance crop production quality and quantity, and advocating healthy eating and lifestyle concepts, the experts brought hope and encouragement to these islanders. Christmas Island is the largest atoll in the Pacific Ocean and the largest island of Kiribati, accounting for half the nation’s total land area. Due to a diverse ecosystem, the island is home to a large number of seabirds and each year attracts many tourists who like to explore nature. As such, one of the Taiwan technical mission’s main tasks is to ensure balance between agricultural development and environmental protection.

The experts dispatched by the Taiwan technical mission separately hosted a series of agricultural and livestock workshops in the villages of Poland, Banana, Tabwakea and London, to promote basic farming techniques including seedling and vegetable cultivation and pig- rearing. Moreover, the experts taught residents to use local materials to build plant nurseries and pig farms, including the use of pig waste compost, effectively integrating environmentally friendly farming methods with pig-rearing.

The significance of a balanced diet, the prevention of non-infectious diseases and other important concepts were promoted to the local people as well. With the assistance of other countries, Christmas Island can hopefully implement more modern agricultural and livestock production methods in the future.

It is hoped that the results of the Taiwan technical mission’s project can serve as future reference for the Government of Kiribati.

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• Update: 2018/03/05
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