Project Name：Horticulture Project (Marshall Islands)

Project status：Completed projects

Cooperating Country：Asia-Pacific, Marshall Islands

Project Description：The Marshall Islands relies heavily on imports of essential goods, with cheap and filling items such as canned foods, frozen meats and starchy produce being especially popular. Imports of fresh fruit and vegetables are much less popular due to their short shelf life and higher price, and so supply and demand for such produce is limited. Citizens have little consumer choice and live on an unbalanced diet, which has given rise to high incidences of chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Chronic diseases and related complications are one of the major causes of death in the Marshall Islands, and the expense of patient care and referrals is costly given the nation’s underdeveloped medical resources. The government of the Marshall Islands, recognizing the seriousness of this situation, hopes to address this in part by encouraging local vegetable production in Majuro, as well as on outer islands, ultimately in order to achieve food security. Creating circumstances that encourage citizens to consume more fruits and vegetables will be achieved by increasing the production of affordable fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as by organizing educational activities designed to transform the lifestyle of people living on these isolated islands.

For these reasons, this project will assist the Marshall Islands in raising local production of fruits and vegetables via cooperation with the Ministry of Resource and Development (MRD) and the local governments of outer islands. Laura farm will serve as a seedling nursery and center, promoting gardening in nearby households and school gardens in Majuro, as well as serve as a logistics base for work on outer islands through the provision of agricultural counseling, training and materials.

Overall, this project will: 1. Assist the MRD in operating Laura farm. 2. Operate a seedling nursery and supply materials, composting and plowing services. 3. Hold agricultural training and workshops. 4. Support farmers by providing counseling services. 5. Organize training for the Laura Farmers’ Association covering cultivation techniques and joint marketing activities. 6. Provide guidance on the cultivation of vegetables in containers and establish nurseries on outer islands. 7. Establish and support school gardens. 8. Hold cooking demonstrations to promote healthy vegetable recipes and a balanced diet.

To watch the video made by the TaiwanICDF: Horticulture Project (Marshall Islands)

Project No：TCD-2011-E06-01

Implementation Start Date：2011-01-01

Implementation End Date：2014-12-31

Project Objectives：The objectives of this project are:

1. Produce 225 tons of fruits and vegetables per year on Majuro and other islands.
2. Continue to extend production by propagating and distributing 11,000 papaya seedlings.
3. Reduce the use of commercial fertilizers by producing 170 tons of compost.
4. Hold 12 demonstration and training workshops.
5. Host 1,800 visits by farmers to the demonstration farm.
6. Strengthen the production and marketing operations of organizations in Laura by integrating resources; provide guidance on marketing 55 tons of fruits and vegetables.
7. Host up to 28 culinary activities in the Community Church.

Executing Agency：

1. Taiwan Technical Mission in the Republic of the Marshall Islands
2. Ministry of Resources and Development (Republic of the Marshall Islands)

Current Progress：To the end of December 2014, the following activities have been completed:

In 2011:

1. Provided guidance on the production of 52.9 tons of fruits and vegetables.
2. Distributed 2,481 papaya seedlings.
3. Produced 44 tons of compost as a demonstration.
4. Provided weekly guidance on container cultivation at two school vegetable farms.
5. Assisted the marketing operations of the Laura Farmers’ Association and provided guidance on marketing 12.13 tons of fruits and vegetables.
6. Visited outer islands for extension counseling eight times.

In 2012:

1. Provided guidance on the production of 56 tons of fruits and vegetables.
2. Distributed 2,531 papaya seedlings.
3. Produced 40 tons of compost as a demonstration.
4. Provided weekly guidance on container cultivation at four school vegetable farms.
5. Hosted 569 visits by farmers to the demonstration farm.
6. Assisted the marketing operations of the Laura Farmers’ Association and provided guidance on marketing 22 tons of fruits and vegetables.
7. Visited outer islands for extension counseling three times.

In 2013:

1. Provided guidance on the production of 57 tons of fruits and vegetables.
2. Distributed 3,005 papaya seedlings.
3. Produced 50 tons of compost as a demonstration.
4. Provided weekly guidance on container cultivation at six school vegetable farms.
5. Hosted 617 visits by farmers to the demonstration farm.
6. Assisted the marketing operations of the Laura Farmers’ Association and provided guidance on marketing 23.7 tons of fruits and vegetables.
7. Visited outer islands for extension counseling twice.

In 2014:

1. Provided guidance on the production of 59.42 tons of fruits and vegetables.
2. Distributed 3,035 papaya seedlings.
3. Produced 50 tons of compost as a demonstration.
4. Provided weekly guidance on container cultivation at seven school vegetable farms.
5. Hosted 649 visits by farmers to the demonstration farm.
6. Assisted the marketing operations of the Laura Farmers’ Association and provided guidance on marketing 18.4tons of fruits and vegetables.
7. Visited outer islands, such as Mejit Island and Mili Atoll, for extension counseling five times.
   

Projected Benefits：

1. Generate an estimated output of US$80,000 in agriculture-related industries for the benefit of 10 percent of the population on outlying islands.
2. Generate an estimated output of US$762,000 agriculture-related industries for the benefit of 10 percent of total population of the Marshall Islands.
3. Boost employment opportunities in the agriculture sector by 15 percent.
4. Improve citizens’ health and improve dietary habits, reducing the number of elderly citizens suffering from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension by 10 percent.

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in the Republic of the Marshall Islands