Project Name：Horticultural Crop Development Project (Tuvalu)

Project status：Completed projects

Cooperating Country：Asia-Pacific, Tuvalu

Project Description：

This project is designed to assist with and demonstrate technologies associated with vegetable and fruit cultivation and production as part of a wider promotion of the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The specific, main aims of the project are to improve production, reduce imports, expand home gardening and promote the consumption of nutritious lunches through the operation of school vegetable farms.
Overall, this project will:
1. Transfer the demonstration farm to personnel at the Department of Agriculture at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Land and Environment so that they perform operations such as cultivation, blight prevention and sales independently.
2. Promote home gardening and school vegetable farms by supplying the seeds needed to cultivate fruits and vegetables, as well as improve participants’ awareness of a nutritionally balanced diet.
3. Build a composting facility, establish standard operating procedures and produce a handbook on compost production; establish a fund to support compost production and transfer operations to the Ministry of the Interior.
4. Promote home gardening by establishing crop rotation systems and promoting the use of compost.

Project No：TCD-2011-E07-1

Implementation Start Date：2011-01-01

Implementation End Date：2014-12-31

Project Objectives：

1. Cultivate papaya, cucumber, pumpkin, heat-tolerant tomato, Chinese cabbage, asparagus and beans as the primary selection of crops for the project.
2. Supply 390,000 fruit and vegetable seedlings to agribusinesses, home gardeners and school vegetable farms.
3. Hold four home gardening competitions; expand home gardening and promote such activities among 120 households over 5.2 hectares on outlying islands.
4. Raise total yields of fruits and vegetables among participating agribusinesses, home gardeners and stakeholders on outlying islands to 145 tons, thereby reducing imports and foreign exchange expenditure.
5. Hold 16 training courses on the cultivation of fruits and vegetables; hold 24 cookery classes and four demonstration activities.
6. Cooperate with Tuvaluan government and EU agencies to build a composting facility and produce 470 tons of compost.

Executing Agency：

Taiwan Technical Mission in Tuvalu /  Ministry of Natural Resources, Land and Environment (Tuvalu)

Current Progress：

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

In 2011:
1. Produced 136,440 vegetable seedlings.
2. Produced 132 tons of compost.
3. Held four crop management courses and one demonstration activity.
4. Planted 1.3 hectares at Happy Friendship Farm and at 40 home gardens.
5. In total, produced 31,292 kg of fruits and vegetables at Happy Friendship Farm and in cooperation with home garden extension farmers.

In 2012:
1. Produced 155,440 vegetable seedlings.
2. Produced 110 tons of compost.
3. Held four crop management courses and one demonstration activity.
4. Planted 1.3 hectares at Happy Friendship Farm and at 43 home gardens.
5. In total, produced 34,917 kg of fruits and vegetables at Happy Friendship Farm and in cooperation with home garden extension farmers.

In 2013:
1. Produced 143,300 vegetable seedlings.
2. Produced 100 tons of compost.
3. Held four crop management courses and one demonstration activity, training 122 persons.
4. Planted 1.3 hectares at Happy Friendship Farm and at 40 home gardens.
5. In total, produced 25,305 kg of fruits and vegetables at Happy Friendship Farm and in cooperation with home garden extension farmers.

In 2014:
1. Assisted and supervised counterparts at the Department of Agriculture to sell produce at central market (Ulukai) twice weekly.
2. Transferred the home garden program to Ms. Evolini Mami, an extension officer on Nanumaga island.
3. Collected green and pig waste, producing 100 tons of compost during the first quarter of 2014.
4. Held four field management training courses at Happy Friendship Farm, attended by 40 persons.
5. Planted 1.43 hectares at Happy Friendship Farm and at home gardens.
6. In total, produced 40,092 kg of fruits and vegetables at Happy Friendship Farm and in cooperation with home garden extension farmers.

Projected Benefits：

1. The project will produce 145 tons of horticultural crops worth AUD$398,750.
2. Associated work with EU agencies and the Solid Waste Agency of Tuvalu will produce 470 tons of compost, which will also yield associated reductions in litter and pollution, as well as the establishment of an AUD$1.02 million composting fund.
3.Training will be provided to three persons to improve technologies associated with crop cultivation and the management of litter. Three handbooks on cultivation and farm management will benefit government personnel, while a handbook on compost production will help to establish standard operating procedures among managers and staff.

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in Tuvalu