Vanuatu farmers told to save crops ahead of drought

Ni-Vanuatu farmers are being encouraged not to bring all their produce to market and to save some of it for themselves ahead of the worst drought in over a decade.

The El Nino system has been predicted to bring long dry spells that rival the drought of 1997.

A farming system officer, Peter Iesul, says most farmers are subsistence farmers, relying on rain and live on a day to day basis.

He says the Department of Agriculture is advising farmers to implement measures to preserve crops, such as planting resilient crop varities and using mulch, dry leaves and grass to cover the soil and save water.

They also encouraging agro-forestry, a way of planting trees with crops, with the trees protecting the plants from the sun.