farming

The SPC's Deputy Director, Audrey Aumua, said the requests for plant tissue, culture materials and vegetable seeds came through its 'Seeds For Life' programme.

This week, Dr Aumua handed over seed kits to the Fiji government in Suva during the launch of the Community's new regional initiatives under its Land Resources Division.

"A total of 166,000 kilogrammes of vegetable seeds and over 10,000 tissue culture seedlings and this request has come from our members," she said. "We are expecting much more."

Seeds For Life

The Pacific has a high dependency on food imports; for example, Fiji imports 85 per cent of its rice from Vietnam and Thailand.

Pacific Beat understands that the Australian government is currently reviewing each Pacific nation's food security risk, with some concern that while borders may be left open for cargo, not all ships may continue to operate.

That's been the premise and promise of the organic movement since its origins in the 1920s: farming that's healthy, ecological, and socially just.

Many people -- from consumers and farmers to scientists and international organizations -- believe that organic agriculture can produce enough nutritious food to feed the world without destroying the environment, while being more resilient to climate change and improving the livelihoods of farmers.