Smart farming
August 7, 2012
Project goal: Food security and coastal preservation
Project size: Vanuatu und 11 other countries in the Pacific island region
Project duration: 2009 to 2015
Projektvolumen: around 27 million euros ($33.4 million)
The South Pacific island of Vanuatu is hard hit by floods, cyclones and coastal erosion. Weather extremes due to climate change are on the rise, with sea levels climbing and food and water becoming scarce. The majority of the island’s population depends on natural resources for their livelihoods with agriculture, forestry and fishing the main job-providers.
That’s why the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation is financing measures on the island to ensure food security. For instance, on the island of Pele, a new breed of pigs is being reared that can withstand higher temperatures. On the main island of Efate, new cultivation methods are being tested and robust cabbage and potato species are being planted. Within the framework of the International Climate Initiative, the German federal ministry is also funding projects on the coast of Efate to preserve mangroves and protect the shoreline.
A film by Joachim Eggers