Tonga's Qualification and Accreditation Board (TQAB) today denied that they are recognising the new Certificate in Horticulture awarded by the ‘Eua Island Farmer Field School under the Tonga Rural Innovation Project recently.

The spokesperson emphasised that the TQAB had nothing to do with it. "We do not recognize the Certificate in Horticulture that was issued by the ‘Eua Island Farmer Field School," said a spokesperson for the TQAB this afternoon, 28 September. The school had issued the certificate to 20 farmers on the island recently.

He said that the first they heard of such a Certificate was when they read in a Press Release that was released by the Pacific regional office of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), on 26 September, from Suva, Fiji.

Certified training

According to IFAD, the ‘Eua Island Farmer Field School, Tonga, is the first in the Pacific to teach young farmers how to grow and sell more food with certified training. 

"In Tonga this initiative is implemented in partnership with Nishi Trading, the Tonga Institute of higher Education, the Tonga Qualifications and Accreditation Board, the New Zealand and Australian Government[s], the ‘Eua communities and the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation MORDI Tonga Trust," IFAD stated

Viliami Soakai from MORDI said that the ‘Eua Island Farmer Field School, was the second of its kind to be held in Tonga, the first was in Tongatapu last year, 2015. He said that another Farmer Field School for Tongatapu will be launched tomorrow, 29 September. Similar such schools will be held in Ha’apai, Vava’u, Niuatoputapu and Niafo’ou in the future.

The ‘Eua project was funded by IFAD as part of the first phase of the US$4 million Tonga Rural Innovation Project, which will be completed in 2017.

IFAD has earmarked another $11 million for phase 2 of the project, which aims to reach more than 60 rural communities in Tonga.