Local food crop farming is on the rise in Tonga thanks to the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supported projects which helps to increase food security amid CoViD-19, climate change, and natural disasters.

Initiatives include training on how to develop backyard plots, healthy eating tips, new plant varieties, and improved cultivation practices.

The projects, now in its second phase, are under the Tonga Rural Innovation Programme (TRIP) implemented by MORDI Tonga Trust across the kingdom, and allows communities to each define and achieve their goals. is continuing to empower communities.

On ‘Eua, the projects have been implemented successfully across communities. They include a plant nursery, and farmer field schools to teach local families and farmers about vegetable gardening, new plant varieties, and improved cultivation practices.

Tupu Molia, a community facilitator and nursery manager has learned to grow and care for vegetable seedlings and plants like taro, yams and breadfruit, as well as cash crops like kava and vanilla.

“Someday, I hope to have a nursery of my own.”

Another community is managing an orchard of mandarin and lemon trees. Citrus fruit trees were killed off decades ago after the changing climate brought in new plant diseases causing Tonga to be reliant on imports.

“’Eua is the only place in Tonga that grows citrus fruits today,” said Ana Tukia, a community facilitator. “It makes us happy to know that we are growing these fruits for people to enjoy again.”

The project has also helped form a cluster farm for the Petani Community where 27 farmers share 12 acres of land where they grow traditional root crops used for family consumption and sell locally.

“Each of us has our own plot, but we help each other,” says Uili. They grow traditional root crops, like taro, yam and sweet potatoes, which they use for family consumption and sell locally.

Kava growers on ‘Eua are also growing. Under TRIP II, MORDI has helped local kave expert, Manase Siua modernize and expand his business to meet rigorous quality, food-safety and packaging requirements.

Manase, in turn, is helping local small-scale farmers. He put together a manual for kava growers that’s now used in the farmer field school. He regularly gives saplings to local farmers and mentors them on good cultivation and harvesting practices. The farmers sell their high-quality kava to Manase, who then processes and sells it at a high price – a win-win for everyone.

The project has also helped to build community halls which serve multiple functions including meeting spaces, workspace for women to create traditional crafts to sell, after school space for children and faikava (kava club) for men in the evenings.