KASTOM GARDEN ASSOCIATION JOINS POLICY PITCH CAPACITY BUILDING (PIFON).

By Mary Idu Burumaea

The Kastom Garden Association joined other farmer Organizations from across the Pacific on the Policy Pitch Capacity Building (PIFON) learning and planning week in Honiara recently, to build confidence and strengthen advocacy skills.

As part of the Climate Resilient Farming in the Pacific Islands Program, the goal of the session is to strengthen farmer organizations’ ability to clearly communicate and advocate for farmers’ priorities.

A representative of Kastom Garden Association, Crystal Koale highlighted that farmers and farmer organizations are central to climate adaptation and food security, and need recognition, support, and investment to build resilience.

Koale said across the Solomon Islands, thousands of farmers are losing their crops to floods, droughts and rising seas.

She stated that the Kastom Garden Farmers Association has assisted farmers in building centers, delivering farming materials, doing training’s on management and pest control, and distributed seeds to local farmers.

” Farmer organizations are not just service providers, but they are the front-liners of advocacy. They build together local knowledge practices and yet too often their potential is under recognition raised at the national level,” she said.

” If we want a lasting adaptation, farmers under these organizations must be at the heart of climate policy and investment.”

Meanwhile, Koale also calls on policy makers and partners to strengthen collaborations with farmer organizations for sustainable farming.

“By doing this, we protect food security and empower our rural communities to drive resilience.”

With climate change, time is against us. But if we work together, we can build food systems that will help feed every citizens in the country.”

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