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Mahurangi local Andrew Finlay recently returned from a field trip in Vanuatu, where he worked alongside an organisation to protect and restore forests from the impacts of climate change and disasters.
Finlay is Tearfund New Zealand’s grant manager and he spent two weeks in the South Pacific island nation with Tearfund’s farming and enterprise partner, Nasituan, to assist with a new programme focused on protecting the landscape.
There are two big problems facing rural communities in Vanuatu – it is the most disaster-exposed country in the world and, along with high levels of unemployment, this pushes families below the poverty line.
Nasituan was established in 2011 to train and mentor farmers in rural communities on how to be resilient in the face of disasters, teaching sustainable farming techniques, and the viability of diversifying crops such as growing coffee beans.
Finlay helped to set up Nasituan and has seen it grow from a small community-led organisation focused on agriculture development to a social enterprise. It has given thousands of farmers the opportunity to be able to afford the basics for their families, such as schooling, food, medical care and housing.
“Nasituan builds on their existing agricultural knowledge and equips growers with additional skills and resources to succeed,” Finlay says.
The organisation has trained more than 2000 farmers in coffee growing and other agricultural techniques.
“Vanuatu’s tropical climate and rich volcanic soil make it the perfect environment for farming quality coffee. Nasituan is also developing better ways of growing coffee to ensure it is climate resilient.
“Secondly, coffee has great market potential. Nasituan trains local growers on how to get the best out of their crops to sell to market, so they can generate extra income for necessities.”
A success story which left a lasting impression on Finlay was of a farmer who, after training with Nasituan, went on to become one of the largest producers of coffee in the local area. This led to him starting a second business in food transportation after his coffee earnings enabled him to buy a four-wheel drive.
“It was through coffee farming that he was able to improve his livelihood, income and standard of living, and this has benefited his family. These sort of success stories are always encouraging.”
With its training and mentoring facilities firmly rooted, the organisation has turned its focus to protecting and restoring the landscape that local farmers in order to continue protecting and improving their livelihoods.
“If you want to have good crops and good livelihoods, you’ve also got to look after your environment and look after your ecosystems,” Finlay says.
To achieve this, Nasituan, with support from Tearfund, has started the Life and Land Programme.
Finlay says he is excited about the programme getting underway and seeing the organisation progress even more.
The programme’s purpose is to develop and implement strategies that restore the environment and protect crops from natural disasters.
“If you’ve got trees around your coffee plots then they are less prone to wind damage or flooding. This kind of forest enhancement will improve local ecosystems, protect food security and livelihoods.”
Finlay’s trip to Vanuatu included evaluating existing work, strategy planning and consulting with the community to understand the work that was required.
Over the next few years, in partnership with Tearfund, Nasituan hopes to continue to enhance the sustainability of farming in the area, generate more income for local farmers through carbon credits and improve the livelihoods of a further 600 farmers.
This project in Vanuatu is part of a bigger programme called SAFE (Safe, Aware, Free, Empowered) funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kiwi donations.
The SAFE programme operates in five countries – Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. This multi-million dollar programme aims to prevent vulnerable communities from being trafficked and improve rural livelihoods in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
