Looking over the farm, which she recently cleared after many harvests, Faimun Nisha, reflects how she and her group have gone through some challenging moments to get to where they are now.

Ms Nisha of Ba plants eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and other vegetables, which she has harvested several times this year.

Some areas in Fiji’s Western Division are prone to both flooding and dry spells. The weather and terrestrial conditions require additional hard work to manage their farms.

“It was very difficult. Our family had to struggle to make ends meet. But now, we don’t have to buy vegetables because we always have some vegetables from our farm. We also have cash in hand from selling vegetables. We can use it for medication or school expenses for our children,” Ms Nisha said.

Talaiya Multi-racial Women’s Group in Ba is one of the successful examples of 38 groups participated in the project, Enhancing Livelihood Recovery through Improving Food Security in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters in Fiji.

It aims to assist communities sustain their livelihoods and build their resilience in case of natural disasters through engaging in farming ventures and increasing food security.

The project has been implemented by the United Nations Development programme (UNDP) in partnership with Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, and the National Disaster Management Office.

Project manager, UNDP Patrick Tuimalealiifano said: “The project is helping some of the most vulnerable communities in the Western Division to better cope with the impacts of climate change by adopting climate resilient farming practices, this is crucial in terms of sustaining food security and small scale income generation as the frequency of flooding has increased over recent decades.”

Since 2013, community members have undertaken community resource mapping and farm planning, as well as learned farming skills and basic financial management skills.

Seeds and seedlings, materials for nursery and other agricultural equipment were also distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture.

“We are lucky to have this support from the Ministry of Agriculture and UNDP. We are proud of ourselves for making the most of the support and managing our group farming project,” Ms Nisha explained.

The ministry also conducted awareness on the impacts of climate change and importance of disaster risk reduction and risk management.

This project supports the Government of Fiji’s Humanitarian Action Plan prepared after Cyclone Evan and supports the rehabilitation plan outlined in the Post Disaster Needs Assessment.