Farming of indigenous pig and chicken breeds is expanded in Fiji, Niue and the Cook Islands
11 January 2017
The diets of Pacific communities have long placed an important emphasis on pigs and chickens. Hence, the raising of indigenous breeds suited for local climatic and epidemiological conditions plays a large role in ensuring food security in the archipelago, as well as in meeting other social and cultural obligations. Unfortunately, underprivileged segments of the population persistently have limited access to livestock products and continue to bear deficiencies in their nutrition. This is due to the fact that production is importantly geared towards subsistence farming, and sales of animal products remain insufficient to fully cover the dietary requirements of both rural and urban areas. Therefore, promoting inclusive development and food security calls for expanding the breeding of small animals and their commercialization so as to more broadly supply local markets with quality nutrition at affordable prices.
Seeking to advance this objective, the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation supported the project Promotion of indigenous pig and chicken breeds in Fiji, Niue and the Cook Islands through marketing and consumption, implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with the Ministries and Departments of Agriculture and Livestock in the participating three countries.
Designed as a South-South initiative with a strong emphasis in collaboration, the project reflects the sub-regional multi-stakeholder commitment to conserve indigenous animals’ genetic resources to both promote and safeguard future food security and to boost contemporary local consumption.
The project accomplished important milestones. It established partnerships with chicken and pig breeders in all three countries, hosted technical and awareness-building workshops and provided them with advisory services to oversee and enhance their animal rearing techniques. Important technical support was also offered to the staff from the Animal Health & Provision Division in Fiji as well as the Ministries of Agriculture in Niue and the Cook Islands.
Examples of project accomplishments include:
- Expanded the collection of indigenous pig breeds at the Koronivia Indigenous Pig Conservation Centre in Fiji, to ensure multiplication and conservation of genetic stocks;
- Conducted capacity building workshops run by the staff of the Happy Chicken Farm in Sigatoka, Fiji, to share knowledge domestically as well as with Niue and the Cook Islands on the importance of rearing indigenous breeds;
- Intensified production at the Reddy’s Local Chickens Farm in Lautoka, Fiji, increasing local sales for both poultry and eggs;
- Established three chicken conservation, multiplication and distribution centers in Niue, to promote the sale of poultry, eggs and livestock for breeding.
Although this project experienced an important set-back when its activities were disrupted by Cyclone Winston, it withstood the strongest tropical storm on record to make landfall across the archipelago, continued its activities and achieved its planned objectives.
About the Partners
The Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983, to support activities in economic and technical cooperation among developing countries members of the Group of 77. PGTF is managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).
To date, PGTF has provided catalytic financial support to 278 cooperative projects carried out by three or more developing countries. 125 countries have received or benefited from small grants that facilitated South-South partnerships and networks among institutions of the global South. The fund supported activities in various fields: technical cooperation, food and agriculture, trade, technology, information exchange and others.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is an international development organization governed by 26 member states and territories. Since its establishment in 1947, SPC has become a leading regional scientific and technical organization in the pacific. SPC advances a vision for a region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity. Their work encompasses 25 different sectors, including fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, food security and disaster risk management.
