'Post-harvest fisheries and value-adding training completed on Abemama island' May 2020

Post-harvest fisheries and value-adding training completed on Abemama island, May 2020

Tarawa, May 2020 -- A team of five officials from the Fisheries Division have conducted a second round of hands-on training with Abemama communities, aimed at improving skills in cooking and food preservation methods that will help to enhance food security under conditions of climate change.

Approximately 250 participants, including approximately 150 women, took part in the trainings – conducted from April 21 to May 10, starting from the village of Kabangaki and finishing in Tabiang – learning seafood recipes including bottled fish, smoked fish, fish balls, and sea grapes.

Each training also included awareness-raising on plastics and waste management on the island, ensuring that the marine and land environments remain healthy, clean and safe.

Everyone in the villages participated actively, sharing concerns and asking for clarifications.

As well as the training, the team worked with Fisheries Division Extension Staff who will undertake follow-up activities.

As part of the trip, the team also conducted interviews with three to four participants from each village, to hear their stories on adapting to climate change.

The training was deemed a success and there was widespread gratitude with thankful hearts toward the project. Participants said they hoped for more training, including more cooking techniques, during future visits.

One elder from Tabiang, Bwameri Taningaboo, expressed how grateful they were for Abemama being one of the project’s pilot islands, and they would be sure to practice what they learned during the training.

The Mayor, Linda Ueanteang added, “This project is useful as it teaches us the value of our environment and the importance of preserving and nourishing natural resources, so we can draw on them in times of natural disaster.”

Managed by the Environment and Conservation Division under the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development, the ‘LDCF2’ project is funded with the support of the Global Environment Facility-Least Developed Countries Fund and implemented with the United Nations Development Programme. Its goal is to build the adaptive capacity of vulnerable Kiribati communities to ensure food security under conditions of climate change. http://www.environment.gov.ki/?page_id=1295

For more information and photos, please contact Teitirake Kabwaua
tteanoa@gmail.com
Phone # 73037367