WORK is underway at Sigatoka in Fiji to develop a tomato resilient to droughts and rainfall.
Under the Taiwan Technical Mission, farmers who have faced challenges from extreme weather have been introduced to climate-smart cultivation techniques.
Farmers used the popular Sun Rising Number 2 variety tomato to improve skills and practical knowledge that will help them maintain stable yields and increase income during hot and rainy seasons.
Known for high yield and excellent shipping quality, this variety matures in approximately 95 days and is resistant to several strains of local pests.
They also learned about but and explored planting techniques around other vegetables that would be suitable for summer production. Crops included cabbage, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, and lettuce
This workshop is part of a five-year flagship project to enhance Fiji’s capacity to cope with extreme weather and improve food security.
Some key components of this project include:
- Introducing 12 climate-resilient varieties of fruits and vegetables, including guava, mango, cabbage, tomato, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, and lettuce.
- Establishing two primary demonstration centres in Sigatoka and Nausori with six regional sites to promote resilient cultivation models.
- Develop low-cost smart agriculture tools such as automated irrigation controllers, compost monitoring sensors, and micro weather stations tailored for smallholder farmers.
- Providing over 30 technical training sessions and supporting 100 core farmers across 23 hectares of farmland.