Anguna-Kamana: ‘Restore agriculture’s status’

Women and young people must be included in farming work during the Covid-19 pandemic, officials say.

Secretary of Agriculture Temarama Anguna-Kamana spoke by video-link to an international forum, the
Local2030 Islands Network. The agriculture ministry must support private farmers, she said afterwards. “But we must also include our women, our youth, our non-government organisations, our communities … they too, play key roles in the agriculture sector.”

Anguna-Kamana said a lesson to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic was the importance of planting to sustain food security for one’s household. “Grow some of the food you consume for improved health and nutrition and having home grown products can reduce the food bill. Try organic planting or reduce the use of chemicals and focus on soil management and improved soil nutrition
The Local2030 network advances solutions to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – with a new focus on food security in the context of Covid-19.

She said Cook Islands primary sector needed to build back better, with increased sustainability. “Pacific islands are heavily dependent on imported food – in some islands this can be more than 90 percent – while others before Covid-19 were trying to improve their food security.