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Description

Food crop production is known to be critically dependent on the quality and quantity of soil moisture and ground water. Seasonal variability of precipitation, prolonged droughts, more efficient evaporation-transpiration, and occasional seawater over-wash have localized serious impacts on crop production and threatened the very livelihood of the people. These impacts are expected to intensify according to climate change scenarios. The scenarios expect precipitation to increase but variability of precipitation is not featured or accounted for. Furthermore, sea level rise will most likely lead to land erosion, thus decreasing land surface area for storage of water and tree crops.  Food crop production during water stressed conditions is minimal as ground water lenses get dry or turn brackish. These combined impacts on the livelihood of the people would have shortened their life, caused malnutrition  particularly among children, and led to greater exertion on the adults in the toil of subsistence lifestyle.  The consumption and production of food crops have declined in recent years. Causes of such decline possibly include urban migration, decreasing size of land for agricultural production, and climate related disasters and seasonal precipitation variability.

Project Status
Start Date
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
End Date
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Project Type
Total Funding
1627548
Project Scope
Project Objectives

1) To maintain main existing gene banks.

Project Outputs
1) Feeling of professional isolation by agricultural field officers on outer islands is reduced, and sense of team work among key players is developed.
Project Activities
Activities: 
1) NAPA agricultural activities will be carried out on outer islands and at the headquarters. All activities will be coordinated by the Agricultural Division. Visits to outer islands by a coordinating body at the headquarters, and of field agricultural staff on outer islands to the headquarters will keep the momentum of the activities on going once they are started. This strategy will mitigate the effect on the activities of staff isolation and any tendency to fall into the norm and style of outer island timelessness lifestyle.