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Youths in Agriculture undergo business training in Kiribati

The ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Kiribati Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) delivered a Start & Improve Your Business (SIYB) training for 20 youths engaged in the national youth in agriculture initiative.

News | 30 June 2016
Youth gardens in Kiribati

Accessing land for living, personal food production or earning a living in Kiribati remains a major challenge. Increasing population growth and sea level rising means that land is becoming an even more scarce resource and therefore a need to ensure best utilisation of what little that is available.

The ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Kiribati Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) delivered a Start & Improve Your Business (SIYB) training for 20 youths engaged in the national youth in agriculture initiative.

The training was held from 20-24th June 2016 and facilitated by ILO certified trainer from the KCCI, Mr Tamaroa Teebaki. “The KCCI is very pleased to partner in this initiative through this training and post training mentoring support”, said Mr Teebaki, who is also the President of KCCI.

In March this year, 20 youths were provide with skills training, seeds of various vegetables and plots of small land by their communities/families. “The objectives of this initiative is for youths  to have nutritious diet,  assist their families put more food on the table, encourage consumption of local food instead of imported food and  to earn income at the same time”, said Ms Mauea Wilson the Senior Youth Officer. 

The ILO also has the opportunity to visit a few of the youth gardens. Some gardens were still at compost stage while most were already in the harvest stage of their products. The youths were growing cucumbers, cabbages, chilies, pumpkins, spinach including taro and tapioka.

Mr Satoshi Sasaki, Officer in Charge for ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries was impressed with the use of traditional and modern methods used including the skill sets of the youths. He recommended to the Ministry of Youth staff to involve the Ministry of Health in this programme to maximise the health outcomes of this initiative.

Noodles, biscuits and canned food is becoming a very common meal with many iKiribati and as such a contributor to many deaths due through Non Communicable Diseases (NCD). For instance, Kiribati is ranked number 1 in the world for prevalence of diabetes and is forecasted to maintain this position until 2030 (IDF, 2011).

The business training focussed on capacitating and empowering the youths to be able to market and sell part of their produce to earn an income. It is envisaged that a youth agricultural market will also be organised on a regular basis to promote and sell their produce.

Employment opportunities for young people in this remote small island atoll state, are very few. The national youth unemployment rate is 54% (47.6% for males and 61.8% for females), the third highest in the pacific. While there are initiatives to support i-Kiribati people as part of migrating with dignity initiatives, there are those that will remain in Kiribati for a long time. Therefore, such targeted programmes that support current and future inhabitants through targeted skills and entrepreneurship programmes are also important.

In a few months, the ILO plans to develop human stories and progress of the young people in the programme.