The POLFN project team in Tonga!

The Organic Learning Farms Network is coming to life in the field. Members of the POLFN project team had been on the road from August 3 to 13 with their counterparts in Tonga.

It was with great pleasure that the Pacific Organic Farms Network project team, represented by project leader Timoci Nakalevu and members Emosi Cagi, Fuatino Fatiaki and Sandhya Devi accompanied by Drew Havea, Kiwa's POLFN National Project Coordinator for Tonga went on a field trip to the Kingdom of Tonga.

Understanding the farm assessment methodology

One of the objectives of the trip was to facilitate workshops from August 3 to 5 on the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE), which will be used to monitor and evaluate the progress of each learning farm in the POLFN network.

Workshops for the different actors of the network

Participants in these workshops came from Fiji and Tonga, with representatives from Solomon Islands and Nauru also able to participate virtually. Participants include representatives from the government, ministry of agriculture, forestry, health, youth, women and farmers of Tonga.

Potential farm visits

The rest of the stay aimed, for the project team, to meet with local staff and visit some potential farms in Tongatapu and Vavau.

Tonga is one of the four sites in the Kiwa network of organic educational farms (Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands and Tonga).