Episcopal Relief & Development

(0) My Cart

Contact Us Donate Now
menu
search
  • What We Do
    • Priorities
      • Women
      • Children
      • Climate
    • Integrated Approach
      • Agriculture
      • Asset-Based Community Development
      • Clean Water
      • Disaster Resilience
      • Gender Equality & GBV
        • 16 Days of Activism Toolkit
        • Ending GBV in Liberia
      • Global Goals
      • Malaria – NetsforLife®
      • Maternal & Child Health
        • Early Childhood Development
      • Micro-finance
      • Sanitation & Hygiene
    • US Disaster Program
      • Emergency Responses
      • LONG-TERM RECOVERY PROGRAMS
      • Disaster Help
      • Faith-Based Response to Epidemics + Pandemics
      • Why Prepare?
      • Episcopal Asset Map
      • Resource Library
      • Lamplight
    • COVID-19 Pandemic Response
  • Where We Work
    • Africa
      • Angola
      • Burundi
      • The Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Liberia
      • Malawi
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • South Sudan
      • Tanzania
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia
      • Myanmar [Burma]
      • The Philippines
      • Solomon Islands
      • Sri Lanka
      • Vanuatu
    • Latin America & the Caribbean
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
      • Cuba
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Haiti
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
    • Middle East
      • Jerusalem / West Bank / Gaza
      • Jordan
    • United States
  • Who We Are
    • Mission and Mandate
    • History
    • Financials and Annual Reports
      • Financials Archive
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Board And Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff
  • What You Can Do
    • ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE
    • Give
      • Donate Now
      • Sustainers Circle
      • Planned Giving
        • Matthew 25 Legacy Society
      • Other Giving Opportunities
        • Corporate Matching
        • Honor and Memorial Gifts
        • Gifts of Stock or Securities
        • Combined Federal Campaign
        • IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts
      • Our Pledge to Donors
    • Stay Informed
      • Blog
      • Sign Up
      • Newsletters
        • Seek & Serve – Newsletter
        • US Disaster News
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer – Ready to Serve
      • Become a Ministry Partner
      • Great Ideas to Help Make a Difference
    • Careers
  • Press & Resources
    • 2021 Press Releases
      • 2021 Lenten Meditations Focus on Lament
      • Las Meditaciones Cuaresmales 2021
      • Episcopal Relief & Development Welcomes Four New Board Members
    • 2020 Press Releases
      • Responding to Storms in the Gulf Coast
      • Emergency Assistance After Typhoons in The Philippines
      • Responding to Hurricanes in Latin America
      • COVID-19 Pandemic Response
    • Stories
      • 2020 in Review: Stories of Lasting Change
      • My 2021 New Year’s Resolution: Hope
      • The Irrational Season
      • The Gifts of St. Nicholas
    • Photo + Video
    • Online press kit
    • Media contact information
  • Church in Action
    • Lent
    • ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE
    • Church Resources
      • Worship Resources
      • Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday
      • Prayers
      • Bulletin Inserts
      • Materials
    • Christian Formation
      • Abundant Life Garden Project®
      • Coloring Book
Home | Stories | Solomon Islands Residents See “The Power of We”

Solomon Islands Residents See “The Power of We”

share

Solomon Islands permaculture program | Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentOctober 15 is Blog Action Day, and this year’s theme is “The Power of We.” I can’t think of a better example of the power of collective spirit than an agricultural initiative in the Solomon Islands. 

In the isolated Ontong Java atoll, rising sea levels are both contaminating fresh water wells and oversalinating much of the soil, making it unusable for growing food. With these challenges, traditional food sources and farming methods are unable to meet residents’ needs.

The Anglican Church of Melanesia, an Episcopal Relief & Development partner, introduced the permaculture farming technique in 2009 to address the challenge of improving food supply.  Permaculture involves planting fruit and vegetables in a unique farm design that replicates natural growth patterns, resulting in self-generation and lower maintenance. Using the technique — which in effect, creates a sort of forest on beach sand — has had a tremendously positive impact on the population.

However, the project could not have happened without the collaboration of many groups of people. The local community on the island invited the Church to accompany them on this journey.  Traditionally it is the community’s women who own the land, and thus negotiation was first needed with the matriarchs to allocate plots of land for this experiment. It is male elders who make up the Council of Chiefs, which deliberated and then granted permission for the project to be tested on their atoll.  Only then did the island’s farmers examine the farm design and consent to introducing the new technique.

Despite farms being only about 10 meters from the sea, harvests have been surprisingly abundant. Data from the program suggest that household monthly expenses for food have dropped nearly 75%. And the community’s youth, who make up the vast majority of the population, have seen both the increased harvests and a wider diversity of crops produced — to the extent that they are now less inclined to move to the urban areas looking for (non-existent) employment opportunities.

The community’s success is even generating attention from government authorities.  The Ministry of Agriculture has awarded the project for its unique achievement, and the Ministry of the Environment has visited the atoll and assessed its vulnerabilities to allocate greater resources to the community’s needs.

This collective effort towards a shared goal has enabled residents to find long-term solutions that help achieve a sustainable food supply.  With 122 islands arranged in and around a lagoon 70 kilometers long, it is only with cooperation and shared ownership that community members can overcome challenges and see such an impact.

———-

Nagulan Nesiah is a Program Officer with Episcopal Relief & Development.

Photo: Farmers at the permaculture program’s seedling nursery show some of the different varieties of plants they’re now able to grow.

Sign up for News
Order Gifts for Life!

Read the Latest Stories

Thankful in 2020? Absolutely!

Thankful in 2020? Absolutely!

Save Children, Save the World

Save Children, Save the World

Quick Links

2017 Hurricane Season
Response 

Prayers for Those
Affected by Disaster

Faith-based Response to Epidemics

The Episcopal Asset Map 

The Resource Library

Subscribe to Lamplight

Preparedness Resources

Resources & Learning

Click below to access our Resource Library and learn more about our efforts around the world.

Discover

BECOME A PRAYER PARTNER

ACCOMPANY US IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY AND DURING TIMES OF CELEBRATION

Join Today
Episcopal Relief & Development
QUICK LINKS
  • Who We Are
  • Sign Up
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Connect With Us
  • 1.855.312.4325
  • info@episcopalrelief.org
© 2021 Episcopal Relief & Development
  • Privacy Statement
  • Sitemap

Sign up to receive the latest stories.

15987