Solomons told to improve risk reduction

Transcript

The UNDP is calling on the Solomon Islands government to be more proactive in its approach to Disaster Risk Reduction.

Its Pacific Risk Resilience initiative has just completed the distribution of fast growing seeds to remote communities in the Temotu province, hit by Cyclone Pam in March.

PRR Program Officer Adi Galokepoto told Koroi Hawkins the seeds are a crucial part of the recovery but she says they are trying to convince the government of the need for a more systematic approach.

ADI GALOKEPOTO: Those seeds are mainly for short term three month crops and those seeds were actually purchased in Honiara and by our partner Live and Learn and they're the ones that actually distribute them out to the affected islands out in the Temotu province.

KOROI HAWKINS: Why is it important that these seeds get out there now?

AG: Well the idea behind distributing those seed is as you know in post disaster situation the livelihood encounters 80 to 100 percent damage and losses.  In order for the community to actually try and secure back the food security, we started off with distributing the seeds, those are three month seeds, which consisted of Pak Choi seeds, Choi Sum seeds and Cabbage seeds, Chinese Cabbage seeds. And it is from those seeds they nurtured it until it reached the three months growth to supplement their diet. Because during the three months what emergency has provided is only rice. So that is to supplement their diet while waiting for them to get their four to six months crop in.

KH: And the four to six month crops are those the traditional root crops and that?

AG: Yes it is the traditional root crops, mostly a resilient type crop like yam, wild taro and even banana suckers.

KH: Now this is in response to a disaster but experts around the region are saying more and more that we need to be prepared before disasters so risk reduction is more important. Are there any of those sorts of activities planned for other communities around Solomon Islands?

AG: We have. We have started off with the most vulnerable province which is Temotu and that is where we have the knowledge hubs. So even prior to disaster they already have functioning  knowledge hubs which consisted of different types of variety of mostly cropping. And after the Cyclone Pam the communities that weren't affected they already had knowledge hubs and they are the ones that actually get some of their plant cuttings and actually distributed to the outer islands in Temotu province. So they already practiced that prior to the disaster and after the disaster so this is how its one way of them preserving some of those planting materials not to be totally wiped out by cyclone or even by tsunami. And they have to choose certain locations which is safe to do their gardening. And that is what PRRP's work is to work with the government, convince them, raise the importance that it is about time that we should integrate this with the budgeting and planning so that whenever such situation arises in the future we already have pre-positioned funds that take care of this kind of work that is needed in a post disaster situation.