Marshall Islands project encourages people to grow own crops

7:17 pm on 30 July 2018

A community project in the Marshall Islands is encouraging locals to grow their own crops in order to cope with ongoing droughts following the 2015 El Niño event.

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Photo: 123 RF

The Pacific Community's Readiness for El Niño project is aimed at reducing the reliance on international food relief during droughts.

Project manager Gillian Chambers said the idea is to get crops like cassava and breadfruit growing locally in preparation for the future.

"Usually with an El Niño drought we'll have some warning. It could vary from just a few months to up to six months, so particularly if we are looking for food preservation then we can get the fruit preserved and saved in advance."