A team from Kastom Garden in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Vois Blo Mere yesterday started a Plant Health Clinic in the community of Takwa in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands.
Liaison Officer for the Integrated Crop Management Project under the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and Kastom Garden, Peter Tikai says the Plant Health Clinic is currently a pilot project.He says it is a new program for local farmers in Solomon Islands to know how to look after their crops from becoming vulnerable to pests.
Mr. Tikai says the Plant Health Clinic is a place where they can train farmers to become plant doctors so that they can diagnose infected plants.
The program is planned to be held on a monthly basis to enable farmers to provide their infected plants for check ups. Since 80% of Solomon Islands live in the rural areas and are dependant on root crops, this programme is only too important to ensure local farmers get maximum results from their hard labor.
The Takwa program will conclude today.