Agricultural training is being conducted in 26 islands in the north of the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare has said.
The training is being conducted in islands across Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu and Shaviyanu Atolls under the Maldives Agribusiness Programme (MAP), jointly implemented by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Maldives government.
According to the Ministry, the training conducted under MAP has been revised, while the Island Farmers Forum has been initiated and a farmers' board will be formed among the groups.
Efforts are underway to expand the programme to all inhabited islands across the three Atolls, the Ministry added.
MAP is designed to offer support to the government to refine its evolving vision and implement a structured policy and incentive framework for the agriculture sector.
It will look to provide investment resources to capitalise on the opportunities existing for sectoral growth, climate-smart technological solutions suitable for the Maldives, which overcome land/soil constraints and mitigate against climate change, and which are available globally.
It will also seek to capitalise on the significant market for local crop production, considering that local demand is rising rapidly as incomes increase and consumers become more aware of nutrition and food safety considerations, and that the tourism sector imports substantial volumes of agricultural commodities per year.
MAP was officially launched in the Maldives in August 2020.