Agreements Signed with 10 Islands to Establish Agroforestry Farms

Under the work being carried out jointly by Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources and the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy to establish agroforestry farms on 10 islands of the Maldives, agreements have been signed with those islands.

At the ceremony held for this purpose in Hulhumale’, Voterage, the agreements were signed on behalf of this Ministry by State Minister Ahmed Naif, and by a council member representing each island.

Advancing agriculture to a modern level, developing it in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner, and increasing the productivity of the Maldives is a task this government is carrying out with great importance. Accordingly, many efforts are already being carried out to increase the varieties cultivated in the Maldives and to increase food security in the Maldives by producing fruits and vegetables in a safe manner.

To ensure the Maldives’ food security, it has been decided to establish agroforestry farms on islands under the 5 Million Tree Planting Programme.

Agroforestry is a farming system carried out in an environmentally friendly manner by planting trees, shrubs and various types of crops together in one field.

The 10 islands for which agreements were signed today to establish farms are:

HA. Baarah,
R. Inguraidhoo,
K. Kaashidhoo,
K. Maafushi,
K. Thulusdhoo,
M. Veyvah,
GA. Gemanafushi,
GDh. Hoandedhdhoo,
GDh. Fiyoaree,
L. Isdhoo.

The farms being established under this programme will be model farms designed in an environmentally friendly manner and developed to a modern standard.

In these farms, which will be established on 10 islands and range in size between 2 hectares and 4 hectares, the main focus for cultivation is on food varieties suited to the Maldives’ environment, long-term crops, and short-term food varieties. Therefore, these farms will pave the way for producing food and timber over the long term. As a result, the amount of these varieties produced in the Maldives can be increased, and the cost incurred for importing these varieties can be reduced.

In addition, since these farms are farms that will be developed by the councils under the advice of the Ministry’s technical officials, through these farms technical information will be provided to island farmers to carry out farming safely.

The Ministry’s hope is that through these farms food security will be increased, and that from these farms more than four hundred thousand trees will be produced for the 5 Million Tree Planting Programme. And through this project, it is an aim that the agriculture industry advances in a sustainable manner and that agriculture practised in the Maldives is transformed into environmentally friendly modern agriculture.