Waiting at the dock was agricultural exporter Minoru Nishi Jr., who, alongside his team, began the meticulous processing required before the shipment could be cleared for New Zealand. Nishi’s company, Nishi Trading, has partnered with growers in Feletoa in a collaboration facilitated by MORDI Tonga, which he described as “well organized” and unusually efficient in connecting rural farmers with overseas markets.

But expanding Tonga’s agricultural exports remains fraught. Even as international demand for taro and other root crops continues to rise, the supply chain linking remote islands to global markets remains fragile—and increasingly volatile.

Exporting in a Pandemic

Exporters like Nishi face a web of complications, many of which have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shipping schedules remain inconsistent, vessel availability fluctuates without warning, and heightened border restrictions add delays and costs.

Compounding the issue is a regional glut of root crops. Farmers in Fiji, once heavily dependent on their booming tourism industry, planted aggressively before the pandemic. When tourism collapsed, local demand evaporated. Now, with crops ready for harvest, Fiji’s surplus has flooded export markets, suppressing prices across the Pacific.

Despite the market saturation, Nishi says he has been able to honor his original purchase price with the Feletoa farmers—a rare stroke of stability in an unpredictable year. “The farmers kept their commitments, so I kept mine,” he said.

Lessons From a Shipment

Even before the shipment left Vava‘u, Nishi anticipated one predictable loss: shrinkage. Taro, like many root crops, contains high moisture that evaporates during storage and transit—particularly when refrigerated facilities are limited or unavailable in rural areas.

When exporting squash to Asia, he explains, exporters typically allow for at least 10 percent shrinkage. Similar expectations will now have to be applied to taro.

The issue underscores a larger challenge in Tonga’s agriculture sector: the lack of reliable cold-storage and refrigerated transport for smallholder farmers. Without such infrastructure, farmers face losses that can wipe out already-slim profits.

A Call for Better Infrastructure — and Training

A postharvest study led by Professor Steven Underhill of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in partnership with MORDI Tonga, has documented significant losses between farm and market. But the research did not fully account for the extended journey from rural islands to international buyers—a journey that exposes produce to multiple points of risk.

Nishi believes solutions start with investment. “We need more refrigerated containers, more storage, and more consistent access to shipping,” he said. Container shortages have become a major bottleneck for exporters across the Pacific; even when demand and supply align, shipments can grind to a halt simply because there are no containers to load.

He also points to the need for training and mentoring for smallholder farmers. As global prices fluctuate, farmers must understand how demand shapes value—and how market saturation can undermine returns. “If producers understand how trade works, they can make informed decisions,” he said.

Reducing Waste, Adding Value

Nishi is exploring ways to turn food waste into opportunity. One of his priorities is developing value-added products such as taro flour—a shelf-stable product with growing potential in health-conscious markets abroad. But he acknowledges that such ventures require research, capital, and strong market demand before they become viable.

Linking Farmers and the Private Sector

According to Tonga’s 2016 census, 77 percent of the population lives in rural areas, and more than 90 percent of farmers operate at a smallholder, largely subsistence level. Commercial agriculture is dominated by a small number of larger operators.

For MORDI Tonga and Nishi, strengthening linkages between rural farmers and the private sector is essential to improving livelihoods and ensuring food security. That means creating access—to infrastructure, finance, agricultural inputs, and technical support.

“It’s simple,” Nishi says. “If we want stronger rural communities, we have to invest in agriculture. And if we want agriculture to grow, farmers need pathways to markets.”

For now, the freshly harvested taro from Feletoa is making its way to New Zealand. But farmers and exporters agree: for Tonga’s agricultural sector to truly thrive, the country must invest not only in its crops—but in the systems that carry them to the world.

The post Feletoa smallholder farmers linkage to private sector for export to offshore market. first appeared on MORDI Tonga.

The program, driven by the district’s nine communities and rooted in their Community Development Plans, marks one of the most ambitious efforts in recent years to revive a craft that has faded with the rise of modern boats and imported materials. Under the direction of District Officer Sione Tu‘ifio Finau and nine Town Officers, 90 participants—five adult men and five youths from each community—will spend 14 days learning to carve, maintain, and paddle the vessels their ancestors relied upon for survival.

When the sawdust settles, the district expects to launch 20 new canoes: two for each participating community and two for the district itself. The logs, sourced locally, were donated by residents as an in-kind contribution to the training.

At the center of the workshop stands Master Carver Sione Tu‘ione Pulotu, one of the few remaining practitioners with the knowledge to build a traditional popao from raw timber. Assisted by three expert carvers, he will guide participants through techniques passed down through generations—skills that experts worry may vanish as elders age and younger Tongans increasingly turn to modern technologies.

The initiative is supported through the Tonga Rural Innovation Project II (TRIP II), a government program implemented by MORDI Tonga and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Beyond cultural preservation, the project is rooted in practical necessity. For many households in Tonga’s outer islands, shallow-water fishing remains a primary source of food and income. Fresh fish and gleaned shellfish helped sustain families during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global disruptions curtailed shipping and imports.

Officials say the new outrigger canoes will improve access to near-shore fisheries, bolstering diets in a country grappling with high rates of non-communicable diseases. “These canoes are not just vessels—they are pathways to healthier lives,” District Officer Finau said in his remarks, offering a vote of thanks to the community members and partners involved.

The training also responds to local concerns about rising youth disengagement. Communities reported climbing numbers of school dropouts and identified the need for meaningful skills training for young men. By pairing cultural revitalization with practical livelihood skills, leaders hope to strengthen economic resilience while reconnecting a new generation to its heritage.

As Tonga faces intensifying climate impacts—storms, cyclones, and coastal erosion—traditional environmental knowledge is receiving renewed attention worldwide for its role in adaptation and sustainable resource management. In ‘Eua, the revival of canoe carving is more than an exercise in nostalgia; it is an attempt to reclaim knowledge that helped island communities live in balance with their environment for centuries.

On the training grounds today, participants surrounded the long cedar logs, listening as the Master Carver demonstrated the first cuts. For a moment, the setting felt timeless—wood, tools, and hands working together, shaping not only canoes but the future of their communities.

The post Reviving a Canoe Tradition to Sustain Communities and Preserve Culture first appeared on MORDI Tonga.

For more than a decade, residents of Fua‘amotu have watched neighboring communities transform through structured planning and targeted rural development programs. These efforts—guided by Community Development Plans (CDPs) and supported by Local Government and MORDI Tonga—began under the first phase of the Tonga Rural Innovation Project (TRIP I), which worked with 60 communities. In its second phase, TRIP II now engages 122 communities across the country.

While nearby villages flourished, Fua‘amotu struggled to establish a similar model. Past efforts to initiate a coordinated development process fell short, leaving residents eager but unable to move forward. The contrast with surrounding communities, many of which have become champions of rural development through TRIP I and II, underscored the urgency for change.

That turning point appears to have arrived. At Wednesday’s meeting, Fua‘amotu residents formally sought assistance from Local Government, with MORDI Tonga prepared to act as facilitator through TRIP II. The gathering served as a plenary session to establish consensus on the community’s organizational structure and next steps.

Home to a large and diverse population, Fua‘amotu is divided into eight blocks. The Community Council’s immediate task is to organize these blocks so the village can meet the criteria required to begin TRIP engagement. This includes achieving at least 80 percent adult participation in decision-making meetings—a benchmark designed to ensure broad and equitable representation of men, women, youth, and people with disabilities in all phases of planning.

Once organized, the community will proceed with the first stage of CDP formulation, joining dozens of other rural communities that have embraced locally driven development. Officials say Fua‘amotu’s decision to reinitiate the process demonstrates the growing influence of community success stories throughout Tonga, where villages that participated in earlier TRIP phases now serve as models for others seeking sustainable, inclusive development.

As the community prepares to take its first steps, Fua‘amotu stands as a reminder that when villages take ownership of their future, development becomes not only possible but transformative.

The post Fua‘amotu Moves Toward Community-Led Development After Years of Watching Neighbors Advance first appeared on MORDI Tonga.

In late March, Tonga received 24,000 vaccine doses through the COVAX facility, marking a critical step in strengthening national preparedness. Yet officials say that vaccination alone is not enough. Sustained community awareness and hygiene practices remain essential to preventing an outbreak in a country with limited health-care capacity.

Since 2020, MORDI Tonga has led a series of hygiene and sanitation awareness campaigns aimed at equipping communities with accurate information and practical tools to reduce the risk of transmission. The organization has partnered with the Tonga Police, the Tonga National Youth Congress, Caritas, and the Church of Tonga to deliver hand-washing stations to 62 community police posts across the country.

These efforts have been supported by printed educational materials and capacity-building workshops delivered by MORDI Tonga staff. The most recent round of training began with officers at the Halafakalotomua and Nahakalau community police stations in Lapaha, followed by two stations in Ha‘ateiho, as well as Makapaeo and Lomaiviti community police posts.

More resources and training sessions are scheduled to be rolled out to additional communities in the weeks following the Easter holiday. The continued outreach reflects a broader national commitment: ensuring that even the most remote villages remain informed, prepared, and protected as the pandemic evolves globally.

The post Tonga Maintains COVID-Free Status as Grassroots Campaigns Strengthen Community Preparedness first appeared on MORDI Tonga.

Yet in Tonga, where extreme weather events and natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent, rebuilding efforts have often overlooked the needs of people with limited mobility. Homes and community infrastructure are frequently restored without consideration for accessibility, leaving people with disabilities at heightened risk during emergencies and constraining their quality of life long after disasters pass.

A new partnership aims to change that. MORDI Tonga, supported by CARE and funded by the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, has joined forces with the Ministry of Health’s Rehabilitation Department and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help people with disabilities better integrate into their communities. Together, the organizations have launched an initiative to improve mobility and access for households in some of Tonga’s most isolated outer islands.

In Fotuha‘a, a remote raised coral atoll in the Ha‘apai group known for its hazardous coastline and lack of a proper wharf, the community identified three families in urgent need of support. The island, home to fewer than 100 people across 23 households, presents daily mobility challenges that are magnified for people with disabilities. Similarly, in Hunga, Vava‘u—where 232 residents live amid rugged terrain—community leaders noted a number of individuals facing mobility constraints, including elderly residents, amputees, and a polio survivor.

For these households, limited mobility has long been exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and homes not designed with accessibility in mind. Under the new program, families have now received custom-built ramps to allow safer, easier movement in and out of their homes. These seemingly simple additions are transforming the lives of residents who can now participate more fully in community life.

The household ramps initiative builds upon previous efforts, including the Hunga Road project—a collaboration between IFAD, MORDI Tonga, the Government of India, and the community of Hunga—to establish a critical link from farmland to the Vava‘u mainland. That road not only improved market access but also opened opportunities for people with disabilities who had long been isolated by geography.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints further contributed to the current effort by donating wheelchairs to the Ministry of Health’s Rehabilitation Department, whose specialists assessed and distributed the equipment according to individual needs. MORDI Tonga, through its project with CARE and BHA, facilitated the provision of materials and coordinated implementation with Town and District Officers.

Beyond physical improvements, the initiative underscores a broader commitment to weaving gender and disability inclusion into disaster risk management, climate adaptation, and community planning. For MORDI Tonga, these activities are central to the development of Community Development Plans, ensuring that vulnerable groups are not only acknowledged but prioritized in the country’s path toward resilience.

As Tonga continues to confront the challenges of climate change, partnerships like this demonstrate that rebuilding is not just about restoring structures—it’s about restoring dignity, championing equality, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The post Rebuilding With Inclusion: Tonga Enhances Support for People With Disabilities first appeared on MORDI Tonga.