In an effort to curb youth unemployment in Samoa, young farmers in Samoa are equipping themselves with skills that will help them gain employment in agriculture
The workshops were held recently at the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) training facilities to give young farmers guidance and training in value adding and food processing practices.
The UN FAO is working SROS to build the capacity of youth in these areas. The participants took part in simple value-adding activities using agricultural produce grown locally as a way to generate income.
The training is part of technical cooperation programme, which FAO launched in April 2017 to help youth in Samoa gain employment opportunities in the agriculture sector.
The training covered aspects of food processing including, food legislation, product development and value adding, good manufacturing practices and food handling. Activities also encompassed hands-on training in preservation methods of freezing (taro, bananas, pumpkin and breadfruit), dehydration for producing tea and spices and making jam from papaya and oranges.
According to the Samoa 2012 School to Work Transition Survey, 40.3 per cent of youth in Samoa leave school without graduating resulting in very limited opportunities for employment.
The training is part of the wider United Nation Youth Employment Programme. FAO, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development are collaborating to build the technical capacity of young farmers in various aspects of agriculture.
