Tonga Rural Innovation Project - Phase II

Tonga faces a number of economic challenges due to its small size and geographic remoteness. About 85 per cent of Tonga’s population resides in rural areas. They depend on agriculture and fisheries as their main livelihood activities, even as climate change and poor nutrition continue to threaten their well-being. Meanwhile, the rural population is declining due to migration and a lack of incentives for youth to remain in rural areas. Furthermore, Tonga is classified as the second most at-risk country in the world in terms of its exposure and susceptibility to natural hazards and the unfolding effects of climate change.

The Tonga Rural Innovation Project – Phase II will improve livelihoods and help communities be more resilient to the effects of climate change and extreme weather by helping them identify where infrastructure is needed and supervising its construction according to technical standards. It will also provide agricultural training and technical support, with the goal of improving the quantity, quality and variety of agricultural production. Additionally, it will promote the development of homestead gardens, in which a range of fruits and vegetables will be grown to improve people’s access to a variety of nutrients.

The project is expected to reach 6,349 poor rural households in 122 rural communities across Tonga’s five main island groups.