Improving livelihoods
Virgin coconut oil
Organic agriculture is considered to have been traditionally practised by farmers in Tonga since the islands’ early settlement. Tonga and other developing nations in the Pacific are now bringing this practice back to the fore by becoming important suppliers of sustainabily produced agricultural goods.
Significantly, organic products gain a higher market price than chemically produced products, enabling impoverished farmers to earn a decent living, enough to provide schooling for their children and adequate nutrition for their family.
Oxfam New Zealand is working with local partner the Tonga National Youth Congress (TNYC) to support rural communities in Vava’u, Tongatapu, Ha’apai, Eua, Niuatoputapu and Niuafo’ou through virgin coconut oil production.
This programme is providing local people with employment, skills and an opportunity to earn an income to lift themselves out of poverty, for good.
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| What looks like a building site here will become the economic lifeblood of this village, and allow the community to sell their virgin coconut oil in the capital and beyond. |
Equipping communities
This project is another example of Oxfam working with local partners to help communities to help themselves. Growers on the island of Eua can now produce their own virgin coconut oil thanks to the equipment and building materials Oxfam has supplied them with.
This includes electric coconut graters, which are used to extract the flesh from the nut, and coconut driers, which were installed by villagers and work by roasting the grated coconut flesh on a metal plate over wood-burning fire.
The dried coconut is weighed before being placed into the new oil press machines, which use pressure to squeeze the valuable oil from the flesh into special oil collection containers. Oxfam has trained villagers to oversee the whole production process, from weighing, quality checks to record keeping, and organised experts from a similar scheme in Samoa, WIBDI, to travel to Tonga to share their expertise.
This equipment and expertise is vital in ensuring that farmers can produce quality virgin coconut oil to sell at the organic market in Nuku’alofa, across other islands in Tonga as well as potentially for export. Money the oil generates means that farmers will be able to pay to send their children to school, or for medication, or food for their families.
Click on the images below to see virgin coconut oil being produced.
Helping farmers flourish
There are 35 organic farming projects recommended for organic certification in Tonga. Organic farms generate good returns for farmers, as organic products earn more at market. Increasing the number of organic farming projects means increasing the number of people leaving poverty.
The popularity of Oxfam and TNYC's virgin coconut oil programme has led to a further 42 projects joining the waiting list for organic accreditation. In addition, a large number of farmers have expressed their determination to go organic as soon as possible.
This surge of interest has created an increase in the demand for people to support and implement this growth, so it’s essential that Oxfam is there to build on the momentum and sustain this route out of poverty.
We are:
- Providing equipment and expertise to organic grower groups, enabling them to build their businesses over time
- Training local people with farm and business management skills, ensuring they have the skills to run, expand and market their ventures
- Teaching grower groups about organic pesticides and composting, creating a more environmentally-conscious method of farming
- Encouraging and overseeing TNYC staff visits to coconut oil sites across Tonga, so that experience and ideas can be shared
- Organising field trips to Samoa to learn from similar schemes operating there, including with Oxfam partner WIBDI
- Helping to establish a marketing and export strategy for organic grower groups, which includes working with local people on creating a label and logo for the products, and publicising products through the media. This will result in more demand for viring coconut oil, and increase incomes for farmers
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| Electric graters provided by Oxfam have made the job of extracting the coconut flesh much easier. |
Reaping the benefits
Tonga is organically producing commercial crops that include coconuts, vanilla, coffee, lady’s finger bananas and chilli peppers. Many young people have now acquired skills and moved on into full-time employment. There is room for growth in the organic sector, with opportunities for organic products in tourism and hospitality.
Organic production has helped maintain and increase long-term soil fertility, which is hugely important in Pacific atolls like Tonga, where soil quality is generally thin and poor. Sustainable agricultural practices are aligned with Tonga’s commitment to reducing the impact of climate change on low-lying Pacific nations.
Oxfam Unwrapped in Tonga
By buying a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped you can help support our livelihoods work in Tonga. Take a look at Oxfam Unwrapped's gifts with a differenceand help lift people out of poverty, for good.
- GROW: Organic farming methods have a lower toll on the earth’s resources, as we are putting less chemicals into the earth. Find out more about Oxfam's latest campaign to encourage sustainable farming practises, GROW.
- Find out more about our partner TNYC here
- View photos from Tonga and the virgin coconut oil scheme here
- Read about Oxfam’s similar scheme with our partner, WIBDI, in Samoa
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