Chinese Government provides WST 7.5 million grant for Phase 4 of the China-Samoa Agricultural Demonstration Farm Project (Linked to Record ID#49231, #49190, #61281)

In 2017, the Chinese Government provided a WST 7.5 million grant to the Government of Samoa for Phase 4 of the China-Samoa Agricultural Demonstration Farm Project.

The objectives of Phase 4 were to upgrade the China-Samoa Demonstration Farm [at the Nuu (Nu’u) Research Station on Talimatau Road in Vaitele], support model farmers, construct agricultural facilities (including 100 demonstration farm houses and 110 tunnel houses), promote different crop varieties, supply agricultural machinery (including tractors and processing machines), and provide technical trainings. 34 Chinese agricultural experts were dispatched to Samoa to support Phase 4 and special attention was paid to the production of watermelon.

The ultimate aim of the project was to improve local farmers' earnings and enhance food security by reducing reliance on imported foods and encouraging the transfer and adoption of modern and more effective agricultural practices to village farmers. Hunan Provincial Agricultural Foreign Economic Cooperation Center was the contractor responsible for implementation.

Phase 3 commenced on June 2, 2017 and it was expected to last three years. Chinese Ambassador Chao Xiaoliang inspected Phase 4 of the project on April 10, 2019. The project was completed in May 2020.

According to a May 2020 “Samoa China Agriculture Technical Aid Project: Phase IV Completion Report” produced by the Chinese Agricultural Expert Team, Phase 4 achieved the following results: (1) The overall upgrading of the China-Samoa Demonstration Farm in accordance with the standards of high-yield, high quality and high efficiency. (2) 26 species and more than 40 varieties were tested, and 16 varieties of vegetables were registered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), including watermelons, capsicum (3 varieties), cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, pakchoi, eggplant (2 varieties), long bean, pumpkins, cucumber, peanut, soybean and feed mulberry. (3) Comprehensive demonstration of 9 agricultural technical packages: new crop varieties, vegetable cultivation in tunnel house, high-yield fruit production, organic fertilizer and soil improvement, crop-livestock biogas recycling agriculture, agricultural machinery operation and maintenance, coffee/cocoa processing, irrigation and integrated pests management (4) Supporting model farmers with great effort by constructing 60 tunnel houses and 50 shade houses for 80 vegetable model farmers on both Upolu and Savaii islands; selecting 16 agricultural machinery model farmers on both Upolu and Savaii islands; and providing 49 sets of various agricultural machines, including walking tractors, feed processing machines (shredders, choppers, corn threshers etc.) and coffee/cocoa processing machines (dehuskers, roasters, grinders etc.); and selecting 20 citrus model farmers and distributing more than 1000 Meyer lemon and Tahitian lime grafted seedlings to them. (5) Improving the capacity of vegetable production by providing tunnel houses, seed and tools.

For example, Phase 4 project personnel, together with MAF and farmers, produced and supplied around 30 tons of vegetables and fruits for a total of 5,000 athletes, officials and tourists during the 2019 Pacific Games.

Some vegetables were previously heavily dependent on import, such as watermelon, capsicum, head cabbage, but now can be locally produced. Intensive farming inside the tunnel house results in a historic increase in the production of vegetables in Savaii.