LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY GUIDELINES & STANDARD (LEGS) TRAINING 29th October - 1st November, 2012

LEGS Training Participants

After the web 2.0 training we packed up and made our way down to Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi on Sunday for a one week LEGS training. All Animal Health and Production (AH&P) staff of SPC attended this training. 

First of all, it was an honor to be part of the AH&P team and having to be given an opportunity to partake in the training. I had learnt a lot from the LEGS training and also made new friends (networking) who work in the agriculture sector in the pacific region. We had participants from Samoa, Tonga, PNG,Vanuatu, 2 Agriculture students from Fiji National University (FNU), Fiji MPI and  Disaster Management Office etc. Our facilitators for the training are from World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). 

SPC - AH&P staff 

LEGS training from my experience is about what necessary actions we as "livestock farmers/officers" need to take in order to protect our livestock's from harm and maintaining them during and after emergencies e.g. hurricanes and floods etc. It is more like a guideline on what to do when emergencies or disasters strikes. It is also important to hear what other participants face in their respective countries. How they do things when a disaster strikes. Mainly their experience and what they can now do in order to save their livestock's. 

Late comers singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" as punishment 

One of the activities which i enjoyed the most during the training were the group discussions and stretch exercise/activities and punishments given to participants who came in late such as singing and dancing in front of everyone, brainstorming/group discussions,  presentations, well i'd say the whole training was so much "FUN, very educative and interesting" which kept everyone awake and on their toes. This also broke the ice on the first day! So no one felt new and shy during the training. One of my greatest achievement was having to present on behalf of my group which consisted of vets and agricultural officers who are more experienced then i'am. But then again, "GOD is GOOD"! They were very supportive of my presentation and also to our SPC - AH&P staff who worked together as a team on certain activities assigned to us. Team work is the number one priority for the AH&P team.

Fun activities

Group Discussions

We were awarded with our certificates on the last day of training. It had been a great experience. And i'am proud to be the in the group of the 1st participants to be educated on LEGS training in the Pacific!

Fiji Participants

It was nice to also see 2 FNU students at the LEGS training. Encouraging youths in the pacific to be more actively involved in agriculture!!  Cheers.

With the FNU students

For more information please click on this link: http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1034:legs-training-for-the-pacific-region&catid=7:training-and-workshops&Itemid=22

Web 2.0 & Social Learning training at the University of the South Pacific (USP), ICT Centre, Fiji. 22-26/10/2012

Bula Vinaka again to everyone! Apologies for the long delay in updating my blog on what we have been getting up too (nothing cheeky, really) lol!!

Group Photo of Web 2.0 participants

I was given an opportunity to attend the "web 2.0 and social leaning training" at USP. It was a one week workshop of FUN activities like debates, hands on training in online searching, getting information's served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using wikis and Google docs, using VoIP, online mapping and social media. We also had a chance to see what others have done, get hands experience on how to use innovative applications and assess on how we could adapt there innovations withing the context of our work and organisation.

Most people are not aware of the major role on how ICT is related to Agriculture in terms of networking, accessing and dissemination information more effectively.e.g. the use of mobile phones to interact with farmers, internet to either advertise our markets or helps us in searching for sponsors to help fund us in certain projects etc etc.

Participants in full concentration

Till today we can see that our fellow participants are putting what we have learnt to use. The training  has helped us a lot and i'am glad to have been part of it. I was very interested in the GIS training bit and learnt lots of new and interesting stuff on how to use GIS mapping. The workshop was a bit short though. But all in all... Excellent workshop and like i had mentioned before "great debates" on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of ICT in Agriculture. Great presentations by our facilitators and also loved the active group discussions.

ICT Center

Special thanks goes to our facilitator Ms. Anju Mangal and to our training sponsors Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and University of the South Pacific (USP), vinaka vakalevu from the web 2.0 training participants. 

For more information about the web 2.0 training please visit this link: http://www.spc.int/en/component/content/article/216-about-spc-news/1026-web-20-workshop-promotes-information-sharing-in-the-agriculture-and-forestry-sectors-.html

Web 2.0 Learning

Welcome web 2.0 bloggers!! Hope you will enjoy this as much as i do!

Youth unemployme​nt big challenge for Vanuatu

This news article was circulated in our email. It is a growing concern not only for Vanuatu but also for all the Pacific Island Countries. AGRICULTURE IS THE ANSWER!! 

Posted at 22:51 on 23 September, 2012 UTC

The Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres Association says one of the biggest challenges is youth unable to find employment once they have graduated. There are 34 VRDTCA Training Centres around Vanuatu, focusing on addressing youth skill shortages in rural areas.Its director, Kathy Solomon, says more and more students are returning to their communities with very limited skills. She says they teach carpentry, construction, agriculture, hospitality and tourism but training is only part of the challenge.“After them graduating, what next? that’s our biggest challenge. Because you know in Vanuatu, there’s not enough job for everyone. And them getting certificates from rural areas coming to the city, there’s no job for them. I would say 20 percent of them would be able to find jobs, the rest it’s still a challenge.”Kathy Solomon says in response, they have begun an employment fund which gives young people who want to start their own business a thousand dollars to kick start it.

News Content © Radio New Zealand International

PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand.

Call for Applications: 2013 Conservation Leadership Programme Awards

Pacific Youths!! Come on.... Get working! Get motivated!!! Partake in this great opportunity!! 
Doesn't hurt to give it a try!! 

Deadline: 9th November 2012

The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) aims to contribute to long-term conservation in priority areas by encouraging and engaging potential leaders in biodiversity conservation and providing opportunities for individuals to gain practical skills and experience. This partnership initiative, including BirdLife International, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, and Wildlife Conservation Society, has been helping young conservationists across the world to achieve their goals for over 25 years. The Programme currently works toward its aims by offering awards, training and mentoring support.

CLP invites applications from early-career conservationists living and working in Africa, Asia, East/South-East Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries designated by the World Bank as high-income economies are not eligible for CLP support. Exceptions to these criteria include high-income economies located in tropical areas of high biological diversity, including Pacific and Caribbean Islands and the Middle East. Please see the attached call for more details. There are three awards categories:

•       Future Conservationist Awards: Approximately 20 awards of up to $15,000 each

•       Conservation Follow-up Awards: Approximately 6 awards of up to $25,000 each (available only to previous CLP award winners)

•       Conservation Leadership Awards: 1 award of $50,000 each (available only to previous CLP award winners)

The application deadline for full proposals is 9th November 2012 for ALL applications. Those applying for a Conservation Follow-up or Conservation Leadership Award must submit a logical framework to the CLP by Monday, 1st October 2012. CLP will provide feedback on all logical frameworks by 16th October and, based on this review, will either invite applicants to submit a full proposal or not. Awards will be announced in April 2013. Please visit the CLP website (www.ConservationLeadershipProgramme.org<http://www.ConservationLeadershipProgramme.org>) for detailed eligibility criteria, guidelines and an application form. Please forward this announcement to other potentially interested individuals, organizations or academic institutions.

Successful applicants will: 1.) Develop the knowledge, skills and abilities of team members; 2.) Implement a focused, high-priority conservation project combining research and action; and 3.) Contribute to the long-term success of local conservation efforts. All applicants whose proposals meet the eligibility criteria and undergo review will receive feedback from expert reviewers. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a member of the CLP team up to two weeks before the application deadline for advice on project eligibility, methods and project activities. The CLP can also put teams in touch with local partner offices or other experts who can provide additional advice.

A representative from each award-winning team will be invited to attend an international training event in June/July 2013 organized by the CLP to share ideas and develop skills, knowledge and contacts. Additionally, winning teams are able to network with experts from within each of the partner organisations and past winners. CLP team members are available to help with project implementation.

Have additional questions or seeking advice? Email clp@birdlife.org<mailto:clp@birdlife.org> for more information.

Coconut oil fights tooth decay: research

An interesting piece i read today on yahoo news! 

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/lifestyle/14747107/coconut-oil-fights-tooth-decay-research/

Picture: Michael O'Brien/The West Australian

Coconut oil fights tooth decay and could find its way into toothpaste and mouthwash, research suggests.

Scientist found that when the oil was treated with digestive enzymes it became a powerful killer of mouth bugs.

The bacteria it attacked included Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing microbe that is a major cause of tooth decay.

Researchers were following up earlier work which showed that partially digested milk made S.mutans less likely to stick to the tooth enamel.

Further studies will look at how coconut oil interacts with the bacteria at the molecular level, and what other microbe strains and yeasts it may combat.

Tests already suggest that enzyme-treated coconut oil is harmful to the yeast Canadian albicans, the cause of thrush. Lead researcher Dr Damien Brady, from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, said: "Dental caries is a commonly overlooked health problem affecting 60 percent to 90 percent of children and the majority of adults in industrialised countries. 

"Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alternative to chemical additives, particularly as it works at relatively low concentrations. Also, with increasing antibiotics resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection.

"Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity. This could have implications for how bacteria colonise the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health."

  

Work Updates with AH&P at SPC

Okay time to update you all on my status. I know its been a while! Sometimes i need motivation to keep this blog updated... "don't we all"!!  

I'am now with the Animal Health and Production (AH&P) Unit at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in Nabua. Its been a month now since i moved to AH&P. I love the working environment and the staff that i work with (also miss the CETC staff), it has been a great experience learning from them and learning new things.

The work i do here involves a lot of things. From crops, climate change and web tool etc etc. All this in some way is related to Animal Science. Say for instance for the crops. At the moment we are conducting a Biogas Digester Effluent Trial at the Koronivia Research Station (KRS) Field on Mustard Cabbage. Instead of  using Urea as the fertilizer we have applied the "biogas digester effluent" as the fertilizer. 

For more information on "biogas digester effluent" please visit: http://www.mixph.com/2009/06/biogas-construction-and-production-from-farm-and-animal-wastes.html

Here are some pictures taken on our last visit to the KRS field. ENJOY

Treatments A-E

Plots

Biogas digester Effluent

Taking effluent measurements

Effluent carefully applied around the cabbage

Cabbage garden. In memory of Ben Saqata. R.I.P Ben

On 19th August, 2012.. our family lost a dear brother, 23 year old Ben Saqata who was my brothers (Ponipate) best friend. He became part of the family and would always be hanging around at home when ever he could. Ben and Tuks would be out in the garden in the weekends lost in their world of "talanoa" (story-telling)  sessions and enjoying the sun, cool breeze and the view of nature whilst farming. Tuks had shown me their vegetable garden once. They had just planted Chinese cabbage and were inquiring on the transplanting dates. I was actually surprised and overwhelmed at how much interest they showed for their garden (mind you, at that time i had not even planted a single thing lol). 

Ben had been part of the Fiji Rugby team (Barbarians) that played in S. Africa and sustained a head injury whilst playing. He stopped playing then as the pain got worse. He lost hes battle on 19th of August, 2012. It was a sad time for the whole family. On the day of hes funeral, my sister (Titilia) and i transplanted the boys cabbage. The day was perfect. The sun was out and the cool breeze was felt. It was just the perfect day as Ben had always talked about! 

Here are some photos of their plots before the cabbage was being transplanted!

Stakes for the plot

Chinese Cabbage Plot

Ready for transplanting

The cabbage were transplanted on 25th August, same day as Ben's funeral. Ponipate went for Ben's funeral while Titilia and I stayed home and transplanted their cabbages on the "PERFECT DAY" in memory of Ben!! R.I.P Ben!!

Transplanting into new plot

Measured spacing 

Transplanting Complete

My sister Titilia helped in transplanting 

End of the day! 

Food is our common ground; diets, land use and emissions.

Topic of the day!

Food is our common ground; diets, land use and emissions.

What do you reckon?! Check the link for more info's!

http://ccafs.cgiar.org/blog/food-our-common-ground-diets-land-use-and-emissions?utm_source=AgClim+Letters+and+Announcements&utm_campaign=b3909b254e-AgClim_Letters_June_2012&utm_medium=email

Cheers,
Elenoa

Buyer seeks Organic Coconut Milk

Here's something that some of you's would be interested in.

Published June 1, 2012

An Australian buyer has approached Pacific Islands Trade & Invest, expressing interest in importing certified coconut milk from the Pacific Islands. The buyer is currently buying in 20litre containers from Thailand.

Product must be certified organic.

 Squeezing coconut milk out of the coconuts

Coconut Milk - End Product

Should you be interested in knowing more about the supply of this product, email PT&I's Jeremy Grennell at jeremy.grennell@pacifictradeinvest.com. 

Pacific Island Trade and Invest

Updates ..!! Decisions made!!

Hello Everyone.

So sorry to have kept you in the dark for a while. Been fighting the "decision making" battles and this usually keeps me quiet till i'am confirmed with the things i want to say or when i'am ready to say something. You know how it is!

Okay so you all remember the job that was offered to me, right? If not then please scroll back down to my 2nd last post & read on.

Before i venture off with my story telling lol, i will update you on my conversation with my boss. So i told her about the job offer and she was very happy for me. I was also very excited about this new job opportunity and was looking forward to the new post.

When i picked up the contract, the conditions weren't as i expected. We had a discussion about the disagreement but couldn't work things out. With the qualification i have and the terms and conditions of job offered it just did not match in anyway.

I had thought about it very carefully and came to the unfortunate conclusion of declining the offer. It was bit saddening for me but i love doing work with passion and this cant happen if i'am not satisfied with what i get out of it. If you're wondering why i applied for the job in the 1st place, yes i had applied for the job but as a "Farm Manager"and not of a "Hatchery Supervisor". But being offered the post of Hatchery Supervisor i had thought that the contract would be the same as Farm Manager (reason as to why i had applied for the post in the first place). I really did want to take on that new post offered to me but it was such a shame that we couldn't come to an agreement with contract. 

I do not regret the decision that i have made, as i have left everything to the Lord to sort out and prayed that he has to help me make the right choices. And also i tell you that now i'm starting to realize why so  many people find it hard to make decisions. One thing we must learn from all this is to take things slow. Think about the offers very carefully, the pros and cons & be very careful not to loose out on both offers.

Also, HONESTY plays an important role in the working field. I had to notify my boss about the job offer as i did not want to drop off last minute and leave a bad mark behind. I'am still at CETC though and i do not feel so bad after my final decision. I'am a happy girl and do live life as if there were no tomorrows! So for now, i'll just leave things at that and see what else the world has got for me. If you have queries on this post please feel free to leave a comment. "It Shall Be Well"

Cheers.

Elenoa

"It is Well"

Good morning all.  Just wanted to share this piece with you all today! You remember how i have that favourite quote "IT SHALL BE WELL"??!! Please read this.

Have a victorious and blessed day with the Lord as your guidance and anchor.   It is Well with You

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds”

(Isaiah 3:10, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD

No matter what’s happening in your life, God wants you to know that it is well with you today! Now you may say, “Elenoa, it is not well in my finances. I’m struggling. I’m in debt.” That’s okay. It’s not the end. God is still working. Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord your Provider, has breakthroughs coming your way. If all is not well in your health, don’t get discouraged. It’s not the end. God has healing and restoration coming your way. If all is not well in your family or in a relationship, don’t write a child or spouse off. They may be on the wrong course, but it’s not the end. In the end, God promises all will be well.Remember, our God does not end in defeat. He didn’t say, “Most of the time, I will cause you to triumph.” No, He said, “I will always cause you to triumph.” You may go through difficulties, through unfair situations or through betrayals, but the point is that you are going through. You’re not staying there! It’s not permanent. Defeat is not your normal state. If all is not well in your life that simply means you haven’t made it to your new destination. Stay in faith, keep declaring His Word and keep moving forward because it is well with you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your Word which is life and health to my soul. I trust that You are working behind the scenes for my good. I will hide Your Word in my heart, knowing that it will be well with me because You are good and faithful in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Job Opportunity

One of my motivational quotes is, "It doesnt hurt to try" but my favourite is "IT SHALL BE WELL"!!! ;) Yes "it shall be well". In times of trouble and hardships I always find myself repeating after this quote "that all shall be well" and everything does turn out to be OK. You should try it too with FAITH!!

It's funny how I just started this blog and mentioned on how I wanted to find my footings, etc then a "blessing" happens. Just received a call yesterday for a short interview. It went really well and I realized how much Agricultural knowledge, particularly "livestock" related matters, I still have in me even though I have been out of practise for quite some time now. Amazing!!!

So good news people, I got offered a position in a organisation that is of my field of study and I'm so glad and THANKFUL to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and for the Community Education Training Centre (CETC) under the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) for giving me an opportunity to learn more on administration work. I tell you... it is an advantage to also have an admin background nowadays.



Chicken Hatchery

So hard to make decisions. But this is what I wanted and what I had studied for. Lets see what happens in the coming days.

I will update you more on this once all has been confirmed.

But for the mean time, if you have some advice or comments please do not hesitate to post them. I have to start looking for my boots! Out with the heels and in with my boots?!!



Drenching sheeps during my uni days

Cheers.

Elenoa

Call for Nominations for The Crawford Fund Fellowship 2012

To all Agriculture students/graduates reading this & also interested participants!!!

Hi Everyone.

Thought this might be of interest to some of you. I always think that it is good to try everything out.

Here's the link to the application:
http://www.crawfordfund.org/training/awards/fellow/cfa2012.html

Well im giving it a try and so should you!! GOOD LUCK :)

Putting my Agri Business Knowledge to the TEST!

So im sitting in my space and catching up on emails from our last workshop of Business Development Service (BDS) workshop. Then i find attached are the 1st phase/steps the BDS active participants should take to practice on their clients. I just printed a copy of each forms and thinking of filling them out myself to test my knowledge on how much i know about business. It doesnt hurt to try aye.

With active BDS participants. L-R: Ms. Celia Kopana of Solomon's Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC), Ms. Lusia Latu of Tonga Chamber of Commerce & Industry (TBEC) and Ms. Nynette Sass of Samoa from Sass Consult & Consulting Monkeys Ltd

Here it goes!!

Introduction!

Bula Vinaka!

Hello to all my fellow followers. Firstly i will have to introduce myself so that we can have a fair idea or better perspective of what i talk about on here. Well my name is Elenoa Salele and am originally from Kadavu (havent been to my island, hoping to do so soon) in the Fiji Islands. I attended primary and secondary school in Fiji and am a graduate from the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P) from 2008 - 2010, Alafua Campus, Samoa with a Bachelor of Agriculture. After i graduated in 2010 from U.S.P i was offered an internship at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Samoa in 2011 and now i'am currently working at the Community Education Training Centre (CETC), under the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).



With Mr. Toily Kurbanov UNDP, Suva - Resident Representative

I'am so blessed with having been given the opportunities to serve at such prestigious organisations. I can say that God has hes own plans for us as i have witnessed this. There were other plans that i had set out to do but everything doesnt work in our way. God has better plans for us coz he knows best. Yes?! Yes he does! So its getting the experience that is a BONUS to us all and with these experience i would know where i stand.

Okay so about my blog name: "Finding ME in the Agriculture World". As you can see,  i have a degree in Agriculture and you maybe asking yourselves why i havent been involved in Agriculture "hands on" ever since i graduated! I have actually! During my time at UNDP, i got to work with Agriculture consultants/specialist of other countries, got to meet & interview CEO's, ACEO's, Head of Schools i.e Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries & U.S.P etc etc and i have learnt alot from them. Now at CETC i'am fortunate to have met and work with Agricultural & Small Business consultants from around the pacific region. So basically what im trying to find out here is where "I STAND", "WHERE IM HEADING" & of course "WHERE WILL I END UP" with this degree of mine!! I have always wondered if i'am ever going to be involved in it, but do keep in mind that this is just the begining of my journey and it will be a very exciting & interesting one. I bet we all have once in our lives asked ourselves these questions. So bear with me through my journey of trying to find myself in the Agriculture world!!



With Business Development Services participants at CETC

Lets see where the world and my experience will take me. Enjoy the ride, everyone!

Cheers.

Elenoa