The Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry has launched the Tropical Cyclone Vaianu Rehabilitation Assistance Programme alongside Phase One of its Food Security Response, the ministry announced on Monday, as part of efforts to help farmers and communities recover from the recent storm. The programme is designed to restore damaged farms, promote home gardening and strengthen local food production as households and markets rebuild.
The scheme is open to crop farmers in areas the ministry has identified as affected by Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, including Kadavu, Ba, Nadroga/Navosa, Ra and Naitasiri. Eligible farmers are those who sustained losses to crops and productive land during the cyclone and who can document the extent of their damage.
As part of the rollout applicants must complete a form detailing the damage sustained, the types of crops affected, the size of the land parcel and an estimated level of loss. Farmers are also required to supply photographic evidence of damaged crops and proof of identity. Officials said the information will be compiled to prioritise and target support to the hardest-hit farms and communities.
Ministry officials described the initiative as a “key step” in rebuilding livelihoods and boosting resilience against future disasters, linking immediate rehabilitation with a longer-term push for household-level food security through home gardening. The Phase One Food Security Response aims to ensure that replacement planting material, seeds and backyard gardening support reach communities quickly so local food production can resume.
The programme follows a pattern of targeted agricultural assistance by the government in recent years, in which emergency and recovery measures have been used to help producers re-establish lost crops and protect incomes. Officials say the data-driven approach will allow authorities to tailor support — whether inputs, technical advice or follow-up rehabilitation — to the particular needs of different farming zones and crop types affected by Vaianu.
The ministry is urging eligible farmers in the named divisions to prepare the required documentation and apply so relief can be directed where it is most needed. Authorities said collecting accurate, on-the-ground information will be central to coordinating assistance and supporting a faster recovery of food supplies and farm-based livelihoods across affected areas.
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