June 6, 2025- Great News from the Bureau of Agriculture at Ngchesar, Palau! Strengthening Skills, Empowering Futures!
We’re beyond excited to share some big wins in our journey to boost food security and income for our small-scale agricultural producers, especially our incredible women farmers on Babeldaob!
Beyond just growing, we recently completed a crucial Food Safety and Food Processing Training Course. The goal was simple but powerful: to make our products even better, safer, and add more value to them. We dove deep into vital skills like equipment sanitation, improved processing methods, and rigorous food safety standards. These are technical lessons that form the bedrock for certification, preparing our products for market, and showcasing Palau’s exceptional taro product.
What makes this truly special is who it was for: the incredible women’s groups who are the project beneficiaries and contributors to local food production. This workshop focused on building confidence and reinforcing the message that you’re not just contributors—they’re partners and vital leaders in our food system. A total of 13 women attended this first training session.
Special Thanks and Acknowledgment
We want to send our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Alesana Malo, our visiting Food Technologist, for sharing his invaluable expertise and guiding us through this truly transformative training. His insights have been instrumental.
And this vital initiative simply wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR), in partnership with the Asian Development Bank. Their commitment under the Palau COVID-19 Response to Affected Poor and Vulnerable Groups Project has directly empowered our community and opened up exciting new doors for our local food industry. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership.