The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Solomon Islands has successfully completed a two-days Cocoa Co-Design Workshop in Honiara. The workshop was held at the SWIM Compound in East Honiara from Monday 19 to Tuesday 20 May 2025.
The workshop was facilitated by Olive Orate and Gabriel Sebrano from ADRA Australia including ADRA Solomon Islands staff.
Participants included representatives from the Commodity Export and Marketing Authority (CEMA), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Extension and Research Division), Guadalcanal Provincial Agriculture Division, ADRA Cocoa Farmers from Guadalcanal and Malaita, Agriculture Private consultant, and ADRA staff in Honiara.
The main objective of the workshop was to design the next phase of ADRA’s cocoa project, which’ll guide implementation over the next three years across its project sites in Solomon Islands.
ADRA Country Director, Leyn Elizer Gantare, thanked the participants during the closing session for taking time out of their busy schedules to support the workshop.
“On behalf of ADRA, I would like to thank everyone who attended this workshop despite your busy schedules’’
“Your presence and contributions are greatly appreciated. A special thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture extension and research officers who managed to attend even during your national planning workshop. Your input has been acknowledged by ADRA,”Mr Gantare said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Aaron Kama, a private agriculture consultant who also participated at the workshop has expressed his appreciation to ADRA for the invitation.
“On behalf of the participants, I would like to thank ADRA for inviting us to be part of this important workshop’’
“Thank you for trusting us to contribute to the design of this cocoa project. We believe our input will help move this project forward and enable our people to contribute meaningfully to the national economy, ’Dr Kama said.
ADRA Solomon Islands through its Soul Cocoa Livelihood Project currently working with Cocoa Framers in Malaita, Guadalcanal and Western Provinces.
The project was funded by ADRA Australia with an aimed to increase the income derived from cocoa livelihoods in the target communities and to improve their social capital and resilience by removing barriers and targeting the issues currently affecting cocoa farmers.
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[ADRA SOLOMON ISLANDS]
