[File Photo]

The Drought Recovery and Climate Resilience Project survey reveals that most families in the 29 communities in the Northern Division had to prioritize their meals due to the climate crisis.

Project Manager Kolosa Matebalavu says the non-government organization Live and Learn undertook the survey as part of its project and highlights that the food sources of these communities were severely affected by water deficiency and seawater intrusion into farms, causing some families to only have one meal per day.

Matebalavu says the project aims to support the needs of the communities by providing the relevant training needed to help address the issue.

“Some of the findings that came up during our baseline survey was really interesting and one of which was really around families, they have to prioritize the number of meals that they have to have in a day, some of the families only have one meal in a day, it’s because there are food security issues.”

Matebalavu says another issue found in the survey is that rice production has also dropped in the north due to the prolonged dry spell experienced in the North.

The Live and Learn Drought Recovery and Climate Resilience project has made significant findings during its survey in the provinces of Cakaudrove, Bua and Macuata.