Farmers in the Philippines have been given extra support by New Zealand to help them get back on their feet after super-Typhoon Haiyan.
A resident of the town of Jaro builds his house next to destroyed coconut trees, 15 million of them blew down in the typhoon. Photo: AFP
In November last year, the super-Typhoon Haiyan, slammed hit the Philippines. It was one of the most powerful storms in recent history.
Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye has announced New Zealand will give an additional $2.5 million to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation to assist its relief efforts there.
FAO Philippines representative in the Rajendra Aryal said 600,000 hectares of agricultural land was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.
He said 44,000 rice farming families were badly affected and that another key crop, coconut was hit hard too, with 15 million coconut trees blown down.
Mr Aryal said the FAO is now trying to get these affected communities quickly self sufficient again through diversification.
He said the farmers need vegetable seeds and are also asking for tubers like cassava and sweet potatoes which take about three months to grow.
"So what the FAO is trying to do is we will provide them with vegetable seeds and also support them with layer chickens for both eggs and meat and also other small-scale ruminants like goats and piglets. Our approach is very much demand based and very much community driven."