Pacific

Solomons signs up to project to help reduce food shortages

15:23 pm on 31 August 2009

The government in Solomon Islands says tests to grow salt water crops to help reduce food shortages caused by climate change in low-lying areas are to get underway soon.

This comes after the country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Pacific Adaptation to climate change project.

Rence Sore, the Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, says it's looking at options to help communities suffering from the shortage.

"It's not only Reef Island, it's also areas in the Malaita Islands and the Polynesia outlayer, where they mostly depend on swamp taro. With sea level rising... swamp taro is becoming salty."

Rence Sore says signing the memorandum means Solomon Islands, which is one of 10 countries to do so, will greatly benefit from resources available under the project.