Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project is a continuation work…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project is a continuation work from a previous bfrdp project with a goal of increasing the number of beginning aquaculture farmers and to strengthen capacity and resiliency of existing beginning aquaculture farmers in the FSM and hawaii through reliable seed stock supply, technical assistance and training, and by diversifying and strengthening marketing channels for aquaculture products. Work will build on, and expand, the previous work supported by bfrdp to develop a highly collaborative network between stakeholders in hawaii and the pacific islands to increase training and support services to beginning aquaculture farmers in both locations. The project will be led by the marine and environmental research institute of pohnpei (merip; website WWW.meripmicronesia.ORG) in the federated states of micronesia (FSM), in partnership with the university of hawaii - pacific aquaculture and coastal resources center (UHH-pacrc, an 1862 land grant institution; website https://hilo.hawaii.EDU/pacrc/). Numerous other partners will collaborate with the project in order to leverage resources and increase the footprint of assistance to beginning farmers.while separated by vast ocean distances the island entities involved in this project share many similarities such as nascent aquaculture industries, high value niche markets and a high proportion or indigenous or ethnic populations. Geographically micronesia and hawaii are characterized by small land masses surrounded by enormous areas of ocean surface and mostly pollution free environments. There is a strong overlap in the climate, culture and commodities that can be aquacultured between these islands.work will increase the number of new and existing beginning farmers participating in sustainable aquaculture through traditional extension practices such as internships, mentorships, technical training and workshops. This will be supported by the existing facilities of merip and UHH-pacrc which will act as incubator and demonstration centers. Seed produced from these facilities will also be available to farmers. In order to further support farmers, production-based marketing will help secure places for farmers to sell their products and gain maximum value.expected outcomes are: 35 new beginning farmers participating in aquaculture; 40 existing farmers with increased production; 80 farmers benefitting from seed produced by the program; 60 farmers benefitting from marketing efforts; 2000 people accessing beginning farmer information; 10 agency personnel able to better serve clients; and 40 farmers with increased income threshold above $1000 per annum.