Kosrae is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, upon which our people?s livelihoods are sustained. Our marine and terrestrial environments provide a rich source of food, water and materials. These environments provide economic benefits to our people and, along with Kosraen culture, draw visitors to our shores. Our social and cultural systems provide communities with a strong source of resilience that has traditionally sustained us through disaster events such as typhoons, storms and high sea and swell events.

Climate change, and the associated impacts including sea-level rise, increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, poses a significant threat to our livelihoods in Kosrae. High sea and swell events, such as those experienced in recent years, as well as climate-related disease outbreaks such as dengue fever, provide a glimpse into what the future may hold as the impacts of climate change become manifest across all elements of the Kosraean society. One of the

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areas of vulnerability we are seeing today is food security. Changes in climate are posing a threat to the local production of food. Heavy rains and flooding can have a great impact on the agriculture sector and we need to adapt with new strategies if we are able to continue to grow our own nutritious local foods. With a large amount of migration of our people, especially our farmers, off island, we can no longer rely on the local markets to have enough food to feed everyone. The members of the Kosrae Consumer Organization have identified food security as one of their high priority areas to seek assistance on. We are interested in creating a sustainable model for gardening and agricultural production that promotes cost savings and environmental friendliness.

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