By By Diana Boar

Copyright dailypost

A master class on Household Budgeting was held for six women farmers. This training aims to equip them to subsequently lead Household Budgeting sessions for other women farmers in their village.

A month later, Bisnis Blong Buluk (BBB) field researcher Minna Yerta conducted a follow-up workshop titledSaving Money and Decision Making after assessing the results of the initial workshop held in the village.

The Household Budgeting program is part of the BBB project, which is funded by the Pacific Community (SPC).

The objective of the project is to increase the number of cows and provide market options for smallholder farmers in Vanuatu.

The BBB project commenced in November 2022 and is scheduled to conclude in June 2026. The primary goal of this initiative is to develop a business plan for smallholder farmers raising cows.

The BBB project has created materials and strategies aimed at assisting households in rural areas with their budgeting practices.

This method relies on peer-to-peer learning and includes training lead women farmers who are responsible for conducting community sessions.

The primary objective is to provide women with vital budgeting skills, thereby encouraging their active involvement in collaborative business planning for sustainable smallholder livestock enterprises.

In November 2024, a master class was conducted to empower lead women farmers from the communities of Port Olry, Hog Harbour, Big Bay, Valevalet, and Khole on Santo.

This training focused on both household budgeting and facilitation skills, enabling participants to disseminate the materials to more households and communities.

The BBB project collaborated with the Department of Industry to obtain funding from the SPC, aiming to expand these methods to additional communities on Santo and Malekula.