LAUNCH OF THE SAMOA SCHOOL GARDENING INITIATIVE

SAMOA, October 2 - KEYNOTE ADDRESS by the Minister of Education, Aiono Alec Ekeroma [02nd October 2025]

Honorable Ministers of Cabinet,

Representatives from the UN and FAO

Distinguished Guests

Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Talofa Lava and warm greetings on this beautiful morning.

It is a privilege and I am grateful that I stand before you today to launch this transformative initiative – the Samoa School Gardening Programme. This is more than a project. It is a movement. A movement that reconnects our children with the land, with their health, and with the values that have sustained our people for generations.

In Samoa, land is part of who we are. Our ancestors lived close to nature and grew their own food. Now, through the Samoa School Gardening Programme, we’re bringing that knowledge back into schools by building up Agriculture Science.

School gardens will be hands-on learning spaces where students grow crops and learn about nutrition, climate, biodiversity, and business. They’ll use science, apply math, and connect with Samoan culture in every harvest. This makes Agriculture Science fun, practical, and part of everyday life.

This programme shows what we can achieve when we work together. A big thank you to our partners—the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF)—for their support and commitment. Special appreciation goes to the Agriculture Science Department and the Principal of Avele College for stepping up to pilot this exciting project. Together, we’re connecting education with agriculture, turning ideas into action and policy into real progress.

Let us also acknowledge the role of families and communities. Your continued support is the foundation that helps these gardens thrive.

This initiative aligns with our national goals for education, health, and food security. It supports the Sustainable Development Goals and our commitment to climate adaptation. But most importantly, it empowers our children to become agents of change.

Imagine a Samoa where every schoolyard is green with promise. Where students eat what they grow. Where learning is hands-on, joyful, and rooted in real life. That is the vision we embrace today.

To our students: may you dig deep – not just into the soil, but into your curiosity and courage.

To our teachers: may you cultivate not only gardens, but generations of leaders.

To our communities: may you harvest the fruits of unity and shared purpose.

Let us sow today what Samoa will reap tomorrow—a nation that is educated, nourished, and proud of its roots.

Fa’afetai tele lava. Soifua ma ia manuia.

TATALAINA O LE POLOKETI O TOGALA’AU MO AOGA I SAMOA

SAUNOAGA a le afioga i le Minisita o Aoga ma Aganuu le afioga Aiono Alec Ekeroma [Aso Tofi 02 Oketopa 2025]

Afioga ile Minisita Lagolago o Faatoaga ma Faiga Faiva

Sui mamalu o le Faalapotopotoga o le FAO

Susuga i Ta’iulu o faalaotopotoga ese’ese

Susuga i Pulea’oga, Faiaoga, aemaise alo ma fanau a’oga

Le mamalu o le au vala’aulia

O le a ta’oto pea ia le Fatuloa nai Vaimatafia. e pei o le upu i le Aiga Sa Asomua.

O mamalu ua mae’a ona tosilauti ma mamanu fa’atiti e le fofoga o le tatou aso. Ona manatu lea, faia lea mo I tatou.

Faatalofa ma Faafeiloai atu ile pa’ia maualuga o le tatou aso. Malo le soifua maua ma le lagi e mama. Malo le folau.

E momoli atu le fa’afetai tele mo le tatou Sauniga Lotu I lenei taeao. Faafetai i lau susuga I le Taitai o le Sauniga; faafetai i alo ma fanau mo siufofoga malie; faafetai tatalo ma lauga.

O le tatalo, ia saga faatumuina pea le utu, i meaalofa mai le Atua, aua tiute e tusa o tōfiga.

Soifua.

October 7, 2025