Vanuatu police hand out gardening tools to dissuade marijuana farming
Authorities on the island of Tanna are encouraging youths to grow vegetables instead of drug crops, Radio New Zealand International reports. The problem, according to police, is that the island's volcanic soil is so fertile that all tropical crops grow very well, and young people appear to prefer growing and using marijuana instead.
Getting young people to switch from marijuana to more conventional farming has been a "challenge", the radio says, but authorities hope they will be attracted by the prospect of a regular income while contributing to the community.
Agriculture Minister Matai Seremaiah said that much of the food eaten by foreign tourists is imported but could be grown locally, "We will focus on import substitution of three main crops - potato, onions, and carrots, as much as possible to create impact," he said.
source: bbc.com