Pontianak, W Kalimantan, (ANTARA News) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a recovery program to help over 70 thousand Indonesian farmers and fishermen following the natural disasters that hit them.

"Families in Central Sulawesi are highly dependent on agriculture and fisheries. For majority of the population, agriculture and fisheries are their source of food and income," Stephen Rudgard, FAO representative in Indonesia, noted in a written statement in Pontianak, Tuesday.

Over the next three months, the FAO program aims to reach 50 thousand farmers through the provision of vegetable seeds, fertilizers, and small hand tools, such as shovels and hoes. Some 20 thousand fishermen will then also receive equipment to catch fish.

The FAO targets farmers and fishermen in the areas most affected by disasters in Donggala, Sigi, Palu, and Parigi Moutong in Central Sulawesi Province.

The world agricultural organization also prepares a cash assistance scheme for four thousand pregnant women and mothers with children under the age of five, which enables them to access nutritious food.

Reporting by Teguh Imam Wibowo
Editing by Andi Abdussalam

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