SUVA, June 4 ((Xinhua) -- Juncao technology, a China-Fiji technology cooperation project, is useful for the sustainable development of agriculture in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), a Fijian government minister said on Monday.

Juncao Technology enables the cultivation of edible and medicinal fungi by using wild grasses and herbal plants instead of trees or woods.

Fiji's Ministry of Agriculture is working closely with the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Cooperation project to intensify the growing of mushroom in Fiji.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop on Juncao Technology on Monday, Fiji's acting Minister for Agriculture Mereseini Vuniwaqa said that Juncao technology did not only promote the cultivation of mushroom but also the growing of Juncao grass as a suitable supplement for livestock feed.

"Mushroom cultivation is a new concept in our region and many of our people do not know how to use them. However, cultures around the world have eaten or used mushrooms medicinally for centuries, and the Juncao grass on the other hand is not only used as the substrate for growing mushrooms but can be successfully used as livestock feed and to prevent soil erosions from river banks and slopes," said the minister.

Vuniwaqa, also Fiji's Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, also urged women in the Pacific region to take up mushroom farming.

"I would like to encourage more women to take up mushroom farming as it is less labor intensive and can provide a consistent source of income,"she said.

Attended by delegates from around the region, the workshop is aimed at allowing Pacific island countries to explore and implement Juncao technology to develop its agriculture sector.

Initially recommended by the leaders of the two countries in 2009 and established in 2014, this project is expected to promote the development of Juncao technology in the island nation and raise Fijian farmers' income through cooperation in scientific research, technical training, demonstration and extension.