The agriculture-nutrition-income nexus in Tonga

Increasing reliance on imported foods, limited access to affordable nutritious local foods, and exposure to climate change and natural disasters are negatively impacting the health, well-being and livelihoods of Tongans. More than 50% of agricultural land is fallow. Oceanic and coastal fisheries resources are being depleted. The private sector is reluctant to increase investments in food processing facilities. 99% of the population is at high or moderate risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs); obesity, cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and hypertension are prevalent. Limited coordination exists among the various agencies implementing policies and programmes that address the agriculture, food and nutrition challenges. Key recommendations are give in this Technical Brief to meet the above challenges

Weather insurance - a viable option in support of the development of Pacific local food crops and fisheries value chains

In the last two decades, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have suffered billions of dollars in damage and loss due to catastrophic weather events (e.g. cyclones, floods, drought) and other natural disasters (e.g. volcanic eruptions). The predominantly small size and diverse nature of the production systems make agricultural insurance investments unattractive. Biological assets – crops and livestock – typically fall outside mainstream insurance coverage, particularly for small farmers. Opportunities exist for transferring weather-related risks to insurance products that can benefit producers; but these need to be carefully evaluated in the Pacific context

A Learning Journey at the Inaugural Pacific Week of Agriculture in Vanuatu

As a region, the Pacific faces a number of pressing challenges, linked to a rapidly growing population, high youth unemployment, soaring food imports and alarming levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) fuelled by poor nutrition. Seeking to address some of these issues, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), with matching funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO), is implementing the project Leveraging the Development of Local Food Crops and Fisheries Value Chains for Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Food Systems in the Pacific Islands with a focus on Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Its goal is to strengthen the capacity of Pacific Island governments, farmer and private sector organisations and sub-regional institutions to develop strategies and programmes, as well as to mobilise financing, that can increase poor rural people’s access to nutritious and healthy food. The project takes an innovative approach, supporting agribusiness and value chain development to improve food and nutrition outcomes for the poor and vulnerable, especially women and children. Identifying opportunities for young people is a special focus, given the region’s large and growing population of under 25-year-olds and its high rate of youth unemployment, which currently stands at 25%. Also known by its shorter version Promoting Nutritious Food Systems in the Pacific, the project has identified several areas for analysis and action. For the Pacific Week of Agriculture (PWA), these include: promoting youth agri-entrepreneurship, coordination platforms for innovation in priority value chains for a range of nutritious local agrifood products, opportunities for strengthening agri-tourism linkages, and the scope these offer for linking small-scale producers to markets and building the resilience of rural communities. During the first Pacific Week of Agriculture, held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 16-20 October 2017, a series of side events was held on each of these issues, to analyse their potential and explore further opportunities and the support needed. In keeping with the project’s innovative approach, the events took the form of a Learning Journey, designed to share experiences and foster cross-learning between participants within and outside the region, including those from other small island developing states who have found practical solutions to similar problems

Fiji National Roundtable Workshop June 2017: Outcomes Report

The CTA/IFAD/PIPSO Promoting Nutritious Food Systems in the Pacific Islands – Fiji National Roundtable Workshop took place on 28 and 29 June 2017 at the Tanoa Plaza Hotel in Suva, Fiji. Sixty-three participants representing government ministries, private sector, civil society, academia and regional/development organisations attended the two-day workshop

The agriculture-nutrition-income nexus in Fiji

Agriculture in Fiji contributes 9% of gross domestic product and absorbs 40% of the labour force. Over 70% of the population is engaged in subsistence and semi subsistence agriculture. Insufficient production capacity, inconsistent quality and limited knowledge of the nutrient and health benefits make local fruits, root crops, seafood and vegetables uncompetitive. Numerous policies, programmes and organisations shape the agriculture-nutrition-income agenda but with mixed results and very limited impact

Lessons Learned from Initial Piloting of Farmer-Orientated Value Chain Training in the Pacific

There have been numerous initiatives in the Pacific region over the past decade to mainstream the concept of value chains into the agricultural development arena. Since 2012, the ACP/EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has been at the forefront of value chain development in the Pacific region, supporting a number of value chain studies and the publication of the ‘Agricultural Value Chain Guide for the Pacific Islands’. This CTA guide was intended to provide a simplified approach to value chain analysis and therefore make that approach useful to ‘farmers, traders and policy makers’. From 2014-2017, the Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) implemented a programme to pilot farmer-orientated value chain training through its farmer organisation members. The CTA guide was used and the training sessions were supported through several externally funded projects, including the IFAD/SDC1 funded MTCP II project and the EU/SPC PAPP project. PIFON believes that farmer organisations have an important role to play in disseminating key information to their members and in helping to ‘extend the reach of government and aid agencies’. These VC training sessions targeted chain actors involved in the: 1. Value chain for spices in Vanuatu (through the Farm Support Association and Venui Vanilla) 2. Value chain for ginger in Fiji (through Fiji Crop and Livestock Council) 3. Value chain for papaya in Tonga (through Growers Federation of Tonga) 4. Value chain for Taro in Fiji (through Tei Tei Taveuni and the Tutu Rural Training Centre) 5. Value chain for papaya in Fiji (through Nature’s Way Cooperative) CTA is currently implementing a project entitled ‘Promoting Nutritious Food Systems in the Pacific Islands’ (2016-2020), in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO). Under this project, CTA has commissioned PIFON to document the lessons learned about the value chain training, through production of a video and this publication. This report explores a range of impacts of the initial piloting of value chain training in the Pacific. These included: • The beginnings of a change in the mind-set of the actors in the value chain –particularly farmers • The incorporation of the value chain ‘way of thinking’ into normal extension activities of farmer organisations • Improvements in relationships and better collaboration • Increased supply of produce • Value chain training materials being translated/adapted/adopted into training programme

Opportunities to strengthen the gender dimension in a Pacific agriculture, nutrition and value chain development project

The aim of this report is to provide a framework for mainstreaming of gender issues throughout all project activities, and to function as an action plan for this purpose within the CTA/IFAD/PIPSO Project ‘Promoting Nutritious Food Systems in the Pacific Islands’. Additionally, in order to ensure proper integration of the gender dimension within the project’s activities, this report chooses a very practical approach with a focus on activity and output level. General guidance presented in this report aims to provide background information and practical ideas to further strengthen the gender dimension of the programme

The agriculture-nutrition nexus in Samoa

Agriculture, fisheries and tourism drive the small, open economy of Samoa, a small island nation in the south-west Pacific Ocean with a population of less than 200,000. The agricultural sector accounts for around one-tenth of gross domestic product (GDP), half of what it was in the 1990s. Remittances account for around one-fifth

Financing agribusiness and value chain development in the Pacific

The agriculture sector, a major source of food and livelihood for up to 80% of the population in Pacific Island Countries, is under-funded. Lending to the sector is less than 2%, despite its contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). Transforming the Pacific agri-food system to address the major socio-economic challenges – malnutrition, high dependence on imported foods, unemployment and climate change – will require targeted public and private investments. Financial institutions and governments must work together to offer innovative financial instruments that enhance access to banking services, especially in the rural areas. Inclusivity is a win-win strategy