REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS FOOD

PRODUCTION CRISIS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

A Paradigm ShiftSiosiua M. Halavatau

FOOD PRODUCTION CRISISPer capita crop production has been falling in nearly all Pacific countries over the past decade, even in countries with little population growth. Fiji PN

G

Solom

on Is

Timor

Leste

Vanu

atuSa

moaTon

gaNau

ruTu

valu

FSM

Kiriba

ti

Cook

Is0

20406080

100120

Net Food Production per capita1990-942000-08

Index (base 1999-2001)

Fiji PNG

Solom

on Is

Timor

Leste

Vanu

atuSa

moaTon

gaNau

ruTu

valu

FSM

Kiribati

Cook

Is0

20406080

100120140

Livestock Production Index1990-942000-08Index

(base 1999-2001)

Most countries increase production but mostly for social and religious functions

TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS

HUMAN FACTOR

Cult Fallow Fallow

Unnecessary Fallow Period

Productivity

Cult Fallow Fallow Cult

Cult Fallow Fallow Cult Cult Fallow

Productivity Decline

100%

100%

100%

Cult

• Traditional horticulturists are not accustomed to managing soil borne pests and diseases and declining soil fertility hence abandon land to fallow.

•Shortage of skills and information support systems for horticultural research and development.

• Shortage of people with appropriate formal skills and education tooffer technical support.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 80

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Effects of Tillage and Fallow on WAS (>0.5mm) and OM content of Tongan Soils

WSAOM

Land Use

Perc

enta

ge

DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF SOIL PRODUCTIVITY

0 2 4 6 8 10 120

102030405060708090

f(x) = 5.45483017817372 x + 31.9392469376392R² = 0.830010946928729

The relationship between aggregate stability and total carbon of soils

Carbon (%0

WSA

(%

)

Vn Th NCL FJ0

50100150200250300350

Soil Erosion in the Pacific Islands

Countries

Amoi

unt

(t/h

a/yr

)

Major Pests and Diseases of Crops■Taro – root rot, leaf

blight■Fruits – fruit flies and

anthracnose■Bogia coconut

syndrome■Sweet potato – weevil■Yam – anthracnose■Vegetables -

caterpillars

Loss of Agro-biodiversity

• Pests and diseases • Climate

variability/extreme events

• Bush fires• Production systems -

mono-cropping

Livestock

■Climate – ruminants and non-ruminants

■Land shortage – for ruminants

■Nutrition – feeds expensive

■Health – diseases (drugs and equipment)

Seasonal Weight Loss

Food Waste■30% + (FAO)■Storage,

handling, transport

■On-farm

The threat posed by climate change to food security and livelihoods in the Pacific islands has been widely recognized - and indeed dramatised

Climate Change

Socio-economic factors

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Samoa

Marshall Islands

Fiji

Cook Islands

Tonga

New Caledonia

Solomon Islands

French Polynesia

Tuvalu

American Samoa

Kiribati

Micronesia

Niue

Prevalence (%)

anaemiaobese

URBANIZATION

What is needed for Food and Income Security?Sustainable Intensification of

AgricultureTechnical Principles

Agricultural ProductivityNatural capital and ecosystems services

Simultaneously!■ Enhanced input-use efficiency■ Use of biodiversity - natural and managed

– to build farming system resilience

Paradigm Shift: G x E vs G x E x P x M

Agricultural Performance in Pacific Region

Country Land Area(km2 )

Annual Growth Rate of Agriculture

(%)

Proportion of budget allocated to

agriculture and forestry (%)

Contribution of agriculture

to GDP at current prices

(%)1990-94 2000- 08

Cook Islands 180 8.3 3.2 1.09 (2011 - $1.42 millions)

2.7 (2010)

FSM 702 na Na 0.7 (2012) 14.1 (2010)Fiji 18,376 1.0 -0.9 3.1 (2012 - $55

million)9.4 (2011)

Kiribati 726 -2.4 1.3 2.6 (2012 - $2.5 million)

17.1 (2008)

PNG 461,690 4.8 1.6 1.5 (2011 - $171 million)

35.4 (2008)

Samoa 2,934 1.9 -2.4 2.02 (2011 - $12 million)

4.9 (2011)

Solomon Islands

29,785 2.3 4.9 2.47 (2011 - $54 million)

23.6 (2009)

Tonga 696 0.3 1.6 2.52 (2011 - $8.6 million)

15 (2011)

Vanuatu 12,189 3.0 1.9 2.9 (2011) 19.1 (2009)

Dream Strategy The background information makes one really rethink the roles of SPC LRD and whether research should be a priority area to focus on given:■  the declining national public  investments in the sector in the region■ The shortage of national capacity( qualified personal especially for

research), infrastructure and facilities to undertake these needed research

■ Declining national production levels – a juncture for no return in the intensification of agriculture

■ Coupled with the increasing incidence of NCDs in the regionThe answer lies in partnership between farming communities, national systems, regional organizations, international organizations and donor agencies.

SPC LRD is in an advantageous position to lead in these partnerships in the region.

Partnership Results and ImpactsResearch areas

International agencies

Regional Agencies

Countries involved

Results/Impacts of the research Sources: SPC LRD M and E reports

Soil health and organic recycling 

ACIAR, QDAFF; AVI, Scope Global Australia, University of Adelaide, University of Tasmania, IFAD, FAO

USP, SPC LRD Crop Production and Plant Health Teams, The Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETcom), PIFON

Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati, and Tuvalu

Soil health technologies are improving taro production in Samoa and Fiji and sweet potato in Kiribati

Fiji - Tei Tei Taveuni - organic fertilisers superior to urea, NPK – improved soil health, increased dalo yields

Kiribati – compost on atoll soils Samoa – soil profiling of 80

farmers 2015 : International Year of

Soils – (50 farmers from FJ, PNG, Samoa, SI, Tonga )

Integrated Crop Management (ICM)

FAO, ACIAR, UQ, World Vegetable Centre (AVRDC)

USP, SPC LRD Crop Production and Plant Health Teams

Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu

Increased integration of natural enemies of Brassica pest management through the introduction of the “Insecticide Resistance Management” strategy.

Improved new tomato variety “Melrose” which is resistant to disease Tomato mosaic virus in Fiji.

Research areas International agencies

Regional Agencies

Countries involved

Results/Impacts of the research Sources: SPC LRD M and E reports

Genetic Resources Building

resilience to climate change and pests and disease

Developing taro clean seed systems

 

 DFAT, ACIAR, EU, FAO, NZAID, Global Crop Diversity Trust, Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research Institutes (CGIAR),

 USP, SPC LRD Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees

 All Pacific Island countries, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Kenya, Portugal, Germany, France

  3 new taro export varieties (Talo

Fusi, Talo Lani, Talo Tanu) launched in Samoa (14 October 2015). Increase from 4 to 14 containers/month (ACIAR)

16 taro varieties among best in 8 countries (Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Madagascar, Philippines, Saint Vincent/Grenadines, PNG.(EU INEA)

Provided climate resilient crops to FSM, Marshall Is, Tuvalu as part of TC PAM rehab

 Land use, agroforestry (tree seed technology, and tree improvement)

EU, FAO, ACIAR, GIZ, USAID, FFPRI, Royal Botanic Garden of Kew

USP, SPC LRD Forestry Thematic Team

All PICTs Increased awareness, knowledge and skill on sustainable land use, forestry and agroforestry practices

Increased knowledge on tree seed technology and forest biodiversity

Animal Production and health Development

of feed from local ingredients

DNA characterization of poultry and pigs

 EU, DFAT, FAO, James Cook University, ILRI

 SPC LRD Animal Health and Production Team

 Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

Enhance livelihoods and food security, i.e. use of local feed ingredients ensure sustainability

Improve public and animal health, i.e. app. 70% of disease in humans originate from animals

Identification of unique native breeds of livestock that are at risk of extinction

Research areas International agencies

Regional Agencies

Countries involved

Results/Impacts of the research Sources: SPC LRD M and E reports

Agribusiness and trade- Whole of a

supply chain approach –

European Union (EU), FAO, ACIAR, UQ, University of South Australia, University of Sunshine Coast

USP, FNU, Increasing Agriculture Commodity Trade (IACT), SPC LRD Crop Production Thematic Team, SPC LRD Forestry Team.

Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu

42 SME across 15 PACPs, export forestry & agri products,

31 new products exported from 9 PICTs

High price niche cocoa products, international awards (SI, Fiji)

Consistent biosecurity support to Cook Islands Noni Marketing Pty Limited enabling the export of more than 100 tonnes of noni

Vanuatu has started producing chocolate of good export quality.

Policy research and development

EU, FAO, ACIAR

SPC LRD PAPP Team, Crop Production Thematic Team, Forestry Thematic Team

Pacific ACP countries

LRD’s policy support to members is through its core technical strength

Agriculture Policy Banks (Vanuatu, Solomon Is.) /PAFPNet

Leading to the Regional Agriculture Policy Strategy

Food security and climate change

USAID, DFAT, IFAD

SPC LRD Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu

Develop local adaptation plan of actions for communities.

Resilience of farming systems improved with incorporation of trees

Agricultural extension

EU, Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services

SPC LRD PAPP Team, Crop Production Team,

All PICTs Regional agriculture extension strategy developed which contains priority extension research areas.

Lessons for Research Organizations in the Region■ It is essential that all who seek to foster sustainable

agriculture in the Pacific Islands recognize the interdependence of these factors, because most organizations individually cannot contribute fully to each component of GxExMxP.

■ Partnerships that assemble the best possible teams to execute the GxExMxP paradigm will underpin the timely and successful achievement of sustainable farming systems.

■ This has major ramifications for research and development institutions in the Pacific Region.

I want to conclude by quoting some of our research partners■ Dr. Mike Smith – one of the collaborating scientists from QDAFF:I think bringing together all players with a shared vision through the participatory approach is very powerful. As you work and play, side by side, you build up a camaraderie through shared experiences which accelerates the learning process. A true team approach that works on the sports field as well as in the workplace. I thought we really reached that level when we started calling ourselves, ‘Team Taveuni’ and really believed in it.

■ Tei Tei Taveuni Growers:We believe that the combined impact has been more substantial because of the combination, compared to possible results from the same funding distributed to the same organizations working “alone” or “competing for achievement points” The 4ml/1000 can be used to work into rebuilding soil carbon levels.It work towards some of the questions raised at the end of the Soil Health ProjectWe would like to be part of such an effort