SPAN Vol. 39, No. 5 May 2014 ISSN 1015 - 950

Span

South Pacific Agricultural News—Institute for Research, Extension & Training in Agriculture

IRETA

Editor in Chief : Mohammed Umar Publications Officer : Bel Guinto Email : guinto_m@samoa.usp.ac.fj

Donation of grinders. p2 USP –ACIAR Soil Health Project ...p3

Samoan students’ vegetable

garden ... p2

What’s on Campus ... p8

News Bits ... pp 5 to 7

Pacific & Carribean voices heard ... p4

Auckland student collaborated with SAFT on

suitability rating of crops in Samoa

A postgraduate (MSc in Geography) student at the University of Auckland is undertaking suitability study of value-adding crops: cacao, avocado, breadfruit and taro in Samoa. Elliot McBride, who has family ties in Samoa, believes the

value-adding potential of these crops would necessitate that farmers be guided on the suitability rating of these crops to certain farm conditions. He is ably supported by Dr. Danilo Guinto, SAFT’s soil science expert. Dr. Guinto shared his technical

expertise to ensure that the data to be sought will be robust enough to ensure significance of the findings.

The study involves gathering of spatial secondary data like temperature, rainfall, topography and other soil properties integrated in soil maps. Using GIS, all the data and information will be interlayered to come up with suitability rating and, po-tentially, maps for the crops identified. Elliot will also look into the various climate scenarios to identify resilience strategies that will minimize negative impacts of climate change. He hopes to provide information that will assist policy makers in

their climate change adaptation strategies.

He found collaborating with USP an enriching experience since he was able to un-derstand agriculture better considering that this was not his basic degree. The university’s focus aligned well with the objectives of his research. USP also provided him with facilities and resources apart from technical assistance from Dr. Guinto which enabled him to facilitate his work under limited time pressure. He was able to meet most of his expectations and would not hesitate to recommend

USP to any potential collaborators.

He feels that there are still a number of challenges he has to face, for one there is still some degree of uncertainty as to the

robustness of the data that he collected. But, he feels optimistic that he will be able to provide valuable information to farm-

ers in the country. He hopes to confirm his findings in the future through surveys and actual suitability testing.

Elliot with Dr. Danilo Guinto while

discussing the data sets.

Commodity on Feature .. p9

IPCC meeting in Samoa ... p10

SPAN May 2014

2

W ith the resourcefulness of SAFT’s Monogastric expert, Dr. Siaka Diarra, the Chinese government donated two heavy duty grinders to support the Livestock Unit’s objective of exploring available

local materials to formulate feed supplements for livestock in the South Pacific. The turnover was held at the Animal Science Laboratory at USP

Alafua last 2nd of May 2014.

Currently, Dr. Diarra is embarking on intensive researches to alleviate the high cost of poultry and egg production with the aim of encouraging more local production and support the South Pacific governments’ import

substitution programs.

Mr. Huang Yuenan, who facilitated the donation was present in the turnover of the grinders. He expressed

hope that there will be more collaboration between the Chinese government and USP. Mr. Yuenan is the

Project Team leader of the China-Samoa Agricultural Technical Cooperation project undertaken

collaboratively with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Crop Division based at Nu’u Station.

Mr. Mohammed Umar, Head of SAFT, expressed sincere appreciation to the donation and hopes that the

funding assistance to the agriculture sector of Samoa provided by the Chinese government will likewise be

accorded to USP who now has a strong academic team that can generate valuable information to the

agriculture sector of the South Pacific region.

T he association of Samoan students at USP Alafua,

headed by Aperaamu Apelu saw the opportunity to

raise funds to support some of their social and cultural

activities on sight of recently cleared bushes on campus.

The members gathered on their spare time and started a

mixed vegetable garden and took turns caring for the

crops.

The initiative proved successful since the SAFT students

who led the project made use of the lessons learned from

their courses and put these into practical experience. The

SAFT academic team are very delighted and appreciative

of the efforts put in by their students in extending the knowledge they imparted into functional use.

“Simple as it may seem, this would prepare them to be extensionists, researchers, or even consultants to

farmers needing assistance.”, one of the SAFT lecturers commented.

It would be great to sustain this initiative and perhaps showcase the practices to the community so they can

set-up their own community gardens and grow crops not commonly found in the local markets. With some

students in the Agribusiness stream, they can, likewise, promote small-scale entrepreneurial opportunities.

Your Alafua Campus family welcomes similar student-initiated undertakings.

As they say, taking a few minutes to reconnect with the earth will ultimately make a big difference in how

people will view the essence of their existence – grow food to live! And, hopefully, by setting up community

gardens, they will realise that it is, indeed, a great sharing and social experience.

Samoan students ventured

into vegetable gardening

Chinese government generously donated grinders to SAFT

Aperaamu tending the garden on his

spare time.

3 SPAN May 2014

USP—ACIAR soil health project released significant output

T he USP-ACIAR Soil Health Project Team headed by SAFT’s Soil Science expert,

Dr. Danilo Guinto reported significant progress of the project to the coordinating

agency, Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Two SAFT postgraduate students, Sanjay

Anand and Ratu Toloi, who are pursuing a PhD and MAgr degrees respectively, also comprise

the project team. The project is undertaken collaboratively with the Ministry of Agriculture

and Fisheries of Samoa through Dr. Seuseu Tauati and Ataotaulelei Sae.

In the fallow crop trials conducted in a wet site in Upolu Island, the

use of mucuna as fallow crop and with NPK fertilizer proved superior

over the farmer’s practice of no fertilizer, management of organic

residues from fallow and weed control by slashing, use of herbicides

and hoeing. Another significant finding is the

significantly higher yields from Samoa II cultivar

compared to Samoa I cultivar.

Corm yields were consistently lower in the dry

experimental site. In this site, combined mucuna and

NPK fertilizer produced significantly higher corm

yields than the farmer’s practice. The performance

of the leguminous fallow crops is negatively affected

by low rainfall conditions due to lower biomass and

nutrient accumulation. Samoa II cultivar consistently

outyielded the Samoa I cultivar.

The same project looks at the soil biochemical

health status of representative

taro farms in both Upolu and Savaii

in order to evaluate any soil

nutritional problems that may affect taro

productivity. This is done collaboratively with the

MAF of Samoa. Results will be published in the ACIAR

project report for the current year.

Nematode studies are also ongoing to assess impacts on taro production in

the same experimental sites.

A number of SAFT students have benefitted from this Soil Health Project in

their pursuit of postgraduate degrees, i.e. Rohit Lal (completed his MAgr

degree), Sanjay Anand (ongoing PhD research), Ratu Toloi and Ami Sharma

(ongoing MAgr researches). SAFT wishes to convey its appreciation to ACIAR

for providing the much needed financial and technical support to boost

USP’s research goals.

4 SPAN May 2014

Pacific and Caribbean voices echo at global research forum

F or the first time, Pacific and Caribbean voices were heard at an International Food Policy Research Institute conference – and it won’t be the last. Asked why the Pacific and Caribbean regions had not

been included before, Chief of staff and conference director Rajul Pandya-Lorch says IFPRI are mandated to work where there is the greatest concentration of populations. However, through the support of The Technical Centre of Rural and Agricultural Co-operation (CTA), a Pacific and Caribbean delegation of private sector, civil agencies and government sector were able to attend the conference in Ethiopia themed on “Building Resilience

for Food and Nutrition and Security”.

“Each of the conferences builds on including more actors,” says Pandya-Lorch. “We saw that with the South Asia conference where this time when we announced this conference, we got an immediate phone call from South Asia with an organization wanting to run a side event. “That’s why CTA with their experience and

networks are so important. And we would hope to amplify that participation at the next conference.”

This year’s conference attracted more than 800 participants – 300 more than Pandya-Lorch had anticipated – as well as 21 side events, twice the number of the last conference hosted in Delhi. CTA sponsored a side event with a high-level Pacific and Caribbean panel to discuss “Enhancing resilience for food and nutrition security in small island economies”. Chaired by CTA director Michael Hailu, the panel also included Gyan Acharya, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing

Countries and Small Island Developing States.

The key themes that emerged from the panel was: higher consumption of locally grown produce contributed to better health; farmers needed to own more of the value chain to become more productive and profitable; and that there needed to be more co-operation within and between the two regions. Gibson Susumu, Food Security Technical Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, says the Pacific Islands are not often engaged with international research organisations. “There needs to extra support so our voices can be heard, and so we

can get the support we need to meet our challenges especially with respect to food security.”

Susumu says the Pacific also has successful research that can assist other international researchers. “I was sitting at session earlier and in some ways we are already ahead in some research areas. For example, we are already trialling climate resilient crops at the community level in different countries, which is just being discussed in one of the sessions,” says Susumu. “Our small scale allows us to go from research trial to implementation quite quickly. However, we recognize that we need to continue to boost research capacity in

the region.” He added that there are success stories in the region that needed to be scaled up.

Maurice Wilson is the head of the Resource Mobilisation, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute. CARDI operates by mandate of the heads of the Caribbean Commonwealth countries. Wilson says the IFPRI conference focuses on resilience for food security and that is basis of the work done at CARDI. “Being at this conference allows us to connect with other institutions and share information. It is essential that we do this because these institutions work in regions within which crop varieties may demonstrate tolerance to pests and diseases. These varieties may be tested and validated for

adoption within the Caribbean.”

He adds that collaboration between the Caribbean and Pacific has been increasing over the past two years and is being strengthened by the EU Intra-ACP Agricultural Policy Programme. Other research institutions also stand to benefit as the Caribbean and Pacific share their experiences and knowledge, according to Wil-son. “We see great advantages in forging relationships and net-working with potential donor sources, partners, and

collaborators.”

Conference director Pandya-Lorch says IFPRI stage each conference to be a catalyst. “You see this momentum. I feel we contribute by bringing these actors together to have informal conversations.” Among the speakers on the programme are a spread of international agricultural and development agencies. There are also

multi-national private sector players such as Nestle and DuPont.

Pandya-Lorch says private sector needs to have “the space to engage” and move the conversations forward. She adds that corporate social investment aside; change needs to occur at the core business level. “We design the conference to break barriers, share knowledge, hopes, and experiences across actors and disciplines.

People go home and think more, less, differently, better.” Continued on p7

5 SPAN May 2014

News Bits

V egetable farmers in Samoa and Fiji who are keen to increase the volume and quality of their vegetable crops now

have access to five specially-designed protective greenhouse structures with improved

ventilation.

This is thanks to the combined resources of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Pacific Agribusiness

Research for Development Initiative (PARDI).

The structures have been established as research, demonstration and commercial sites, where farmers and researchers can learn about improved cropping systems to supply high-value vegetables year-round to domestic and

potential export markets in the Pacific region.

Five structures, each covering a ground area of 360 m2, have been assembled in locations with distinct environmental conditions. Two of those have been assembled at Nu’u and Tapatapao in

Samoa.

According to PARDI Project Leader, Dr Elio Jovicich from the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), PARDI supply chain analyses and surveys and advice from collaborating farmers pinpointed the highest demand/high-value crops among

buyers and consumers.

“These crops: tomato, capsicum and cucumber, will be the subject of the first round of trials,”

said Dr Jovicich.

“Local farmers and representatives from several South Pacific research institutions are eager to start trial crops and are excited about

the considerable benefits the structures offer.”

The new greenhouse design includes high roofs (up to 4.5 m), roof vents, shade screens and

insect-exclusion netting.

The greenhouse structures use only passive ventilation for cooling (no electric fans) and can create an improved crop environment with respect to outdoor growing conditions and compared to the low-roof, walk-in tunnel

designs.

Walk-in tunnel designs are already used by some farmers and usually have roofs that are less than three metres high, no roof vents, and small open areas for lateral ventilation.

New greenhouses target

improved quality of veggies

Temperatures under these structures frequently

reach levels that are higher than optimal for

plant growth and fruit setting in vertically

trellised crops such as tomatoes, capsicums, and

cucumbers.

The purpose of using taller and better ventilated structures, such as the ones designed for the PARDI project, is to demonstrate that crops can be trellised to higher levels, and thus, production can be increased with more harvests throughout

the season.

T h i s environment is also better for short, leafy vegeta-ble crops. In addition to

providing improved growing conditions, the structures are designed to be dissembled when extreme weather conditions, i.e. cyclones, are

forecasted.

According to Dr. Jovicich, training farmers will also form an important part of the project given

the production system is new to the region.

“PARDI and ACIAR will train farmers in new irrigation technologies (e.g. drip), and different plant growing practices (e.g. trellising and pruning). We also aim to manage pest and diseases with low pesticide use and will collaborate with ACIAR to monitor and manage

pest and diseases during the trials.”

As well as PARDI/ACIAR funding, several local

commercial companies are backing the research.

Wah Sing Yee, Director of importers Marco Polo International Ltd, has helped to import the structures and is supporting MOA Fiji to import

additional structures and irrigation components.

Edwin Tamasese, a farmer and Director of Soil Health Pacific Ltd, has set-up the two structures, and is assisting with the importation of seeds and

irrigation components in Samoa.

Mr Tamasese and Mr. Munsami Naiker, farmer and Director of All Season Nursery in Tavua, will assist

with the production of seedlings for the trials.

PARDI/SPC/PACNEWS)

Photo: Samoa Observer

6 SPAN May 2014

Tonga, American Samoa to

increase agricultural trade

A conference was held to discuss terms of agreement on the exportation and

importation of agricultural goods between Tonga and American Samoa on the 28th May 2014 at the Department of Agriculture in Tafuna hosted by Director Lealao Melila Purcell. Honourable Sione Sangster Saulala, Minister of Agriculture & Food, Forestry & Fisheries for the Government of Tonga attended the conference with 12 other delegates from the Kingdom of Tonga. Local participants from American Samoa include sales people who

have already been importing goods from Tonga.

Specifically, the conference dealt with potential issues in importing watermelons from Tonga. Minister Saulala disclosed that a cargo vessel can now ship goods direct to American Samoa. He is delighted that it is now possible to export water-melons which are considered the best in the Pacific. Apart from this, they now have direct market for other crops they grow such as taro, sweet potato, yams, etc. and in return have the opportunity to buy some of the American goods in

Pago.

The trade agreement also targeted the fishery companies and canneries in American Samoa to support the fishing business in Tonga to enable a shorter route of their caught fish and get canned

fish in return.

Director Purcell is set to visit Tonga in June to check their fresh produce and other commodities that may be wanted in American Samoa apart from taro and yam which have already found its way from Tonga. He is eyeing for products that will im-prove the healthy lifestyle of the people which is the thrust of the government. (Extracted from The

Samoa News, Tony Gasu)

News Bits Samoa sheeping farming increasing

S heep farming in Samoa is growing through a programme funded by the World Bank.

Under the Samoa Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Project, the World Bank is

helping develop livestock, fruits and vegetable farming.

Sheep were introduced in Samoa in 2004, with the flock now grown to 700.

The agriculture ministry is refreshing its stock with new breeds from Australia and Fiji.

The ministry's Leota Laumata Pelesasa says a long list of farmers is requesting sheep and funding, but he says they need to meet requirements, such as having a shelter, good pasture, water and

paddock fencing. (Radio New Zealand)

Call for PNG to develop

agriculture

A Papua New Guinea agriculture official says proceeds from the country's LNG gas project and

other big resource developments should

be invested in agriculture.

Ofara Petilani, the Research and Development Coordinator of the National Agricultural Research Institute's Islands Regional Centre, says agriculture remains the source of sustainable livelihoods for the

vast majority of Papua New Guineans.

Mr Petilani says as such governments should direct more resources to capitalise on the

country's agriculture potential.

But he says the national focus tends more towards mining and petroleum projects

which are not sustainable industries.

"Gold, oil and all these others like gas, all those are non-renewable resources. Tomorrow they will go but we can see from past experiences like gold mines in the country, when the miners left, what happened to them, people resorted back to

agriculture."

(Radio New Zealand, EIN News)

Photo: RNZ

7 SPAN May 2014

Pacific and Caribbean voices … continued from p4

The Pacific and Caribbean panel also included: Edwin Laurent, Caribbean Green Economy Initiative senior

advisor; Mereia Volavola, Pacific Island Private Sector Organization chief executive officer; Adimaimalaga

Tafunai, Women in Business in Development executive director, Samoa; Jethro Greene, Caribbean Farmers

Network chief co-ordinator; Carmen Nurse, Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers president; and

Sant Kumar, Fiji Organic Producers Association president. (Faumuina Felolini Tafunai, WIBD)

IFC Finance : Sets up Working Group to Boost Coffee Exports from Papua New Guinea

I FC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced the establishment of the Papua New Guinea Coffee Trade Logistics Working Group to increase exports and create opportunities for smallholder farmers to meet the growing global demand for the country's

coffee. The Papua New Guinea government aims to double its existing annual export volume to 2 million bags of green coffee beans, but the industry needs to overcome some trade logistics challenges in order to achieve this target. "Lack of coordination has greatly impeded our industry's ability to meet its full potential, as has deficiencies in logistics and processes within the coffee supply chain," said Anton Benjamin, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Coffee Industry Corp., a member of the Papua New Guinea Coffee Trade Logistics Working Group. The working group comprises both government and private sector representatives, including the Coffee Industry Corp., the Coffee Exporters Council, Papua New Guinea Ports, the National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority, freight forwarders, and shipping and port-services companies. It aims to examine the export processes and recommend ways to improve coordination among the different parties along the coffee supply chain and streamline trade logistics to reduce

the time needed from the warehouse to the wharf.

"Improved efficiency in trade logistics will not only reduce the cost of doing business for exporters, but will also increase coffee producers' incomes by expanding their access to global markets demanding high-quality coffee," said Carolyn Blacklock, IFC Resident Representative in Papua New

Guinea.

Coffee production is the backbone of the rural economy in Papua New Guinea, with around 2.5

million Papua New Guineans depending on it for cash needs.

"The demand for Papua New Guinea coffee is steadily rising as people across the world discover the high quality of our product," said Jon Edwards, Chairman of the Coffee Exporters Council. "Improving the export process will allow us to broaden our markets. More people will get to enjoy

Papua New Guinea coffee and the coffee producers will benefit as a result."

About IFC IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. Working with private enterprises in more than 100 countries, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to help eliminate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. In FY13, our investments climbed to an all-time high of nearly $25 billion, leveraging the power of the private sector to create jobs and tackle the world's most pressing development

challenges. www.ifc.org. (EIN News)

News Bits

t

8 SPAN May 2014

USP Alafua Sports Team showed great spirit

I t was indeed a show of great spirit as USP Alafua students participated at the Samoa University Games that was held last on the

3rd of May 2014 at the National University of Samoa (NUS). The games were run by the

University Sports of Samoa Association.

USP competed against the NUS in a 10 a side rugby tournament and mixed netball. More than 150

students took part in the one-day tournament.

Both the USP rugby and netball teams competed very well against the five teams that the NUS fielded but were unlucky to have lost by very close

margins in the finals.

The competing students are very grateful to the USP Alafua Campus Student Association

for their financial and moral support. The players also acknowledged the contribution Mr. Dean

Seuoti extended to the USP rugby team.

Campus Life expressed appreciation to all those who partook in this event—both players, cheerers

and supporters.

Solomon Islands Scholarship

Coordinator’s visit fostered good

relationship

I t was a great privilege for USP

Alafua Campus to have been visited by the Scho larship Coo r d i na to r o f Solomon Islands, Rose Maddie Kudi, who is the Secretary of the National Training Division of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development of the country. Ms. Kudi came to monitor how their scholars are coping with studies at USP. She

had a on-on-one meeting with the scholars.

ACD Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa affirmed that the Solomon Island students are very hardworking and consider studies as a priority. Some of them are excelling in their classes. The ACD hopes that this first visit will be the start of numerous visits in the future to ensure that

the students welfare and success will be assured.

The Head of SAFT, Mr. Mohammed Umar, welcomes any criticism which will allow the campus to improve. He remarked that the Solomon Island students are typically bright students and if given the right support,

and environment, they can perform better.

He also disclosed the school’s plan to do intensive marketing in Solomon Islands and encourage Distance learning opportunities to allow more cost-effective scholarship programme. He encouraged continuous bilateral support to address mutual issues particularly

in the agriculture sector.

The USP Alafua Campus family welcomes any future

visits of partners in member countries.

USP Security Team vows to keep up to the challenge

I n response to the call to better secure the USP Alafua Campus in all respects, three new Security staff were recruited to make up the 7-man

team.

The three new staff were welcomed by the Cam-pus and School Management in a simple ceremony held on the 22nd of May 2014. In the same occasion, uniforms, safety vests, two-way security radios and other gears were provided

to the 7-man team.

Both the ACD Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa and Head of SAFT Associate Professor Mohammed Umar challenged the whole team to put their best foot forward in ensuring that the constituency and assets of the university are well protected bearing in mind that there are a umber of complications in the interphase with the public which they need to deal with utmost patience. Both the ACD and HOS promised that the team will

get full support from the administration.

The challenge of eliminating stray dogs and pigs (which destroys experimental crops) are brought to the

table as a priority, of which the team committedly accepted.

The USP Alafua Campus family welcomes the reinforced Security Team!

9 SPAN May 2014

The management of JOSPA wishes to advise potential contributors that the deadline for this year’s issue has been extended to the 31st July 2014. Please contact the following for details on how to submit manuscripts:

For technical enquiries, please contact the Managing Editor:

Bel Guinto USP-IRETA Publications Officer Ph: +685 21671 ext 304

Email: guinto_m@samoa. usp.ac.fj

Siaka Diarra (PhD) The University of the South Pacific School of Agriculture and Food Technology Alafua Campus, Apia, Samoa Tel: (+685) 21671 Ext 275; Fax: (+685) 22347 Email: diarra_s@samoa.usp.ac.fj

Breadfruit

B readfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a member of the Moraceae (fig) family. The scientific or Latin name is derived from Greek (artos = bread, karpos = fruit), and altilis means ‘fat’. Baked or roasted in a fire, the fruit has a starchy

texture and fragrance that is reminiscent of fresh baked bread.

Breadfruit has been an important staple crop and component of traditional agroforestry systems in the Pacific for more than 3,000 years. This species originated in the South Pacific and was spread throughout Oceania by intrepid islanders settling the numerous islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Due to the efforts of Captain Bligh and French voyagers, a few seedless varieties from Polynesia were introduced to the Caribbean in the late 1700s. These gradually spread to other tropical regions.

Breadfruit is now grown in close to 90 countries.

The wild ancestor of breadfruit, Artocarpus camansi (breadnut) naturally occurs in New Guinea, the Moluccas (Indonesia), and possibly the Philippines. Breadnut accompanied seedless breadfruit varieties on their trek beyond the Pacific and is now widely grown in other tropical regions. A third related species, Artocarpus mariannensis (dugdug or chebiei), grows wild in Palau and the Mariana Islands and has long been cultivated throughout Micronesia, especially on the atoll islands. It naturally hybridized with Artocarpus altilis and the

numerous hybrids are only found in Micronesia.

The nutritious fruit and seeds of all three species are edible. The multipurpose trees are easy to grow, beneficial to the environment, and produce an abundance of nutritious, tasty fruit. They also provide construction materials, medicine, fabric, glue, insect repellent, animal feed, and more. The trees begin bearing in 3 to 5 years and are productive for many decades. This 'tree of bread' has the potential to play a

significant role in alleviating hunger in the tropics.

Leaders Commit to Reinvigorate Regionalism

SPAN May 2014 10

T his is the subject of a meeting with stakeholders on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Fifth Assessment Report, specifically the progress of Working Group #

2 (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability) and Working Group 3 (Mitigation of Climate Change). The consultation meeting was held at the National University of Samoa (NUS) on the 19th of May 2014. USP Alafua Campus was well-represented by management, staff and stu-

dents.

Mr. David Sheppard, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), emphasised the necessity for small island countries to get involved from the village level because of the frontline impacts climate change has on the Pacific Island countries. He reiterated the important role IPCC plays in providing scientific

evidences to support policy directions.

The co-chair of the Working Group 2, Dr. Christopher Field delivered the message that people are vulnerable and exposed everywhere. Mr. Mohammed Umar, Head of SAFT of USP queried on the specific measures to

address root crop adaptation and rising sea level issues in the Pacific. These are still work in progress.

Dr. Netatua Pelesikoti, Director of the Climate Change Division of SPREP and a lead author of Chapter 29 on Small Islands noted that the whole climate and non-climate spectra should be considered and an integrated

approach in dealing with climate change is the best strategy for small islands.

The working group facilitators encourage academicians in universities like USP to publish their research work

so IPCC can capture these.

L eaders of Forum member countries who met in the Cook Islands on the 6th May 2014 agreed to reinvigorate their efforts towards regional cooperation and integration under the Pacific Plan. Attending the Special Leaders Retreat, Leaders considered the 2013 review of the Pacific Plan, led

by the Hon Sir Mekere Morauta, former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Leaders expressed their

appreciation for the comprehensive work of Sir Mekere Morauta and his review team.

The current Chair of the Forum, President Loeak of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, welcomed the productive discussions and outcomes of the meeting. “It is clear from the Morauta Review and our discussions today that business as usual has not been delivering the benefits Leaders had hoped for when they endorsed the Pacific Plan in 2005," explained the President. “The decisions we have made will sharpen the focus for Leaders and give us space to discuss how we move forward on the continuum towards

integration.”

Speaking after the meeting, Prime Minister Puna of the Cook Islands emphasised the importance of political leadership discussing the challenges and opportunities for region. “We need strong political leadership and clear decisions if we are to make regional integration work," stated the Prime Minister. “It requires Leaders to have a serious discussion on a handful of high priority issues that will take us forward and carefully

consider the benefits that will accrue to the region.”

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, welcomed the outcomes of the meeting. “This is an important moment for the region. Once again, Leaders have

demonstrated their commitment to regionalism and to working closely together," he stated.

Leaders agreed to a number of ways to strengthen regionalism and priority setting, including further consultations with countries on the development of a Framework for Pacific Regionalism, replacing the Pacific Plan Action Committee with a small, specialised sub-committee of the Forum Officials Committee – the governing body of the Forum Secretariat – and looking at how to rationalise the range of Ministerial

meetings. (Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat)

Climate change is a major concern in the small island countries