Agriculture

 Located at the southward extension of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Pacific island nations (PICs) are important economic and trade partners of China. Currently, China has inked Memorandums of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation with all 10 PICs with diplomatic relations with China.

The assistance is being disbursed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in partnership with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Australian Government to the selected organisations.

The PIRAS Facility aims to support Covid-19 food systems and economic recovery across villages by targeting women and youth actively working in the sector to improve sustainable food production and nutrition while also strengthening inclusive local chains.

The training was aimed at improving delivery of agriculture extension services and introducing new Irrigation and Fertigation Technology to boost farmers’ production and productivity.

They were organised and coordinated by MASHAV Agriculture Training Center (MATC) and Israeli Pacific Food Security Alliance (IPFSA) through Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT)

The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Laauli Leuatea Polataivao Fosi along with his Associate Minister and executive management team attended the day’s festivities.

The event last Wednesday started off with a lively and colourful parade of youth and children proudly showcasing decorative floats, representing families competing for prizes at the Talomua.

The Government of Fiji hosted the Seventh Regional Meeting of the Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services (PHOAFS), held virtually from 25 – 27 August with partners the Pacific Community (SPC), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Fiji Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry.  

The newly released 'Samoa 2040' report focuses on four broad areas: tourism, agriculture and fishing, developing the digital economy and labour mobility.

The report says labour mobility opportunities can be grown, pointing out that Tonga had half Samoa's population but double the number of seasonal workers overseas.

“It provides a valuable source of income for Samoan workers and their families and their communities and offers an opportunity to gain new experiences and training which can then be reinvested into Samoa's development,” it said.

The Samoa Agriculture & Fisheries Productivity and Marketing Project will strengthen the management, productivity and climate resilience of Samoa’s agricultural and fisheries sectors and support Samoan farmers and fishers to improve links with agro-processors and traders. A key part of the project is the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure, including nurseries, crop drying facilities and cold storage at fish markets; all to be built or rehabilitated to disaster-resilient standards.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as well as the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development of Samoa are partnering to implement this project, which will also contribute to the outcomes of the Samoa One-United Nations Youth Employment Programme (YEP) aimed at addressing the challenges of youth unemployment and to deliver practical solutions and opportunities.

Ms. Lizbeth Cullity, UN Resident Coordinator in Apia, Samoa attended the launch of the project on 11 April 2017.

The participants are from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Pacific Community (SPC).

The exchange is supported by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and SPC through the European Union supported Agriculture Policy Project (PAPP).

Meanwhile, the amount of arable land is decreasing, and farmers face mounting challenges.

Climate Corporation aims to take the guesswork out of issues like weather and crop disease. The 10-year-old company offers a slate of "digital agriculture" tools that provide a real-time, Facebook-esque feed about what's happening on a farm at every moment.