12/11/09 GCARD 2010 PACIFIC SUB-REGIONAL REPORT

Alan R. Quartermain

Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment aquartermain@gmail.com

Transforming Agricultural Knowledge into Development Impact for the Pacific

Introduction This report for the Pacific Sub-region of Asia-Pacific sets out considerations for the prioritization of agricultural and natural resources research for development, recognizing present capacity, constraints and challenges. It gives proposed alternative scenarios and innovation pathways towards the achievement of desired development goals with an emphasis on combating hunger, malnutrition, poverty and environmental degradation. Of particular concern was the question raised for participants in the e-consultation – “In your opinion, how can we meet the major challenges being faced by Pacific countries with extremely small populations and land areas, isolation, high costs of transport, sea level rise, and absence of Agricultural Research for Development policies and capacities in some?” The Pacific Sub-region – an Ocean of Islands The Pacific region of interest is made up of the 22 island members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) which are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Pitcairn Island, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna. The geography, populations, cultures, economies and politics of these 22 island countries and territories are extremely diverse. Of great importance is the distinction that must be made between high islands and low atolls, sometimes within a country, and the commonality of an access to marine resources. Also the very small size of so many of the countries means that domestic markets for crops are very small and it is impossible for such countries to develop or maintain any reasonably functional research and development capacity. The vast distances between countries make cooperation difficult with slow, expensive or inconvenient communication or transport systems.

The islands themselves present great geographical diversity. There is one very large and diverse country (PNG), four smaller but largely mountainous countries (Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu), four middle sized countries (Kiribati and Marshall Islands all atolls and FSM and Tonga a mix of island types) and five very small islands or groups of atolls or islands of mixed type (Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tuvalu). The countries cover a land area of only 553,959 km2 spread in the world’s largest ocean such that the region covers over 30 million square kilometers of which more than 98 per cent is ocean. Only about 500 of 7,500 islands are inhabited. Isolation complicates

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administration, communication, marketing of agricultural and marine products and the provision of basic services. The ocean, however, has played a positive role as a natural barrier against the spread of diseases. The ocean is of major economic value for fisheries development, particularly because of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs – Table 1) and the sale of fishing rights to the Pacific tuna resource. Long coastlines relative to populations and unpolluted waters present vast untapped potentials for marine aquaculture (mariculture).

Table 1. Pacific island countries showing land areas, exclusive economic zone areas, and population numbers Country Land area Sea area Population (km2) (1000s km2) (1000s) American Samoa 197 390 36 Cook Islands 240 1830 18 Federated States of Micronesia 701 2978 91 Fiji 18 272 1290 701 French Polynesia 3265 5030 173 Guam 541 218 115 Kiribati 690 3550 64 Marshall Islands 181 2131 36 Nauru 21 320 8 New Caledonia 19 103 1740 151 Niue 259 390 3 Northern Marianas 471 1823 20 Palau 494 629 14 Papua New Guinea 462 243 3120 3321 Pitcairn 5 800 0.1 Solomon Islands 27 556 1340 276 Tokelau 10 290 2 Tonga 699 700 95 Tuvalu 26 900 9 Vanuatu 11880 680 136 Wallis & Futuna 16 300 14 Samoa 2935 120 160

PNG accounts for 83 percent of the land area while Nauru, Pitcairn, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna are each smaller than 30 square km. Some countries, such as Nauru and Niue, are compact and consist of only one island. Others, such as French Polynesia and the Federated States of Micronesia, include more than a hundred islands each, spread out over enormous distances. The total population of the region was estimated in 2000 at 7.6 million of which PNG had 5 million or 66 percent. The estimated 6.2 million people of PNG today would represent at least that percentage of the total if not more. The

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population is predominantly rural; however, urbanization is occurring at a rapid rate, resulting in more than 50 percent of the population residing in defined urban areas in half of the countries. Also the farming community is aging with increasing urbanization of the young and, in PNG, the effects of HIV/AIDS.

However, the opportunities for PNG in terms of internal markets for crops are much greater than elsewhere and the domestic marketing of food crops has been one of that country’s success stories over the past 25 years. On the other hand, some of the smaller countries have much better market access for export with direct airline linkages to Pacific-rim markets.

Development Priorities

In 1979, the Asian Development Bank commissioned a South Pacific Agricultural Survey of its seven developing member countries – Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Fiji and PNG. The comprehensive report (Ward and Proctor 1980) gives an excellent overview of the choices and constraints faced by these Pacific nations 30 years ago. Little has changed over the past three decades and in many respects the situation has deteriorated. Pacific Island Countries face a number of challenges and vulnerabilities, including extremely small populations, land areas and economies; weak institutional capacity in both the public and private sector; an absence of policies on research for development; remoteness from international markets but dependence upon them; isolation from each other hindering cooperation; susceptibility to natural disasters and the effects of climate change; fragility of land and marine ecosystems; limited fresh water supply; high costs of transportation; limited diversification in production and exports; income volatility; and vulnerability to exogenous economic shocks such as the ever rising cost of fossil fuels.

The majority of the populations are subsistence farmers or those who combine subsistence production with small-scale market production, but the domestic markets for agricultural produce are small. There are critical problems of communication and transport such that poor land and sea transport infrastructure is often cited as the main weakness in the enabling environment. Land availability, due to small size but also the landforms, access to good agricultural land and land tenure are also problems. These constraints operate even within the relatively large country of PNG. They influence all considerations concerning rural development, and hence prioritization of research. Most countries have national strategic plans or development plans stating agriculture as a priority, but words do not translate into actual support or action on the ground and the status of agriculture remains low, trailing other sectors such as health and education. Respondents to the consultation stated that renewable natural resources and agricultural research stand high in government priorities but they were mostly unaware of documentation. PNG has a Medium Term Development Strategy 2005-2010, a recently prepared National Agriculture Development Plan 2007-2016, and a multitude of sectoral or corporate plans with goals and targets but no guarantees of support or likely attainment. Samoa, Tonga (Plan 7) and the Solomon Islands (2009-2012) have strategic

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development plans. In general, all plans give equally high priority to food security and to national economic development. The level of proposed contribution of agriculture to the latter remains unclear in most cases. Research is often fragmented among different Departments and agencies and, while this is not necessarily a bad thing as one should not try to stifle competition or initiative, care must be taken to ensure efficiency of utilization of resources. Who are the Poor? A question that arose early in the consultation concerned the real poverty situation in the Pacific communities. The data in the UNICEF tabulation given in Table 2 indicate poverty is general but do not illustrate disparities within countries and between rural and urban areas. These are most recent data found for the state of development of the Pacific countries and indicate both the variability amongst the countries and the major problem areas. They give a clear picture of relative poverty. Australia and New Zealand have been included for comparison. Table 2. Comparative indicators of poverty for 16 Pacific island countries and neighbors

Country Total Popn (‘000) 2007

% urban

Pop GR ‘90-‘07 %

GNI / capita 2007 US$

% below poverty line

< 5 yr Mortality 2007

Life expect Yrs 2007

Adult lit’acy %

10 School net %

HIV (‘000) 2007

ODA 2006 mUS$

Cooks 13 73 -1.7 18 74 32 Fiji 839 52 0.9 3800 18 69 91 <0.5 56 Kiribati 95 50 1.6 1170 63 97 -45 Marshalls 59 67 1.3 3070 54 66 55 FSM 111 22 0.8 2470 40 68 92 109 Nauru 10 100 0.6 30 60 17 Niue 2 37 - 90 9 Palau 20 68 1.8 8210 10 96 37 PNG 6331 14 2.5 850 36 65 57 58 54 279 Samoa 187 23 0.9 2430 27 71 99 90 47 Solomons 496 18 2.7 730 70 63 62 205 Tonga 100 24 0.3 2320 23 73 99 96 21 Tuvalu 11 57 0.7 37 100 15 Vanuatu 226 24 2.4 1840 34 70 78 87 49 Australia 20743 89 1.2 35960 6 81 96 18 NZ 4179 86 1.2 28780 6 80 99 1.4

Key – % urbanized as defined in national statistics - latest year available Population growth rate – annual 1990 to 2007 % below poverty line <US$1.25 per day –latest year available

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Under 5 years mortality – probability of dying between birth and 5 years per 1000 live births Life expectancy at birth Adult literacy – number of literate persons 15 years + as a % of population in that age group – latest year available Primary school net enrolment or attendance as a % of children of primary school age - latest year available HIV – estimated number of people of all ages living with HIV ODA – net official development assistance Source: The State of the World’s Children 2009. United Nations Children’s Fund, December 2008. These figures underline the diversity in the region already described. Note that only the independent countries are included in the UNICEF tabulation, but inputs received also from a number of dependant territories such as New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are consistent with these data. Child mortality as a basic indicator of health is unacceptable in all countries but particularly bad in Kiribati, Marshall Islands, PNG and Solomon Islands. The peculiar situation of PNG with respect to HIV infections must be noted. The figures for percent urbanization can be misleading as they do not account for urban gardening, urban dwellers using land outside of urban areas or even on other islands, and the differing degrees of dispersion or aggregation of residences across smaller islands. The primary schooling figures are poor, with the odd exception of Nauru, especially in countries with generally dispersed populations in remote areas having poor access to services. Population growth rates have been high and remain so in PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu while some small countries are static or are even losing population to developed neighbours. The adult literacy rate and life expectancy are poor in PNG and income levels, while low everywhere, are particularly low in PNG and Solomon Islands. So, do we have poverty in the Pacific? The answer must be yes but it depends on definitions. It may be more urban than rural since subsistence farmers are not necessarily poor farmers. But we do have people left out, lacking opportunities, and the concept of subsistence affluence is becoming less meaningful. In the set of questions from the Pacific submitted originally there were queries concerning the identity of the rural poor, where they are located and what has caused this poverty. It was felt necessary to identify the communities at risk and also determine why there are urban poor to be fed from rural production. Many Pacific rural people are poor by the standard income indices of poverty because they earn little or no income; but in normal times they eat well and have the other basic essentials for a good life. They are not, for the most part, farmers in the sense of owning farms but most have access to land and are consummate gardeners. Others depend more on marine resources and the majority, except on atolls, utilize rainforest resources. Incomes are limited, however, because of lack of ready access to inputs, markets or

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alternative sources of income. In PNG, at least, these areas of poor access have been mapped and in most countries whole islands are in this category. The downside is that these communities are extremely vulnerable to natural hazards and demographic imbalances as people move about seeking new opportunities or because of pressures on the land. Such pressures also contribute to swelling the numbers of the urban poor. Rural and urban poverty are linked. Natural hazards and problems such as drought, irregular or excessive rainfall, frosts in some areas, land movement, soil fertility decline, loss of biodiversity, especially from marine or coastal ecosystems, pests and diseases, sea level rise and increasing salinity of soil or ground water are becoming more frequent or serious due to climate change and increasing populations. Much research will be needed to enable communities to deal with these challenges. Equity demands this. There cannot be focused research and development (R&D) without knowing how rural population structures are changing due to urban or enclave development, increasing education, often away from agriculture, and epidemics such as HIV/AIDS. In Samoa, Tonga and the other countries with high levels of income from remittances, incomes may look high but the cost of living is high and US$1 per day is still minimal for survival. Nearly all (95 percent) people in these countries still depend to some extent on agriculture but it is a dying sector. Niue is under-populated with abundant land and poverty is not evident. But there is little development. In Vanuatu, people are not hungry but welfare needs upgrading. Acute or absolute poverty is virtually unknown but surveys give seven percent below the food poverty line and 16 percent below a basic needs poverty line. Urban areas fare worse than rural. Poverty is seen mostly in hardship, meaning lack of access to essential basic services, poor education and absence of sources of steady income. Productive subsistence agriculture, customary resource access and social capital may be in decline with poverty therefore increasing. The economies of the French territories depend on transfers from France, tourism, black pearls in Polynesia and nickel in New Caledonia. In the latter there is a high level of GDP per person, but inequalities for the indigenous population and Polynesian migrants mean that perhaps 20 percent of the total population is impoverished. In the Solomon Islands, the real poverty is in lack of knowledge, isolation, disaffected youth, poor communication and lack of transport. PNG effectively feeds itself but its rich bio-diversity is apparently not enough to guarantee prosperity. Although imported rice and wheat-based foods supply an estimated nine percent of food energy, locally grown staples provide an estimated 68 percent of food energy, and 76 percent of protein comes from locally grown foods (Bourke and Allen 2009). Nevertheless there is significant poverty in rural PNG (94 percent of the poor are rural) because although carbohydrate food is generally sufficient, proteins, fats and oils are lacking. Hence measures of health, education and life outcomes in PNG are among the worst in the Pacific. The constraint to an understanding of the situation is that remittances and attractive wealth creation from mining, logging and a few selected agricultural activities such as sugar and palm oil production have created an illusion of wealth which is not real for most rural people.

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Time did not allow for collection of data on food imports into the different countries, even if such data are available. Even these data would not necessarily indicate consumption patterns due to urban-rural and rich-poor disparities. Informants indicated clearly that there is poor nutrition leading to life-style diseases, blamed on imported food, and this is worse in some countries, e.g. those more dependent on external sources of income such as remittances. Workers in Agricultural Departments may not have easy access to data held with Departments of Health or Trade. Research Priorities in Agriculture and Food Production Previous Pacific sub-region agricultural research priority setting and needs appraisal exercises were conducted in Nadi, October 2001 (Ghodake 2001) and, as a more micro-level focused follow-up, in Noumea, October 2005 (Mennesson and Ghodake 2005). Results from such exercises were synthesized for the whole Asia-Pacific region and this report was prepared (Ghodake 2006) and presented at a workshop in Bangkok, August 2006. These previous research area prioritization processes involved limited consultation with stakeholders but followed a systematic assessment of Potential Impact and Feasibility as indicated in the diagram as follows:

Maximum return to the P ifi P ifiPacific through R&D: - Livelihood - Food Security - Environment

Potential Impact

Feasibility

Potential Benefits

Adoption Likelihood

Scientific Potential

Research Capacity

Details from these exercises are not presented here but the summary table from the Noumea workshop was used to solicit responses from participants at the recent Crops for the Future workshop in Nadi, 21-22 September 2009, and is given in Table 3. Table 3. High priority research issues for the Pacific sub-region Research Area High Priority Research Issues

1. Crop production and improvement

1. Value adding and post-harvest management 2. Crop husbandry including organic production systems 3. Plant genetic resources 4. Integrated pest and disease management

2. Livestock including poultry

1. Feed formulation and development 2. Animal waste management 3. Livestock improvement (introduction and selection)

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4. Zoo-noses 3. Forestry n

ment

o-forestry

1. Timber and non-timber utilizatio2. sustainable forest manage3. Forest plantation health 4. Community forestry and agr5. Degraded areas restoration

4. Fisheries 2. Reef fishery systems management 1. Aquaculture systems management

5.Natural Resource Management

gement and soil fertility

ent and policy issues stems

ent

1. Land, watershed mana2. Land use and tenure 3. Integrated natural resource managem4. Biodiversity of natural ecosy5. Atoll resource managem

6. Cross Cutting Issues

(macro analysis at industry level) ion

1. Markets and marketing 2. Production and marketing economic analysis 3. Supply and demand analysis4. Agricultural mechanisat

7. Socio-economic Socio-economic studies

8. Bio-security rveillance, monitoring and border control 2. Trade facilitation 1. Pest and disease su

Current Considerations

t arkets because of their lack of large scale commodity production or domestic markets.

Responses from the consultations indicated that these priorities are still valid today although there is obviously country to country variation in emphasis. Respondents raised the expected needs in terms of capacity such as sustained financial support, research facilities, qualified staff in specific areas such as pathology, entomology, breeding and agronomy, bio-security, the brain drain, particularly to Australia and New Zealand, inter-sector cooperation and governmental awareness and support in general. Also mentioned as being of high relevance today were crop production and improvement, integrated pest management, value adding and post-harvest issues, organic production systems, livestock improvement (especially cattle in Vanuatu and New Caledonia), aquaculture (prawns), trade and export promotion and facilitation, sustainable productivity and consistent quality, increased farmer incomes, the promotion of local foods, forest management, community or agro-forestry, rehabilitation of degraded areas, watershed and soil fertility management, reef fisheries and the understanding of traditional communities and landowners. There is innovation in propagation techniques for early maturity in fruit and nuts with the recognition that propagation is not just multiplication. Many ideas were forthcoming regarding the raising of awareness as to possibilities. The smaller countries have a greater interest in new opportunities for products aimed at high value, niche exporm

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In many places such as in the Northern Mariana Islands, soil and growing conditions are conducive for small scale commercial crop production yet typhoons, droughts, limited water, difficult marketing, the high cost of chemical inputs, the risks of contamination of ground water and soil loss have so reduced income earning capacity that people are

turning to sustainable farming for subsistence using traditional integrated pest and

ents in oil palm production and associated systems, while rice is being romoted, mostly in quarter-hectare plots but also on a larger scale (10 ha), including on

iue raised the specter of having too many projects and agencies, with effectiveness

obal markets. uccesses with giant clams, the aquarium trade and seaweed have so far been short-term.

ruths – that eir countries have real issues of food security and poverty, and that support for

ly viable pathway out of this situation.

redisease control and practicing low input technologies such as dry-litter pig raising. Countries such as PNG, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Fiji continue to rely on mining and logging to generate national development and, while giving lip service to issues of food security and the potentials of agriculture, seem unable to alter the mind set that smallholder and plantation agriculture will look after itself while governments concentrate on the wealth flowing from non-renewable resources. However, good work has been done in a number of areas in those countries with research capacity, including Vanuatu. Little has been done in the Solomon Islands, but there are now private sector driven developmpschool farms. Ndependent on outside support and possibly too many projects to handle. In fisheries, other than tuna capture, it is considered that most past efforts have been unsuccessful or limited due to lack of personnel and commitment, and social obligations. Commercial operations at government or village community level have been unsuccessful and there is need to work with the private sector to access glSThere needs to be an enabling environment for public-private partnerships. The big question is – how can we increase the knowledge base, and also utilize traditional or rural community knowledge, to enable such communities to cope with the changes, overcome the obstacles of small productive populations and land shortages, isolation, high costs of transport and neglect by central agencies, and meet their aspirations for health and happiness? The technical challenges can be overcome given effort and time, incentives and creativity, but the real challenge is to get governments to take agriculture seriously and not simply for granted. Leaders do not think about food so long as it keeps coming and believe that food security will be guaranteed if they simply say it is important. It is suggested that it is necessary to have better all-inclusive planning from the start of any research effort to try to ensure uptake for development. If agriculture is given its due attention and support from the top levels of government, bureaucracy and policy, then all else in terms of social development will follow as farmers become more prosperous. Governments of the sub-region must be led to acknowledge two tthagricultural development offers the on Research Capacity and Investment

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Data from PNG were included in a study of Agricultural R&D Capacity and Investments in the Asia-Pacific Region (Beintema and Stads 2008). The PNG National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) plus four commodity Institutes (non-profit organizations) make up the bulk of the research capacity. Three universities have agricultural research programs and there are large private sector companies with perhaps three doing most of the research, two in oil palm. From 1991-2002, total researchers grew only slowly from 86 to 107 while total spending remained static. In 1991, PNG had a high intensity ratio (public agricultural R&D spending as a percentage of agricultural GDP) of over one percent but this had halved by 2002. Funding in 2002/03 was dominated almost equally by government and

other sources (commodity levies) with only small amounts from onors and own income. Private sector expenditure was 8.7 percent of the total public +

y be doing relevant research. For xample, the two major oil palm companies and Ramu Agri Industries in PNG are doing bstantial research relevant to their production foci.

T mbers of scient ed institutions

Country Institution of

Scientists

Remarks

dprivate expenditure. Table 4 gives the numbers of scientists actually present as in October 2009 in the countries and institutions listed. The numbers do not include technicians, farm managers or other ancillary staff but only scientists with post-graduate qualifications who are doing or can do research in the natural resource areas. There are no data from countries that did not respond to requests. There are additional scientists in Government Departments, related research institutions such as the National Research Institute in PNG, conservation organisations and the private sector who are or maesu

able 4. Nu ists in select , 2009

Number

Papua New Guinea

h 9 National Agricultural ResearcInstitute

4 6 locations

conut

2 locations, 3 Cocoa Coconut Research Institute Cocoa Co

156

vacancies

Coffee Industry Corporation 6 5 vacancies Forest Research Institute 15 12 Oil Palm Research Association University of Natural Resources and

re campuses

Environment Agricultu32 2

Fisheries 4 Forestry 1 University of Technology

Agriculture 12

Forestry 16 campuses 2 University of Goroka Agriculture 6 Nat. Resources 4

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New

aledonia stations

CInstitut Agronomique neo-Caledonien

19 6

Research for Development Institute 10 for the Sea 14 Institute Provincial Agricultural Technical

Centres 4

Northern College, ve Research, Extension

3 Mariana Islands

Northern MarianasCooperatiand Education Service

Vanuatu 3 VARTC Samoa University of the South Pacific,

Alafua Campus 15

Solomon Islands

griculture Ministry of A 30

Tuvalu Agriculture

Fisheries Environment

4 5 3

Fiji Agriculture Department of 20 Cook Islands re

Only 1 PhD Agricultu

Fisheries Forestry

8 102

FSM

Biodiversity Marine biology

1 2

1 in each State College of Micronesia – Agronomy Animal science

4 1

Global Agricultural R&D Reviews There are few references to the Pacific in global documentation on R&D. CGIAR investment data for 2008 give the shares of banana/plantain as three percent, roots and tubers one percent, sweet potato two percent, tropical fruit one percent, yam one percent, cassava four percent and coconut one percent, a total of 13 percent. Some of this investment will have produced relevant results for the Pacific but perhaps not much. An unknown proportion of the work of World Fish, World Agroforestry and IWMI will have been devoted to areas of interest plus a proportion of the 11 percent for livestock and 21 percent for non-commodity research. It could be noted that probably the largest ontribution to Pacific needs would come from the 37.9 percent of total investment going

development and implementation of these mega-programs. The challenges are well

cto Bioversity International. The seven identified and proposed mega-programs and the two platforms so far documented by the CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework Team are all of direct relevance to the needs of the Pacific as indicated in this sub-regional report and it is to be hoped that attention will be given to the needs of these very small countries in the

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known and highlighted throughout this report. Meeting these challenges will require the maximum available support from the international research community, as well as local ommitment and effort.

oherence and Gaps

ng the farmer and the systems and involving the srmers in the research from the start.

here are three major knowledge gaps –

r which crops, varieties or livestock breeds

3. The comparative nutritional values of crops, varieties and various food products.

and vegetables. The message here is at traditional Pacific foods are not inferior foods.

ility needs) r leading the farmers (addressing likely problems they are not yet aware of)?

ng or crop improvement seems to be the key to meeting so many of the hallenges:

sources

3. Meeting adversity – such as likely from climate change

c C The tendency in looking at priorities and gaps is to concentrate on the constraints such as lack of land or limited land areas, sea level rise, rapid population increases but limited and high-cost skilled labour, access, communications, infrastructure, poor or deteriorating extension services, health and education. But agricultural R&D cannot deal with these. The real challenge is to find ways around them. What can be done given the constraints which are not going to go away quickly? Why is it necessary to worry about extension if the technologies are any good? Good news spreads quickly even when communications seem poor. Pacific farmers are innovative, perhaps because they are not desperate and can take risks. But available R&D innovations often do not offer what farmers really want. Care must be taken not to ask farmers to try bad or useless varieties or technologies. Priorities are understandifa T

1. The labour requirements for different crops or production systems. 2. Genotype x environment interactions o

are best suited to be produced where.

It is important to take advantage of the continuing interest in traditional staples and a growing renewed interest in traditional fruit, nuts th It is necessary to look at investment in two categories - public sector, longer term, public good investment in nutrition, market potentials, human capital development, bio-prospecting and bio-fuels, and shorter term research for food security at the national level responding to the immediate needs and opportunities as demanded by farmers or consumers. Farmers have needs and aspirations but not at any cost. So what are they willing and able to do? Are we following the farmers (e.g. addressing soil ferto Plant breedic

1. Productivity of all re2. Quality of products

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Respondents suggested that the previously identified priorities covered most of the requirements but there are needs to determine how to conduct participatory consultation to set priorities on an on-going basis, linking R&D to world trends and developments to attract funding, and enhance collaboration to facilitate capacity building. Political stability is important for on-going support. Long term planning but short term flexibility are critical requirements. Many crops require long term investment and hence careful predictions are necessary. Case studies can help but it is possible to get misleading information from short-term localized studies. Extension services and NGOs may have

ore useful longer-term baseline data than research institutions on which to base longer

productive. It was stated that hardly any research organizations are oking at the protocols used by successful farmers following their own conventional or

ustries to compete in omestic markets for processed goods. Some local income generation is possible but

ses to identify strengths and eaknesses in production and utilization systems for specific types of commodities; but

: rate vegetables and potato into the

PNG

oducers and

ut in Melanesia eding of crops such as taro for resistance to leaf blight and

maturity

• The demonstrated benefits of networking

mterm planning. One key seems to be that research is needed to increase understanding as to what farmers are doing with nil external inputs and how the systems work so that they can possibly be improved, or the same results be achieved with less labour. Labour in the Pacific is not cheap and is often not readily available. Hence high labour, low input technologies, so often components of organic or conservation agriculture, may not be readily taken up, even if demonstrablylotraditional methods. Value adding is only of real interest if linked to export markets or dealing with seasonal variations since it is difficult for community-based cottage inddconsistent quality and sexy packaging for marketing are required. More use can be made of Innovation Systems analywhow can the understanding which is generated be used? There are many success stories, and lessons may be taken from a study and understanding of these. Examples include

• The introduction of new crops such as tempehighlands of PNG

• The introduction of Rotundata yam into• The development of inland pond aquaculture, given special impetus with the

introduction of late maturing Tilapia • The growth of broiler chicken production, both by independent pr

vertically integrated systems, responding to market demand • The domestication of the Canarium (galip or ngali) n• The selection or bre

sweet potato for drought tolerance or early• Taro beetle control

• Smallholder production of export tree crops – coffee, cocoa, copra, rubber

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Nearly all, if not all, successful export industries (in some cases also domestic urban supply industries) have been started through plantation production with smallholders oming in afterwards. The difficulties of organising a large number of small producers to

nd sites due to sea water intrusion and eteriorating resources. PNG has experience in this with resettlement following volcanic

ic been faced with the worst case scenario of aving to relocate entire countries or cultures.

their ture and the future they wish to leave for the generations that follow.” Work programs

research support, and planning and management capability building.

Integrated and sustainable agricultural and forestry resource management and

caccess markets is acknowledged. Market access may be largely a policy matter but it needs good science backing from the research community. The Pacific cannot feed the world, but it can feed itself. There is continuing interest everywhere in the basic staples – roots and tubers, banana, breadfruit, sago – with a need for demand-side analyses. Pacific food crops may turn out to be substitutes for global food crops, to be made available when needed. But, within species variability is low or eroding and there are few data on which to base ex situ or in situ plant genetic resource management. It has been noted that the rich diversity of food crops and varieties diminishes west to east within the Pacific. However, the biggest problem may turn out to be declining soil fertility as populations increase and climatic conditions become less conducive. One reason for the west to east gradient in biodiversity is to do with migration and settlement patterns in prehistory. Peoples moved from west to east and settled new islands, carrying with them what they could or needed and what survived the journey. And they moved because of increasing population pressures and exhaustion of resources. This pattern can still be seen in the emigration of Polynesians, in particular, to Pacific rim developed countries, but this does not solve the problem. Only increased productivity in situ will enable stability and survival. And this means attaching high importance to research into soil fertility and sustainable production systems. PNG has already begun to move people from outer atolls to larger isladeruptions but never before has the Pacifh Current Implementation Mechanisms The Secretariat of the Pacific Community is the critical agency in coordination and support for assisting the Pacific community to improve food, nutritional and income security and manage agricultural and forest, marine and human resources in a productive yet sustainable way. The collective mission of its Land Resources, Marine Resources and Social Resources Divisions is “to help Pacific Island people position themselves to respond effectively to the challenges they face and make informed decisions aboutfudeveloped through extensive consultation cover technical assistance, professional, scientific and The Land Resources Division (LRD) has three key objectives in its current Strategic Plan 2009-2012: 1. Improved food and nutritional security 2.

development 3. Improved bio-security and increased trade in agriculture and forestry products.

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The Marine Resources Division recognises the vital role of fisheries in the life of the region and is committed to assisting member countries to maintain productive fisheries that are fully sustainable at regional, national and community levels. Subsistence fisheries are a primary source of protein for food security. The goal of the coastal fisheries program is to contribute to the achievement of a regionally-shared vision of “a healthy ocean that sustains the livelihoods and aspirations of Pacific Island communities”. Members are assisted to apply an ecosystem approach to coastal fisheries and aquaculture and SPC provides a regional support service and socio-economic and scientific advice to ssist Pacific Islanders in identifying the status and optimizing the long-term social and

program is that fisheries exploiting

ble scientific information. This is achieved

and management of comprehensive data on all the tuna fisheries

ies impacted by fishing.

osecurity Australia, AQIS, ABI, Australia DAFF, Queensland DPI and F, NZ Ministry of Agriculture, NZ Pacific

States to American Micronesia and American Samoa. CTA has also been ctive in training and awareness raising with respect to farmer innovation, innovation

sheries products in the Pacific nations. The budget allocation for 2009-10

aeconomic values of small-scale fisheries, reef management and aquatic resources in Pacific Island waters. For centuries, tuna have provided an important source of food for Pacific Island people, and the traditional fishing techniques and equipment involved are part of the people’s cultural heritage. Today, tuna are a regionally important source of income and employment. The goal of the SPC oceanic fisheriesthe region’s resources of tuna, billfish and related species are managed for economic and ecological sustainability, using the best availathrough the three focal activities of the program:

• Collection operating in the region.

• Research to understand the biology and ecology of the various spec

• Using this information to estimate the impacts of fisheries on the stocks and to advise management authorities regarding appropriate fishing levels.

The SPC works with many donor and collaborating partners such as the European Union, AusAID, NZAID, GTZ, Taiwan/Republic of China, ACIAR, CTA, FAO, Republic of Korea, IFAD, University of the South Pacific, ADAP, BiCSecurity Fund, Landcare NZ, SPREP, USDA, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and the World Organisation for Animal Health. Major recent or continuing donors in the Pacific have been Australia through AusAID and ACIAR, New Zealand through NZAID, FAO, EU, France to its own territories and the Unitedasystems and, most recently, tertiary education in the ACP (Africa-Caribbean-Pacific) countries. ACIAR is the primary collaborator and donor for agricultural, forestry and fisheries research (ACIAR 2009). Increased funding from 2009-10 to 2012-13 will go in part to funding new initiatives in exploiting opportunities for developing high-value agriculture, forestry and fihas 20.4 percent of total funding going to the Pacific with 9.9 percent to PNG alone. The

15

PNG portfolio has five sub-programs as follows (with number of current projects in

d policy constraints to the adoption of agricultural

nt of smallholder incomes from horticulture and root crops (7)

lm; 2 coffee) 4. New livelihoods from smallholder fisheries, aquaculture and forestry (5 fisheries;

nt of forestry and fisheries

od and nutritional security (15 projects)

forestry) 3. Improved bio-security and increased trade in agriculture, fisheries and forestry

vement; agro-forestry; aquaculture feeds and feeding; quaculture systems; integrated natural resource management; production and marketing

nalysis; and natural resource management policy. ubsequently, a Pacific Agricultural and Forestry Policy Network (PAFPNet) has been

parentheses): 1. Addressing social, cultural an

technologies (5) 2. Enhanceme3. Improving smallholder returns from export tree crop production and marketing (2

cocoa and oil pa

8 forestry) 5. Agricultural bio-security and sustainable manageme

resources (13). The Pacific Island portfolio has three sub-programs:

1. Improving fo2. Integrated and sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry resource management

and development (6 fisheries; 5

products (4) The breakdown by country reveals Solomon Islands as having 13 projects, Vanuatu 4, Fiji 14, Samoa 5 and Tonga 3 projects. Networking amongst actors in the agricultural research communities of the Pacific has been, and continues to be, of major value in addressing identified agricultural research priorities. An exercise was initiated by APAARI in 2002 and conducted by PNG NARI to assess the past performance, present status and future of Pacific regional networks, and undertake a gap analysis. The findings (Ghodake and Quartermain 2003) identified 26 major networking or multi-country collaborative projects that had been recently concluded or were being implemented. There was no attempt to assess the relative success of these various projects but all addressed or continue to address priority issues that could not have been done by countries working in isolation. Effective and efficient use is made in this way of individual country strengths, capacities and facilities, and targeted donor funding and technical support. The gap analysis identified 11 selected high priority research issues not adequately covered by past and present networks. These 11 were: value adding for crops; crop markets and marketing; livestock feed formulation; livestock improaeconomics; supply and demand aSset up, housed by LRD, SPC. Research Uptake and Innovation The major constraints to implementation of research and the dissemination of knowledge are the low capacity generally in trained and experienced human resources, motivation and incentives. Better use can be made of the universities and the private sector although there have been significant improvements over recent years. But only one university

16

outside of PNG serves most of the Pacific and research capacity is extremely limited. Motivating and mentoring of young professionals is crucial and it is necessary to make a professional career in agricultural R&D exciting. Scholarships are needed to encourage the best graduates to stay on and work at home, but there is limited capacity to supervise the good post-graduate students. And then there is the problem of keeping the graduates if countries cannot pay competitive and sustained salaries and give them adequate recognition. Universities and Institutes must play their parts in making the work nvironment attractive and conducive. Agricultural science has always been an

ve systems studies carried out on farmer fields can be particularly structive for students and staff alike. Agriculture needs to be made attractive as a

ade to train extension officers to do simple research with rmers but this was a failure. However, research scientists should not be expected to

owever, this is difficult if they are illiterate. The obile phone phenomenon is a great new thing that has the power to transform the lives

that they can

eundervalued profession because it is not perceived as having immediate impact and lives are not immediately dependent on the results. Where research application has been successful, the results have been clear, unequivocal and substantial. There are unique inputs of agriculture and natural resource management into all levels of the PNG education system, both rural and urban. While highly commendable, it remains to be seen how these will translate into better or more prosperous farmers. A requirement remains to improve the living conditions in rural areas to attract many educated youth into farming. Flexible and distance learning is likely to become more and more useful with improvements to communications, and the para-veterinary training which was developed by SPC and partners, is a good example of a modular home-based approach to solve a particular human resource shortfall. A regional e-training module for plant breeders is being developed by Bioversity International. Universities need to develop close linkages with farmers, NGOs and the private sector to ensure capture of experience and needs. Comparatiinprofessional career and this does not mean only salaries. There are many opportunities for training offered by external agencies but this training is useless if the trainees do not remain in agriculture. Agriculture can contribute to social stability and the latter is conducive to agricultural development at the community level. In general there was an emphasis in the consultations on local crops, local solutions and creating opportunities at the local level. But who is available to do the work? There is a reliance on NGOs and farmer innovators. In PNG an attempt was mfacarry out extension or promotion but should simply make their findings available in a useable form. Good research will sell itself and there should be no reason at all to push technologies onto farmers. All research projects and proposals must be looked at through the eyes of the farmers. How will the results contribute to development, to poverty alleviation or to help both producers and consumers? Participatory approaches for agriculture and forestry development fit well, in general, with most aspects of Pacific social systems built on cohesiveness, sharing and democratic decision making. Farmers will access information if they can and turn it into knowledge. Hmof many rural people. It is important to educate the existing farmers so

17

access and understand the available information and make sensible choices, not just try to

he capacity of countries to address the needs of their people exists but is constrained by ve already been discussed. It is necessary to mobilize collective

ffort and motivate the young, the willing and the able. The key areas for intervention are

the needs of Cook Islands, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands in articular. The work to be done has been identified and prioritized. Sea level rise is of

and some monitoring is being or can be done through mote sensing by organisations such as the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience

oved management and safeguarding of water, creasing local food production, identification or production of new, climate-tolerant

attract educated people back to the land. Addressing the Needs of the Poor, the Hungry and the Mal-Nourished Tthe shortcomings that haeas follows under respective sub-headings: The problems of atolls The problems facing atolls are multiple. These ecosystems are not rich in diversity and genetic resources, although they have distinct cultivars of some crops, there is a shortage of land and fertile soil, and they are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. At the same time they are almost totally lacking in research and development capacity. Working in atoll environments is very difficult and time consuming with the known access and communication problems. Given the proposition that work to be of real value in such systems must be done in-situ, a concerted effort must be made to create the means by which this can be done. Even in PNG where NARI had an EU-funded Atoll Agricultural R&D project, this project was less than successful because of the isolation and transport difficulties in getting to and from the PNG atolls. Putting priority on solving atoll problems may be a policy issue for the region but the LRD, SPC, has established a Centre of Excellence for Atoll Agriculture in Kiribati, with funding from IFAD. So far, however, there is only one staff member. The concept is good but there is a need for a clear cut plan of action and work program. It is to be hoped that this initiative can be sustained and serve alsopparticular concern in the atollsreCommission (SOPAC). Responses to Climate Change The Tsukuba Declaration on Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change, published by APAARI October 2008, sets out clearly the requirements as appropriate to the Pacific. Key responses identified as needed are impringenotypes of crops, the need for reliable and timely early-warning systems for climate-based risks and the investigation of the capacity of farming systems, both existing and proposed, to enhance carbon sequestration. Population growth, limited farm land, increasing incomes, declining rates of crop yield improvements and urban-rural competition for water are creating a new interest globally as to where the needed food will be produced. Demand therefore is for land and water. But only crops themselves can adapt to new challenges such as those that will be imposed

18

by climate change. Is the Pacific ready with crops for the uncertain future? The SPC is developing a “climate ready” collection of crop varieties at its Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT). Plant genetic resources are vital tools in managing climatic diversity. Work has been done in PNG to identify drought tolerant varieties of sweet otato and cassava, early maturing sweet potato for quick post-drought recovery and itable water management technologies. There is need to better predict climate

o making these adjustments. Many of the acific can grow under marginal conditions and withstand

sity is to create awareness and to promote and expand the

e contribution traditional food ecies and varieties can make to the nutritional security and well-being of local

ent or nrichment. Many species are well-used by local communities and their nutritional and

en, afy vegetables. The PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment has a

psuvariability, provide climate information for decision making and develop early warning systems. How is it possible to get accurate weather reports to farmers? Recent and on-going food crises, instability in the world economy, and the necessity to adjust to climate change have highlighted the importance of strengthening the self-reliance and resilience of Pacific communities through improving local food production. Diversity can make a significant contribution tunderutilized species of the Plimatic extremes. The necesc

use of genetic diversity. Greater choice gives greater security through increased food production and income earning opportunities.

Improving human nutrition Poor investment in agriculture, increased urbanization and the availability of cheap food imports have had adverse effects on local food production and have resulted in increased poverty. In recent years there has been an alarming increase in lifestyle-related diseases in the Pacific. These diseases of affluence are considered to be the result of an over-reliance on imported and nutritionally poor foods high in carbohydrates and fats. There is a seduction in fast foods. This, plus recognition of vitamin deficiency-related diseases in some parts of the Pacific, has prompted consideration of thspcommunities. Nutritional analyses of underutilized species and varieties within species is now being seen as an important component of Plant Genetic Resources assessment. The interest is in quality of diet rather than in quantity of food. The use of traditional crops, vegetables, fruit and nuts, can address diet diversity, quality, access and affordability, and hence both food security and dietary improvemeoften medicinal benefits are well known. However, the potential for income generation remains significantly underexploited. Nevertheless, the diversity that exists in the Pacific is highly significant and could be developed to secure high-value niche markets. Dietary deficiencies create poverty and in the Pacific these are mainly in protein and, in places, fats and oils rather than carbohydrates. Protein-energy malnutrition and hidden hunger involving vitamins and minerals, especially Iodine, Iron and Vitamin A are serious problems. Dietary diversity is an essential component of an exciting and fulfilling life and diversity leads to lower mortality, greater longevity and improved health in general. The key to dietary diversity lies in vegetables, particularly the grele

19

research project on indigenous green leafy vegetables with a component assessing utritive values, with interest in components such as Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron, Zinc and

heries has to be the highest priority, and success or ilure will occur at the community or village level. Traditional usage rights and

stern Central acific Fisheries Commission and the Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency. The tuna resource

closures; species size limits; gear types; fishing areas nd zones; and fishing days, the vessel day scheme and monitoring system.

nPotassium. Fruit and nuts can also make a contribution but not with the same impact. Fisheries Fisheries are extremely important to the livelihoods of the Pacific nations with very large EEZs (Table 1) and long coastlines. In some countries the total population is coastal and dependant on seafood for protein (perhaps 80 percent of dietary protein) while in others it may be only half the population. But there may be a crisis in supply of fish in the region within a decade with supplies not meeting demand by 2020. There is over-fishing due to poor management and governance, and a growing demand for inshore resources such as beche de mer, shark fins, live reef fish and trochus. The likely effects of climate change are unknown but there will be a necessity to build resilience and capacity for collective action. Aquaculture will be part of the answer but not enough and other concerns are raised about how to feed stocks in aquaculture. Where will the feed come from? All Pacific countries take fisheries seriously for food security and exploiting tuna for income. Securing the benefits from inshore fisfaknowledge may be keys. Advances in community-based management can now be seen and future progress will come from integrating the local community efforts and linking at local, provincial and national levels. Compared to inshore environments, the open ocean supports very few species of fish. However, upwelling due to the movements of currents in the western Pacific brings nutrients to the surface which support large stocks of tuna in the waters of PNG, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and, to a lesser extent, Vanuatu and Fiji. In the late 1950s, a series of United Nations conferences produced the Law of the Sea Treaty resulting in the establishment of the 200 nautical mile EEZs. The extent of these EEZs has been given in Table 1. PNG has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.4m sq km as against a land mass of 452,860 sq km. It also has 4,180 km of coastline and its major fisheries are tuna, prawns, beche-de-mer, lobster, trochus and shark. The National Fisheries Authority is attempting to achieve sustainable fisheries through dynamic, innovative and consultative fishery management practices and aquaculture development, using for the most part funding from tuna fishery licencing. The mainly purse seine and 82 percent skipjack tuna fishery landed 409,563 t in 2006, 9.58 percent of the global catch, while the western and central Pacific ocean yielded a total of 2,151,596 t, 50.33 percent of the global total. Long line fishing is limited to PNG flagged fresh chilled vessels. There is a small scale artisanal pole and line tuna fishery. The tuna fishery is well regulated through regional and international agreements within the conventions and protocols of the WePis managed through – the number of licences; total allowable catch; control of fishing effort or number of boats; seasonala

20

There is 100 percent Observer coverage on all vessels operating in the western Pacific and PNG is the accredited trainer. The SPC tuna tagging scheme records growth of species, percent recapture over time, and

study the biology and ecology of species of concern, but always with the im of providing information to assist the communities in their own decision making. The

enture tourism. Agro-tourism is important to G since much is village guest house based and these villagers are farmers and fishers.

s recognized as a marine resource and recreational surfing is regulated to the dvantage of well-placed coastal villages.

distribution and movement, and uses archival and satellite tags for additional information on movement, feeding and distribution. Control over the tuna fishery is exercised through multilateral agreements. Increasingly the fishery is being localized with control over types of fishing, catch and locations, and on-shore processing. But there is concern over stocks and sustainable extraction rates in all fisheries. For example in NZ, the tradable rights process is regarded as world leading but it depends on setting the correct limits and this is not an exact science as yet. On-going research is needed in the interpretation of all the data coming in from the tuna fishery monitoring and tagging programs. Countries need to exercise control over their EEZs at a national level. An example has been set by Palau with the creation of the world’s first shark sanctuary with a complete ban on commercial shark fishing in its 629,000 sq km EEZ. Inshore and reef fisheries must be controlled through local level participatory planning and agreement on community based resource management. So what can the research community do? It can work with local communities to determine the robustness of their resources and the effects of on-shore activities on the marine resource, andaprimary aim is management that first and foremost protects the health of the ocean ecosystems. The PNG Institute for Sustainable Marine Resources manages the National Fisheries College, the Kavieng wharf complex and a seafood processing facility under a public-private partnership (PPP). The new Nago Island Mariculture and Research Facility is also to be managed under a PPP with a local tourist resort. There is a unique MOA between the NFC and the University of Natural Resources and Environment for the conduct of the university’s diploma and degree programs in fisheries and marine resources. Sustainable fuel from coconut oil is also produced to provide an additional outlet for coastal village copra and a trade-off to compensate for closure of the beche de mer fishery. The emphasis is on community based management of marine resources with new developments such as aquarium fish, aquaculture and mariculture, seaweed, trochus, clams, coral growing and marine based advPNThe surf ia Forestry There are some 34m ha of forest in the sub-region, rich in bio-diversity and protecting the landscapes. Around 70 percent of the PNG total land mass of 46 million hectare is forested. Closed canopy forest covers 33 million hectares of which 25 million are regarded as accessible for commercial utilization. They are regarded as renewable natural

21

assets but this is not always recognized in practice. In Fiji, for example, around 200,000 ha of once productive natural forest is considered degraded and intervention is needed to prevent total deforestation and subsequent high-cost reforestation, while in the. Solomon Islands, 65-70 percent of export income comes from logging. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is important in climate change mitigation and can generate carbon credits as a source of landowner income or foreign exchange. Research priorities are in the form of re-vegetation of logged, ex-mining or degraded land, the use of land post-logging, and the effect on soil losses and run-off into the riverine or marine environments. Agro-forestry or farm forestry offer many opportunities with balsa, teak, sandalwood, Canarium and other plantation or multi-purpose species. Existing plantation forestry is based on a limited number of species within the genera Acacia, Araucaria and Eucalyptus, as well as the exotics teak and balsa, and there is considerable scope for widening the range through domestication of other suitable species. Farm forestry can be profitable, even with small plots, and can include single

n biochemical components with nutritional or medicinal properties which, if iscovered, can be subject to Intellectual Property Rights and exploitation. There is on-

properties and a ompany in East New Britain, PNG, is exploiting this in the Australian market as well as

a range of niche-market soaps and cosmetics. This, together with use as a bio-el, may be the future of coconut other than as a subsistence food crop.

hicles and boats. In the Kavieng, New Ireland, operation the raw oil is

species woodlots or tree crops, integrated systems with trees and under-story crops, or food crop production while trees are growing. There is a wide range of possibilities. The Pacific countries are rich in plant and animal genetic resources on land and sea. They have extremely small populations and land areas but the resources under their jurisdiction are very important to the global community. Hence it is essential to recognize, study and prospect the potentials of species with traditional uses as non-timber forest products and to provide the customary owners of the forests with alternative sources of income to counter deforestation. Bio-prospecting or bio-discovery and assessment of products for nutritional and pharmaceutical properties is an essential component of the search for sustainable forest management strategies. Crops, crop varieties or wild species may have unknowdgoing work documenting traditional medicinal plants (for example Nandwani et al. 2008). Work at the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of Goroka in PNG is concerned with investigating extracts from a range of plants to combat human disease and crop pests and diseases, as well as serve other uses. This university work is supported in part by the Office of Higher Education through its Science and Technology Initiative with a focus on public-private cooperation and investment in the sustainable utilization of indigenous plants. Virgin coconut oil is also said to have medicinal cproducing fu Bio-fuels Coconut is one of two crops being exploited in the Pacific now for bio-fuel. The use of coconut oil as a diesel substitute is well advanced in PNG and Vanuatu with at least one company in New Ireland and another in Bougainville producing products suitable for the full range of ve

22

allowed to settle then filtered. It is then treated with caustic soda to precipitate the fatty

anies are, or will be, supporting search and training through NARI and the University of Natural Resources and

e applications, bio-fuel production is not disruptive of food roduction and can contribute to rural income earning.

tials are significant for a large number of existing farmers to articipate with at least a limited range of export commodities. Key infrastructural,

entified and coordinated efforts will be ade to address them.

w knowledge. For example, there are a number of underutilized species entified with potential for improving short-term fallows in the PNG highlands, the most

ia and Piper aduncum, as well as more conventional gume species.

the underutilized species. There is little agronomy as such. Is it that enough is known on

acids. The oil is decanted, boiled and filtered ready for use in small, unsophisticated diesel engines. Also in PNG, two Asian companies, one Japanese and one Taiwanese, are investing in cassava production for bio-fuel. Local communities are involved in out-growing on land which is not otherwise very productive and the compreEnvironment. In thesp Organic Production In 2008, SPC organized consultations among members of the Regional Organic Task Force and prepared a Pacific Region Organic Strategic Plan. While it was acknowledged that traditional farming systems in the Pacific are closely aligned with organic production systems and most are organic mainly by default, much may be done to prepare producers to access niche organic export markets. At the same time there will be benefits generally from continuing the use of environmentally friendly management practices. Meeting organic certification requirements has not been easy but recent developments in certified production have been substantial and have covered products such as noni (Morinda citrifolia) juice, beef (from Vanuatu), coconut oil, coffee, cocoa and vanilla. The potenpmarketing and production issues have been idm Maintenance and improvement of soil fertility The maintenance and improvement of soil fertility in broad definition is of increasing concern as gardening systems intensify and traditional fallows fail to cope. The demand is for low input solutions but farmers cannot get something out of nothing and even apparently low-cost solutions, such as composting for example, have large labour and time demand implications and there is often a shortage of suitable composting materials. It is necessary to look at the whole picture and the context of the production system. Nevertheless, there are promising avenues of research and application using both traditional and neidpromising being Tithonia diversifolle Crop Productivity and Production Most work everywhere seems to be on conservation, characterization, evaluation, selection, promotion and value adding with respect to the Pacific crops of importance or

23

how to grow these crops in an optimal way? Is Traditional Knowledge enough to enable gardeners and farmers to do the job? The need to improve crop productivity and gronomy was emphasized in the consultations with the related problem of a serious

there ere also comments on village produced non-food products. There were comments on

t clearing for planting in some non-Pacific ountries, but this is not happening in PNG and the Solomon Islands where new planting

-utilised land.

cus on crops of particular gnificance in the Pacific, draw on the strengths of participating countries and attract

donor funding. But the program has yet to be implemented.

ashortage of plant breeders. The point was made that we need to build food and nutritional security in each isolated community through diversified and self-reliant agriculture. Surplus products intended for market should be low volume, high value and with a long shelf life. In this respect windigenous vegetables and diet diversity, a theme very dear to Pacific communities. Interestingly there were no Pacific references by consultation respondents to the major export cash crops – coconut oil or copra, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, rubber and sugar, much or most of which is produced by smallholder farmers or villagers, either on their own or as out-growers in nucleus-estate type arrangements. In PNG, 85 percent of coffee and 87 percent of cocoa production is produced by independent smallholder growers. Nucleus estate arrangements are also successful for domestic production and marketing of broiler chickens and even cattle. Palm oil production and consumption is currently regarded with disfavour, mainly due to massive forescis on already cleared but under Plant selection and breeding The role of plant breeding comes dominantly to the fore in all of the potential work. Selection is a very powerful tool which has been used by farmers for 10,000 years to achieve today’s array of adapted plant genetic resources. What can be added are new techniques for production or identification and multiplication of genetically superior genotypes. But where are the plant breeders? The academic challenge is how to produce these. The Pacific, and PNG in particular, has some real success stories with respect to the outcomes of plant selection and breeding using modern technology. There are Pacific success stories with breeding or selection of taro, sweet potato and potato as well as oil palm, coffee, cocoa, rubber and sugar cane. Initially the success was with the export or commercial crops – oil palm, cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar cane - and work with these is on-going. More recent success has been sweet potato selection for diverse eco-systems, drought resistance or early maturity, and combating taro leaf blight and potato late blight. The taro breeding success story owed this success to networking and the story has been published in the APAARI series (Yalu et al. 2009). Capacity must be increased, however, if these approaches are to be expanded to cover other crops. The cost of breeding work with non-commercial crops without the backing of an established industry must be met by governments or aid agencies as a public good to combat poverty. The breeding of salt tolerant cultivars may be a case in point and it may be possible to adapt technology borrowed from Australia. There is a proposed networking project, the Pacific Regional Crop Improvement Program (PARCIP), which would fosi

24

In addition, farmers will need to learn or re-learn the art of saving their own seed and using selection to improve the crop, just as their ancestors have done to arrive at the diversity and adaptation seen today. It is said that seed supply of appropriate cultivars of introduced vegetables such as capsicum, tomato, cucumber, water melon and maize (sweet corn) is a constraint in the Pacific islands. Islanders do not wish to be at the mercy of large multinational seed producers and high cost local retail systems. Most Pacific crops of importance are vegetatively propagated, but there are a number of traditional or important species propagated by seed such as Amaranthus, papaya and those listed above. There is an issue also of management of the planting materials of the traditional crops. There is a need to help farmers improve the seed selection process, although traditional knowledge seems good. Also, farmers are keeping their own seeds of the introduced crops mentioned to avoid the high costs of the imported seed from Australia or NZ and the seed selection process may be less than optimum to maintain or improve roduct quality, another researchable issue.

onsultation on Crops for the Future in the Pacific

egional Task Force will foster the pursuit f collaboration, partnerships and networking.

e-assessment of Research Needs and Priorities

eed urgent attention with increased effort and

ecially for atolls

, including stocks assessment

p C The recognized importance of making effective use of crop diversity to manage future challenges to food production, and hence the need to conserve, manage and understand this diversity, resulted in a timely consultation being undertaken in Nadi, Fiji, 21-22 September 2009. There were 30 participants from 15 countries and international organizations. The main objective was to develop a regional strategy to address crop and crop-issue priorities, capacity building requirements, mechanisms for cooperation and funding, and awareness raising at all levels. The main finding was the priority importance given to traditional food crops. Breadfruit, bananas of the Fe’i group and Pacific plantains, Inocarpus fagifer and Pometia pinnata were given clear regional priority along with the vegetable Abelmoschus manihot, Pandanus species and the lesser aroids Alocasia and Xanthosoma. The interrelated elements of the strategy were the generation and collection of knowledge through research, communication and dissemination of information, policy advocacy, market development, partnerships, capacity building and institutional strengthening. Further work by a Ro R A summary presentation of this sub-regional report was made to a small Pacific Island working group during the Face-to-Face Workshop on Agricultural Research for Development in Asia and the Pacific - The Way Forward, convened in Bangkok, Thailand, 30-31 0ctober 2009. The presentation gave a new assessment of research priorities and the criteria used to arrive at these, addressed in terms of meeting critical needs and challenges by filling gaps that nsupport. The priority research areas are in:

• Horticultural crops for meeting climate change challenges, esp• Horticultural crops and varieties to improve human nutrition • Communal coastal or reef fisheries management

25

• Incentives for forest retention and management • Management of the pressures on soil and water use and soil fertility.

coping with climate change; and have the capacity to improve iets as acceptable foods.

y to counter the seduction of rge lump sum payments for extractive logging of forests.

ining il fertility and hence declining productivity or inability to respond to innovation.

onoses, sustainable rest management, agro-forestry, aquaculture and marketing chains.

h all natural resource sectors and covering the priorities identified in this

ould consider also the issue of the requirement for locally

ue-adding, meeting climate

.

edge or rural people’s knowledge. This

ms for managing resources to

Horticultural crops (traditional food staples, fruit, nuts and vegetables) include those that are most likely to find niche export markets (e.g. Canarium nut, breadfruit); must rely on public-good funding for research more than the major export commodity crops and open ocean capture fisheries (tuna); fit with existing social and production systems; are known to have varieties capable ofd Research indicates clearly that even disadvantaged people will go to extraordinary lengths to maintain cultural integrity and tradition, including gardening systems, use of forest resources and inshore fishing. Atolls support 3-4 percent of the Pacific populations with unique cultures but which are known to be particularly vulnerable to disaster. Coastal and reef fisheries supply about 60 percent of the Pacific protein intakes but must be managed since stocks are vulnerable to over-fishing (hence measures such as beche de mer and shark fisheries closures). Incentives are necessarla All evidence, e.g. research on PNG highland sweet potato systems, indicates declso There is substantial technical knowledge already available in other areas and, although this does not mean that research should cease, there is not the same urgency for priority action. Much work is being done or planned, and is being supported at least at minimal levels, in previously identified priority areas such as integrated pest and disease management, livestock feed formulation, the challenge of emerging zofo The Pacific working group in Bangkok made some modifications and generalized the research priorities for presentation to the full workshop. These generalized research needs dealing witreport are: Value-adding for niche markets both domestic and export, to be considered within a value chain approach. Work wproduced convenience foods. Crop improvement and breeding which would support valchange challenges, and the search for nutritional superiority. Addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation other than through crop breedingModelling of the likely effects of climate change and counter-measures is sadly lacking. Participatory approaches to research and extension to develop an understanding of different systems and utilise traditional knowlwork would include innovation system studies. Policy studies to support agriculture for development. Investigation and development of community-based systeensure sustainable utilization and maximise productivity.

26

Bio-security and trade facilitation issues with a focus on market access.

nd the results again presented to the full workshop. There were two cross-

d extension need to be practiced by all actors in

This is a government sponsibility but requires the right messages from stakeholders.

alue-adding at a range of levels for niche markets, both domestic and export.

port. Opportunities exist in the nutritional value, urism, and organic product markets.

ers require definition. A participatory approach with onstant monitoring is required.

rop Improvement

These generalised research areas were then elaborated in a second meeting of the Pacific Islands group acutting issues: Participatory approaches to research aneach production and utilisation system. Policy to support agriculture for development, creating an enabling environment for application of results from pursuing the research priorities. re V This needs to be considered with a value-chain approach to generate income and support import substitution. The challenges are in adapting technologies from other countries; capacity; scaling up and scale economics; which value adding can be done; entrepreneurship and linkage to markets. There are risks in terms of quantity and quality of supply; competition from outside because of scale; loss of confidence; global trade policies; and capital investment. These can be addressed through capacity building; funding; and good planning as to which crop and what level of value adding. It can start with domestic marketing and then exto Approaches will involve components of policy, strategic planning, multi-stakeholder collaboration, a whole-of-government approach and capacity building of farmer associations to strengthen linkages between government and farmers. In the short term it will be necessary to identify “products”, undertake value chain analysis to identify gaps, determine markets and access, develop partnerships and seek policy support for local products. In the longer term, progress will depend on the crop productivity, the general sustainability of the system, sustained funding and any effects of climate change. The respective responsibilities of government, the private sector, producers including farmer groups and all other stakeholdc C Factors supporting this priority include readiness for climate change, the need to make use of genetic diversity in order to maintain it, trade requirements and nutritional benefits. There is great potential because many crops have not been systematically developed. Issues of general agronomy must be considered concurrently. The challenges are capacity building and sustaining the capacity, attracting investment and addressing quarantine constraints. There are risks due to unpredictable climate change, genetic erosion and retention of skilled personnel. There are opportunities in the development of new skills and varieties, trade, IPR and Farmers Rights. Networking, both intra-regional and inter-regional, and support from the CGIAR system will be important as will farmer

27

participatory breeding. Short-term needs are in training and access to genetic material eeds will be sustainable funding and policy support.

f current systems and the identification of relevant traditional knowledge can be utilized. A whole-of-government approach to

tive approaches to value adding, utilizing the education, skills and new ways of thinking of the youth, and using culture and tradition to

ountries have opportunities to open up export markets and restrict imports if these can be identified and the necessary action taken by all stakeholders in a coordinated

partnerships, linkages within the region and inter-gional, no clear distinction between short and long term development requirements, stainability and strategic planning.

while long-term n Climate Change Obviously the Pacific is a very vulnerable area, with the effects of saltwater in atolls and coastal communities a particular threat. But the changes are unpredictable, there are limited resources to meet the challenges and there is a lack of modeling of alternative scenarios. The risks are large and responses require innovative and proactive thinking. There are potential opportunities in production system diversification and integration, trade, the building of infrastructure, and benefits from carbon trading. Action is required to understand the potential changes, create awareness, institute plant breeding and evaluation of genetic resources and agricultural systems, and strengthen conservation of endangered resources. The existing resilience o

develop the enabling environment is required.

Community-based systems for managing resources Development and strengthening of community-based systems is an important approach in the Pacific since collaboration and sharing are the ways in which Pacific communities work. There is evidence to support the fact that community-based approaches work. However, there is a lack of government support and inadequate appreciation of incentives to get technology adoption or change. There are inter-generational challenges with disaffected youth having no perceived place in traditional society, especially in Melanesia. Opportunities exist in collabora

support conservation of natural resources.

Bio-security, trade facilitation and market access There are needs for income generation at all levels and trade is a means to these ends. Bio-security is an issue with challenges in negotiation, quarantine, scientific based assessment and capacity building. Retention of trained personnel and enforcement of legislation are requirements that must be met through training, funding and enabling policy. C

manner.

There are commonalities that apply to all the research priorities which can be summarised as capacity building, public and private investment, dissemination of knowledge, partnerships focused on public-privateresu

28

Gaps between Recommendations and Implementation There are so many issues, some researchable, some relating to technology dissemination and adoption, some to do with infrastructure, but all must be addressed in some way by someone. There is need for a multi-sectoral approach to transform agricultural knowledge into development impact. But note that there are no free lunches or quick fixes. Doing quality research is a long term, hard-work process and this is not usually appreciated by government or development agencies that should know better. Bridging the gap between research and rural farmers, particularly women farmers, must take account of the multitude of socio-economic issues. Information and technologies for transfer must be simple and easy to access. It should be noted, however, that the application of past research together with traditional knowledge has enabled farmers to keep up with the

od demands from population growth where such has been significant, even if this has

can raditional Knowledge be captured and used? There is a huge task here but a start can be

ate. Much information may have been lost but stitutional memories are so short that the research efforts that underpin many of today’s

en in Business (Samoa)

fonot resulted in economic take-off. Regional cooperation is essential and the strong role of the SPC is noted. Capacity building and education are the other keys. To what extent can the Pacific access international research capacity to do what is needed and address the challenges? There is a commonality of challenges but always a requirement for in-country adaptation and evaluation of technologies. Regional sharing may facilitate all-year-round production. Access to information requires on-going assessment as to who is doing what and where. Much information exists but is not readily available. There are no needs, however, for new documentation systems but better use can be made of what is there. How Tmade by assessment of existing documentation (see for example Quartermain 1999). All of the discussion has been about research for development but when really have the Pacific research institutions done anything else? All agricultural research in the Pacific has been directed to solving farmer problems or creating opportunities. Perhaps the work could have been better focused or coordinated regionally, but there is a long tradition of cooperation and exchange of ideas, facilitated in most cases by regional bodies such as SPC, FAO and CTA. Much technology development would seem to have been ahead of its time but adoption did occur eventually, either by natural spread or because changed circumstances made it become appropriincommon practices have been forgotten. Respondents from the various countries agreed that work done elsewhere in the Pacific would be useful and adaptable to their situation, especially exchange among countries with similar social and ecological environments. But local application must be specific requiring adaptation, testing and demonstration. Cooperation was stressed, with suggestions regarding capacity building, exchange of technical expertise, attachments with successful projects and learning from NGOs such as Wom

29

and Kastom Gaden (Solomon Islands). It is always possible to learn from others and

onnel are crucial. Networking and exchange among countries are the nly ways to make efficient and effective use of the human resources, genetic resources

treated as the primary agenda for development. All other issues are condary and all else necessary for national development and improved livelihoods

.

CIAR 2009. Annual Operational Plan 2009-10. Australian Centre for International

eintema N.M. and Stads G-J. 2008. Agricultural R&D Capacity and Investments in the

Papua New Guinea agriculture. In: . M. Bourke and T. Harwood (eds) Food and Agriculture in Papua New Guinea. ANU E

Press, The Australian National University, Canberra.

adapt ideas; great ideas will win out but people need convincing. It is abundantly clear that the critical needs in the Pacific to generate knowledge and transform it into development impact lie in the areas of increasing the productivity of all resources, utilizing the products more effectively, and strengthening the capacity to meet new and changing but predictable challenges before they occur. The gap between recommendations and implementation will only be filled if the research outputs truly meet the needs of the farmers and can be turned by them into their desired outcomes. Outputs must be demonstrably good and this will only happen if the research is developed with full cooperation of the farmers and the work is of high quality. The necessary areas of work cover the production process from soil fertility through plant or animal productivity to marketing or local consumption. The priority areas would appear to lie in the fields of soil and land management, in all environments and locations but with particular urgency for atolls, plant breeding, value adding and marketing, assessment of nutritional values, the understanding of social systems and traditional knowledge, and community management of forests and marine resources. Capacity building through strengthening tertiary education in natural resources and the retention of skilled and knowledgeable persoand infrastructure. All this can be done only if advocacy is strong and the governments of the sub-region can be motivated to put agriculture and the renewable natural resources at the very top of their agendas. This is the most critical challenge. Pacific governments are still simply taking the renewable natural resource sector for granted and assume that the sector will continue to put food on the table and generate export income, and that the rural majorities will continue to support themselves. Disaster looms unless advocacy skills can be upgraded and so-called leaders motivated to listen and act. The needs are for proportionate resource support, policy support, good governance and sustained implementation over the longer term. Agriculture in the Pacific countries needs to be recognized andseshould follow

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Papua New Guinea John Yandawai, Lilly Be’Soer, Norah Omot, Dr Shyam Yadaf, Dr Keshav Kshirsagor, Dr Udai Pal, Dr Raghunath Ghodake Fiji Dr Peter Manueli, Makelesi Tavaiqia, Dr Mary Taylor Northern Mariana Islands Dr Dilip Nandwani Solomon Islands Jack Kalisto Samoa Dr Posa Skelton, Parate Matalavea, Laieseni Samuelu Tuioti, Afamasaga Toleafoa, Dr Malcolm Hazelman Vanuatu Marie Melteras, Dr Francois Japiot Tonga Manaia Halafihi Niue Terrianne Mokoia New Caledonia Thierry Mennesson French Polynesia Dr Maurice Wong Other Dr Simon Hearn, Dr Grahame Jackson, Dr Neil Andrew, Dr Lionel Dabbadie, Dr Tusneem, Dr Abd Shukor, Dr Dyno Keatinge, Dr Leocadio Sebastian, Dr Manish Kumar, Dr Rupela Omparkash