SPC runs agroforestry training in Vanuatu

One of the participants using the marcotting technique on a breadfruit tree

A two-day agroforestry workshop was recently organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in Vanuatu with the main objective of enhancing the knowledge and skills of the participants in the areas of nursery design and management, seeds and seedling production, and plant propagation.

Twenty participants from the Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock and the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre (VARTC) attended the workshop, which was held at the premises of VARTC in Luganville, Espirito Santo.

The agroforestry training is part of the initiative entitled Enhanced climate change resilience of food production systems in Pacific Island countries and territories, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to the country coordinator of the project, Romone Luke, this training has enabled him and his fellow participants to acquire the necessary basic knowledge and skills to be able to start making improvements to their current farming practices following the agroforestry concept, which will contribute to the overall goal of achieving food and nutritional security, biodiversity conservation, improvement of soil health and secured incomes for families and communities.

‘Under the USAID project, we are developing an agroforestry demonstration farm on the island of Uraparapara, located near Sola Island, to show our communities how they can optimise the productivity of their farm lots. The knowledge and skills gained from this training will help us a lot in making our project a success,’ said Mr Luke.

'The participants,' he added, 'have now realised the importance of selecting good planting materials and properly maintaining a nursery.'

Mr Luke elaborated. 'We aim to spread agroforestry farming practices all over Vanuatu, with the help of line ministries such as forestry, livestock, agriculture and fisheries. This is to bring about an integrated farming approach that provides more options to farmers. It will also show that all these sectors contribute to improving the livelihood of farmers.'

The project harnesses an innovative partnership between two SPC divisions, the Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (AGTD) and the Land Resources Division (LRD).

AGTD is providing geographic information systems data to LRD, enabling more accurate and informed implementation of climate change resilience activities on the ground.

SPC and USAID, in collaboration with partner agencies, are supporting the governments of six Pacific countries – Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu – in their efforts to tackle the adverse effects of climate change on food production.

The support includes updating vegetation and land cover maps at the national level, and working with local communities to implement appropriate adaptation measures to build their resilience to climate change.

SPC’s Cenon Padolina and Vinesh Prasad conducted the two-day training on agroforestry in Vanuatu.

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Better access to information will assist Pacific growers

A three-day workshop on strengthening and disseminating value chain-related information, skills, and approaches in the Pacific Islands is being organised in Fiji by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).

Acknowledging the support of CTA and the European Union, the Acting Deputy Director of the SPC Land Resource Division, Sairusi Bulai, highlighted the importance of sharing information and knowledge for greater impact.

‘It is only when we work together collaboratively and in true partnership that we will be able to start making positive changes for our people,’ he said. 

‘This is especially important for us in the Pacific because of the many challenges that we face as small island countries.’

Mr Bulai added the initiative is in line with SPC’s greater emphasis on cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approaches in providing its services.

‘During last year’s workshop on value chains, which we also organised with the support of CTA and the EU, it became apparent that access to more and better information on the subject is needed for Pacific to benefit from such a process.’ 

Therefore, he added, the main objective of this workshop will be to review and provide feedback to the draft guide developed by Kokosiga Pacific, led by Dr Andrew McGregor to facilitate the better understanding of value chain.

‘This guide can be effectively used to help improve small businesses in the Pacific,’ he said.

Samson Vilvil Fare of CTA shared similar sentiments, and he said that CTA’s key priorities are strengthening agricultural and rural development policy processes, improving agricultural value chains and access to markets for small-scale producers, and enhancing information, communication and knowledge management capacities.

‘Therefore, the SPC CTA value chain project involves a value chains portal providing access to materials to facilitate the exchange of information between agencies as well as improved access to information by farmers and the private sector,’ said Mr Fare.

He added that the project also provides a set of tools that could be used to analyse the performance of Pacific Island value chains and identify steps to be taken to make those chains more efficient and raise awareness among value chain actors in the region of the potential benefits of multi-stakeholder consultation.

Mr Fare also emphasised the ownership of the value chain tools, saying that Pacific Islanders must own the tools developed for value chains on specific commodities.

The meeting will discuss and identify the way forward for the project via feedback from 24 participants from 7 countries in the region.

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Balanced forest policies and strategies are needed for sustainable development

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organised an Executive Forest Policy course in Nadi, Fiji recently.

While officially opening the course, Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests, Lieutenant Colonel Inia Seruiratu said that the course provides an excellent opportunity for senior government officials in the region to enhance their policy analysis capability through their in-depth understanding of critical economic, social and environmental issues at the national, regional and global levels.

‘It is common knowledge that climate change is already causing dramatic changes globally, particularly in the small island states, including in the Pacific, which are considered to be some of the most vulnerable places on earth to the adverse effects of climate change,’ Mr Seruiratu said.

‘In fact, climate change is recognised as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific.’

He added that the important role of forests in mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and carbon sink is well recognised.

‘In addition, forests will be important in ensuring that our Pacific communities are able to adapt to the impacts of climate change because of the many services and products they contribute to our well-being,’ Mr Seruiratu said.

However, he added, this can only be achieved if our forests are managed in a sustainable manner.

‘The Government of Fiji recognises the potential of forestry as a major potential foreign exchange earner that can also provide rural employment, regular income and infrastructure development that promote rural stability towards improving rural living standards.

‘Thus, it is the mandate of my ministry to ensure that these valuable resources are developed and managed to their optimal potential for the benefit of all stakeholders, in a sustainable way.’

Minister Seruiratu further mentioned that the major challenge is how to mainstream sound forest policies into the sustainable development strategies of the country, taking into account demands for economic development and the social and environmental needs of growing populations.

He therefore urged all the participants to take advantage of the opportunity and participate actively in the discussion and share experiences to help their countries and also the region to develop broad-based practical and implementable policies that will effectively support efforts to achieve the goal of sustainable management of the region’s forest resources.

‘We need to be innovative in our ideas and come up with strategies that are going to ensure a very balanced approach to our development. I am hoping that through this course, you will be able to broaden your knowledge to help you come up with new ideas and strategies towards integrating forestry into your overall national sustainable development strategies,’ Mr Seruiratu said.

Minister Seruiratu also challenged the participants to focus not only on issues facing our region but also opportunities that are present to come up with better solutions.

‘It’s time that officials in both the agriculture and forestry ministries start to focus beyond the problems and come up with solutions that will not only benefit the current generation but future generations as well.’

The 7^th forest policy course was supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF), the European Forest Institute (EFI), the EU/FAO Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade programme (EU/FAO FLEGT), and the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI).

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N.B    vulnerability of Pacific agriculture and forestry to climate change