Articles
Blog articles
MyKana: Designed in Fiji, tailor made for improving Fijian health
The journey to the Agrihack Lab in Tonga on 3-6 December 2018 started with a collaboration between the Centre for Flexible Learning at the University of the South Pacific (USP), and the National Food and Nutrition Centre, Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Fiji to address the current nutrition crisis in the Pacific.
Read MoreTraSeable Farms - Reimagining the Pacific Islands Agriculture Sector
In September 2018, TraSeable Solutions was fortunate to be invited to participate in the CTA Pacific AgriHack Lab competition in Tonga to pitch our new initiative, the Integrated Mobile and Web-based Market and Transport Access Platform for Pacific Farmers. The award for winning the competition was a monetary prize that could be used to scale-up activities and expand the business. This event came at an opportune time to test our initial concepts and acquire useful feedback from experts in the agri-tech field.
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ICT competition success for Solomon Islands start-up
by Watson Cyrus Anikwai and Hika Joseph
The Malaita Youth in Business Association (MYIBA), was one of the recipients of three awards during the Pacific Agrihack Lab competition in Tonga last year December 2018. The event sought to scale-up novel and existing ICT innovations to improve economic activities within agricultural value chains.
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A call for integrated action to bring about healthy food systems in Fiji
by Jimaima Lako , Judith Francis and Jana Dietershagen
At the International Symposium on Understanding the Double Burden of Malnutrition for Effective Interventions, held in Vienna in December 2018, a multi-sectorial approach was called for to improve nutritional outcomes for Fiji, and the wider Pacific.
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Agribusiness development interventions help Pacific island communities access global markets
by Busani Bafana and Nawsheen Hosenally
Samoa may conjure up images of a tropical paradise, but this Pacific island offers much more than a tourist getaway. A Samoan business development organisation, tapping the values of family, tradition and art, has put the island nation’s farming communities on the world map as producers of high-value organic products, mostly generated by women agripreneurs.
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Impact Stories
Women-led agribusiness in Samoa reaches global markets
Imagine a small women-led organisation in a remote Pacific island nation supplying products sold in more than 3,000 shops in 66 countries. Women in Business Development Incorporated (WIBDI), a non-profit organisation working with 1,000 farming families in Samoa is doing just that, and much more.
Read MorePress release
CTA awards grants to support blockchain use in agriculture across ACP
CTA has awarded four grants to support the use of blockchain in agriculture across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).
Read MoreYoung ICT innovators snap up 2018 Pacific AgriHack Lab awards
Three Pacific entrepreneurs based in Fiji and the Solomon Islands have been declared winners of the 2018 Pacific AgriHack Lab competition and awarded €5,000 grants to help further develop their agriculture-oriented innovations.
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The Pacific Week of Agriculture - building South-South cooperation
The inaugural Pacific Week of Agriculture (PWA) will be held during 16-20 October in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Hosted by the Government of Vanuatu, the event will explore strategies for boosting the agri-food sector, whilst increasing production of healthy food for local consumption and supplying the tourism market.
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Farming and agribusiness
Nadi, Fiji – Some of the best regional agribusiness success stories are on show at the Agribusiness Forum taking place at the Pacific Community Agritourism Week in Nadi, Fiji. The Agribusiness Forum is organised by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO), with the support of the European Union.
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The Agribusiness Forum - a Pacific pledge to harness agritourism for rural development
An event aimed at promoting links between agriculture and other productive sectors in the Pacific islands has resolved to set up a regional initiative to drive plans for developing agribusiness and agritourism. The Nadi Declaration, made at the close of the Agribusiness Forum: Linking the agrifood sector to the tourism-related markets, pledged to launch a Regional Agritourism Steering Group, whose first task is to draw up a Pacific Work Plan for agritourism by 1 September 2015.
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ICT Update
Women in business development in Samoa: Overcoming challenges by harnessing digital opportunities
Gillian Stewart of WIBDI shares how the organisation is leveraging ICTs to support an organic grower group of family farmers in Samoa, who rely on agricultural production to generate income and savings.
Read MoreCounting coconuts with drones
On the Pacific islands of Samoa drone technology is used in a coconut tree survey to forecast more accurately yield and production of virgin coconut oil.
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Spore
Channeling Africa's water resources to build resilience
Relying solely on rain-fed agriculture limits farmers’ ability to improve yields and income. Irrigation can unlock their potential, but it requires a combination of technology, finance and support.
Read MoreProfiling presents opportunities for smallholders
by Sophie Reeve
Aggregating information about farm location and production in farmer profiles helps companies to tailor their support for smallholders, but how can this data be securely managed and transferred to rural farmers for their benefit?
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New horizons for Pacific aquaculture
In the Pacific, three seafood companies using sustainable fishery practices to conserve the health of marine ecosystems and contribute to the local economy have received international recognition for their novel business models.
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Agritourism: Solidifying synergies between the Solomon Islands’ key sectors
The Solomon Islands, a nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific, is an LDC (least developed country) with an abundance of natural resources. Since its independence in 1978, the country has largely depended on agricultural and forest resources for its economic growth; export revenues from primary resources such as logging, mining, agricultural products, and fisheries are the main sources of income.
Read MoreNatural beauty the Pacific way
by Wendy Levy
In Pacific Island countries, entrepreneurs are working together with small-scale farmers and local communities to develop world-class natural beauty products for sale in the regional tourist sector as well as for export to international markets.
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Publications
Building the evidence base on the agricultural nutrition nexus: Marshall Islands
This report summarises results of a rapid country scan on the agriculture-nutrition nexus in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Research included a desk review of accessible policies, programmes and other documents, published and unpublished, as well as a field mission to RMI from 11 to 30 December 2017. The mission allowed additional quantitative and qualitative data gathering with interviews, site visits and a small seminar to debrief interviews, present preliminary findings and discuss potential follow-up with some stakeholders.
Read MoreBuilding the evidence base on the agricultural nutrition nexus: Vanuatu
by Votausi Lucyann Mackenzie-Reur and Keith Galgal
A rapid scan on the agriculture and nutrition situation in Vanuatu was undertaken in 2017 to build the evidence base for strengthening the linkage between two important sectors – agriculture and health, for improved food and nutrition outcomes. The food and nutrition situation in Vanuatu has changed over the years as dietary patterns and lifestyles transitioned from a dependence on mostly subsistence living to a more urbanised western lifestyle.
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A Learning Journey at the Inaugural Pacific Week of Agriculture in Vanuatu
As a region, the Pacific faces a number of pressing challenges, linked to a rapidly growing population, high youth unemployment, soaring food imports and alarming levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) fuelled by poor nutrition.
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Fiji National Roundtable Workshop June 2017: Outcomes Report
The CTA/IFAD/PIPSO Promoting Nutritious Food Systems in the Pacific Islands – Fiji National Roundtable Workshop took place on 28 and 29 June 2017 at the Tanoa Plaza Hotel in Suva, Fiji.
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Roots and tubers value chain development and food and nutrition security - Papua New Guinea
by Boney Wera
Root and tuber crops (RTCs) are important dietary staples and food security crops for the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Pacific Islands. However, the productivity of RTCs remains almost static, reflecting the agro-technological and socio-economic constraints to production, while consumption is challenged by high imports of cheap cereal products.
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Events
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May 27
Papua New Guinea agritourism policy setting workshop
The workshop organised by the Government of Papua New Guinea in collaboration with and Pacific Community, CTA, PIPSO, IFAD and SPTO.
Location:Lae, Papua New Guinea
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Apr 29
Organised producers as partners in Pacific agribusiness and value chain development
This series of events builds on the work that started in September/October 2018, when seven representatives of Pacific Islands farmers/producers' organisations and government ministries working with farmers' organisations in Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga participated in the international course 'Organised Farmers as Partners in Agribusiness - Optimising the…Location:Nadi, Fiji
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Jan 15
Strengthening the local agrifood sector and promoting agritourism
As part of CTA, IFAD, SPTO, PIPSO and Pacific Community support to strengthen linkages between agriculture, tourism and trade and encouraging local sourcing of food by the tourism industry, a workshop on Policy setting for improved linkages between agriculture and tourism: Strengthening the local agrifood sector and promoting agritourism is organised in Kiribati.…Location:Tarawa, Kiribati
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Dec 3
Transforming nutrition-sensitive value chain development in the Pacific Islands
In the framework of the project ‘Promoting nutritious food systems in the Pacific Islands’, CTA in collaboration with IFAD and the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO), organises a 4-day event with three workshops:'Pacific AgriHack lab – ICTs from farm to table' (3–5 December) ‘Tonga national roundtable - Developing local food crops and fisheries v…Location:Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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Sep 7
Tuvalu Agritourism Policy Setting Workshop 2018
A two-day workshop under the theme of " Policy Setting for Improved Linkages Between Agriculture, Trade and Tourism: Strengthening the Local Agrifood sector and Promoting Healthy Food in Tuvalu" will take place in Funafuti, Tuvalu 7 and 10 September 2018.
Location:Funafuti, Tuvalu
