Samoa - Country Office

1. Overview
2. Country Strategy
3. Priorities
4. Key Program Managers
5. Current Projects
6. Concluded Projects
7. Achievements
8. Relevant Publications
9. Country News and Stories
10. Project Locations
11. Country Portfolio
12. AusAid and Other Briefs
13. Fellowship Statistics

Country Office

Key indicators and performance from 2006-07 

Indicator: Agricultural systems policy options to secure trade liberalisation opportunities (including domestic adjustments) developed for at least two countries.

Performance: A model for the Fiji economy was tested, evaluated and used to perform a range of policy simulations related options to securing trade liberalisation.  The results of this work have been communicated to stakeholders and the academic community through a range of working papers.  Economic models have also been used to analyse policy options facing Pacific countries in relation to maximising the economic benefits from the management of migratory tuna stocks.

Indicator: Design and commence two new forestry projects with linkages to value-addition through processing

Performance: Projects commenced will develop 1. commercial processing methods and provide technical information to underpin the manufacture and acceptance of coconut wood in the high value flooring market, and 2. approaches to maximise wood quality and value in Vanuatu’s emerging whitewood plantation industry.

Indicator: Delivery of improved nutritional information for consumers and extension providers

Performance: A series of food health and nutrition fact sheets covering 18 crops have been produced and distributed to growers, consumers and extension workers in Samoa and other Pacific Nations.  Sweet potato cultivars being evaluated to improve vitamin A status.

Indicator: Progress the sustainable management of Pacific fisheries through completion of at least two studies on stock replenishment and re-establishment

Performance: Restocking of Trochus shell broodstock in Samoa has demonstrated partial success, with a small number of juvenile recruits on the release reefs. Establishment of management regimes for sea cucumber resources in Solomon Islands have been hampered by social and political developments.  Hatchery produced black-lip pearl oyster shell restocked onto local reefs in Kiribati.

Indicator: Demonstrated capacity-building achievements through effective partnerships and dissemination plans on all projects

Performance: Plans are included in all projects.

Indicator: Develop farmer group testing of at least three integrated crop management packages

Performance: Integrated crop management packages in taro in Solomon Islands, ginger in Fiji (HORT/2004/049), brassica crops in Fiji and Samoa and sweet potatoes in Solomon Islands and PNG being tested by farmer groups to foster sustainable crop production under high stress, pest and disease pressure.

Achievements from 2006-07 Annual Report

The main Pacific Island countries (PICs) involved in ACIAR research are Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati. Much of the program in the Pacific is delivered through regional organisations, but ACIAR recognises that in some instances these nations have different priorities and requirements. It therefore continues to support a limited number of single country-specific projects on major issues. In 2006–07 ACIAR’s Pacific program focused on four themes:

• Improving incomes through more productive farming systems
• Sustainable management of forestry and fishery resources
• Biosecurity and pest and disease management
• Farming systems economics and marketing

The horticulture industry has potential for many Pacific communities. In Tonga the leading horticultural export is squash, earning $10.8 million in 2002. Squash is quick and easy to grow with a lucrative market in exports to Japan. A project is in progress to improve field-based crop protection and market quality of squash by addressing pests and diseases such as powdery mildew, silver leaf whitefly and virus diseases—also to better manage weeds. Trials in 2005 and 2006 in Tonga and Australia showed that using environmentally friendly chemicals was just as effective in controlling powdery mildew as using traditional fungicides. The researchers screened weed species and other cucurbit crops in the search for alternative hosts for viruses, and using ELISA tests they identified two weeds that carried two virus diseases affecting squash. This led to the recommendation of weed control around squash plantings as an important aspect of virus control.

In Solomon Islands both the farming and research communities lack resources to address the many pests and diseases they encounter. A project is helping to develop integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for major food crops, and also to increase the awareness among government staff and the community about plant pests and diseases, leading to improved and sustainable crop management. Pests and diseases under study include a chysomelid beetle that damages the popular local vegetable ‘sliperi kabis’, the lethal virus disease alomae found on taro grown in Malaita for the Honiara market, diamond back moth infestation of water cress grown at Mamara near Honiara, and gummy stem blight, a serious fungal disease of watermelon. The project is also surveying vegetable growers supplying the Honiara market, to ascertain their use of pesticides. This is part of the move to increase awareness and understanding of plant pests and diseases among government staff and the community that will help to improve pest management and sustainable crop production.

Soil-borne pathogens affect ginger in Fiji and Australia. During May and September 2006 disease and pest surveys were carried out in Fiji with a particular focus such pathogens. Farm and factory inspections revealed damage caused by fungal rots and nematode infestations. Quality of planting material is a significant problem for both the Fijian and Australian ginger industries. Tissue cultured plants are being multiplied and several farms in Australia have been established as ‘clean seed’ producers. Their planting material is in demand. Fiji has also experimented with ‘clean seed’ schemes in the past and is keen to reintroduce such a program. The project is supporting these industry-led initiatives by provision of tissue-cultured stock material.

In the Pacific islands both large and smallholder farmers grow brassicas—mainly head cabbage, Chinese cabbage and watercress. Increasing production in recent years has opened opportunities for diamondback moth infestations to spread. Control is gained through the use of insecticides, but the moth is best tackled through integrated pest management (IPM) that limits insecticide use while maintaining control. A project is encouraging the adoption of IPM, tailoring appropriate packages to each country. Regional surveys (on farms and research stations) are under way to determine the key insect pests of Brassica crops and their associated natural enemies. The work will continue until May 2008 to build up a substantial inventory. Local scientists have been trained in survey techniques and insect identification. The project schedule includes participatory trials to demonstrate the elements of effective brassica IPM, and the development of a ‘Farmer Field School’ approach to educate community/farmer groups and extension officers. Selective plant protection products, for example a formulation extracted from the Neem tree, have been sourced and transported to Fiji and Samoa for testing. An IPM toolkit developed through the project is also being tested.

In Solomon Islands, a project is developing improved systems of village-based poultry production by identifying rations for village-based layer and meat birds based on locally available feedstuffs. At the SI College of Higher Education (SICHE) maize, sorghum, mung beans and pigeon peas were planted on campus, to demonstrate the potential for villagers to grow these as feeds for poultry. The crops were harvested, dried and stored for nutrition trials. A 16-pen poultry research facility was constructed and commissioned. Test diets comprising different mixes of components such as sorghum, pigeon pea and locally available fresh coconut and paw paw leaves and fruit were evaluated. The project team is interacting with farmers and farmer groups to trial the diets and gather feedback about the value of these rations. A survey of 90 village poultry farmers in 31 villages from Guadalcanal, Western Province, Malaita and Central Province gave cause for optimism. The team found that most farmers considered chickens were easy to care for and a good enterprise for providing cash income and extra food for the family.

The project to detect nutritional disorders of yams has concluded, having provided diagnostic information for nutritional problems of major yam species in the field and laboratory in PNG, Tonga and Vanuatu. It developed and evaluated strategies to improve yam nutrition in low-external-input systems, and in addition it addressed many of the problems associated with yam nutrition research, providing future researchers with a much sounder methodological base. One item of significance was the discovery that yams, and particularly Dioscorea esculenta, showed particular susceptibility to deficiencies of manganese. In the Tonga program, where soils are highly phosphorus-fixing, D. alata crops responded well to phosphorus fertiliser applications. With phosphorus alleviation, yield increases of 30–100% were obtained, providing attractive economic returns for farmers. Instead of fertiliser, the planting of a green manure crop was found to contribute substantial nitrogen and phosphorus to subsequent crops.

Disease-free, good-quality waters, combined with low labour costs make aquaculture a potential success in Pacific communities. A project team is working with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and Pacific communities to identify and implement targeted research on aquaculture, extending the outcomes of past ACIAR and WorldFish Center projects. Together they have developed a series of mini projects, and one of these has undertaken a preliminary investigation into the potential for aquaculture of Macrobrachium lar (an indigenous giant freshwater prawn species) in the Pacific region. Trial farming of this species took place in Vanuatu (monoculture) and Wallis & Futuna (integrated prawn–taro farming). The project exhibited high survival rates and successfully grew M. lar to commercial size in four months in both countries. The farmers accepted the culture techniques well, indicating the suitability of this species as a new aquaculture commodity, but there seemed little advantage in integrating freshwater prawn farming with taro crops. The enterprises gave a good return; Vanuatu farmers for example received a price of $10/kg from restaurant owners.

Another project (already mentioned from a PNG perspective) aimed to review the availability and cost of local feed ingredients for tilapia and to a lesser extent macrobrachium in both PNG and Fiji, and to develop feed formulation tools for commercial and farm-made feeds. Feed pellets were successfully developed and trialled. From the mini project a new project 'Freshwater prawn aquaculture in the Pacific: Improving culture stock quality and nutrition in Fiji' has been developed, aimed at improving macrobrachium production through improved culture stock and development of an optimum, low-cost diet. The project nutritionist has produced a basic feeds brochure to help aquaculture extension officers and farmers in the participating countries and other PICs.

Another mini-project has tested the viral-disease status of Penaeus monodon (black tiger shrimp) broodstock among natural populations in the Fiji Islands. This shrimp is the most highly favoured species for aquaculture worldwide because of its fast growth rate, large size at maturity and high meat quality and quantity. The natural isolation of the Fiji Islands makes it potentially an ideal site for culturing and maintaining viral-free P. monodon as a basis for a regional aquaculture industry. The project was able to show that a number of important viruses are absent from Fiji. The laboratory at USP in Fiji is now a reference centre for Fiji and neighbouring countries, able to provide information on which government and industry can develop policy regarding importation and export of shrimp stocks. There is a new awareness of the need to test for viruses in shrimp imported into Fiji Islands.

A forestry project aims to reduce the risk of serious damage by exotic pests to the valuable timber resources of Fiji and Vanuatu (as well as Australia) by establishing efficient detection systems for target pests in high hazard sites. This is part of a 'neighbourhood watch' approach to incursion management that will benefit all regional countries, including Australia. Australian project participants, in cooperation with the Fiji and Vanuatu collaborators, have developed a 47-page field guide, Forest health guide: symptoms of insect and fungal damage on trees, to aid the identification of pest and disease damage symptoms. The Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland, published the guide in September 2006. Project collaborators received copies and received training in its use at a workshop held in Suva in September/October 2006. The guide features images and descriptions of generic types of insect and fungal damage, as well as specific information on some of the key agents targeted in this project (e.g. mahogany shoot borer, bark beetles, erythrina gall wasp and eucalyptus rust). The guide also includes a list of equipment required for field surveys and a copy of the forest health field form. 

The sandalwood project is providing vital genetic information to ensure that trees for replanting in Vanuatu are fast-growing with excellent wood and high quality oil, and that suitable planting conditions are in place. The project established a ‘host’ trial in Port Vila (sandalwood is a root parasite and must have a host of another species). Species under trial are Canarium indicum, Casuarina equisetifolia and Pterocarpus indicus. Ni-Vanuatu project participants are learning how to establish sandalwood plantings, gaining skills in nursery establishment and procedures, sandalwood propagation, plantation establishment and plant improvement. A related study is undertaking a rough census of wild sandalwood stocks in Vanuatu to provide scientific underpinning for a conservation strategy. Two new forestry initiatives involve better silvicultural management of whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) for plantation forestry in Vanuatu, and improving value and marketability of coconut wood in Fiji and Samoa.

ACIAR has supported the development and implementation of strategies for the effective conservation and use of the Pacific regions plant genetic resources (PGRs) for food and agriculture (including neglected and underutilised species). At meetings of the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN) in 2004 and 2005 there was agreement on the elements of a regional strategy for ex situ conservation. This involves developing a consistent approach for establishment of field genebanks, in-vitro preservation and cryopreservation to conserve the allotted species, and relies on effective collaboration among all stakeholders within the region and beyond. The major species of interest are taro, breadfruit, banana and coconut. To complement these strategies for staple crops, the 2006 annual PAPGREN meeting agreed on a regional strategy for the development of neglected and underutilised crops.

Efforts continued to find ways of controlling the invasive weed mikania (mile-a-minute) in Fiji. A database has been established and the distribution of mikania in Fiji and also PNG is being recorded. So far surveys and herbarium records have counted over 150 sites in Fiji and nearly 50 in PNG where mikania is present and many more are expected. Potential biological control agents include the larvae of two butterflies and a rust fungus.

An economic and market analysis of the live reef fish food trade in Asia-Pacific has given researchers a comprehensive picture of the key factors driving the future sustainability of this trade across the Asia-Pacific, and provided a blueprint for governments and fishers to act on to assure future sustainability. The studies have identified four critical areas where sustainability of the trade needs improvement: 1) better governance of wild-caught fisheries; 2) sustainable development of reef fish aquaculture; 3) integrated policies for assisting low-income fishing communities; 4) more informed consumer choices.

Another project is identifying and promoting strategies for Pacific Island nations to maximise the economic benefits from their migratory tuna stocks. Shoals of tuna migrate through the exclusive economic zones of island nations in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. This migratory characteristic means that no nation has control over the tuna stocks. The member nations of the Forum Fisheries Agency have long adopted a mutually beneficial coordinated regional management approach to regulate the catches of their own domestic fleets and those of distant water fishing nations. The projects outputs—economic analyses, bioeconomic modelling and policy development—are all potentially valuable aids to establishing the economic negotiating positions of Pacific Island nations with rights to migratory tuna stocks, as well as the positions of the distant water fleet nations (DWFNs) such as Japan, USA, South Korea, Taiwan and China, who are interested in paying for access to the stocks. 

Fiji needs reliable information on rural incomes, together with agricultural and fisheries production data from the smallholder and subsistence sectors, also market information on food price changes and their effects on producers and consumers. A project is under way to collect this information and provide the tools to develop a flexible framework for integration into broader policy development. An early success was to obtain the agreement of the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics to use data from their Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2002–2003 (HIES) in the project. These data will provide the sampling frame for both the urban and rural surveys, so the project has the benefit of a recent and full enumeration of urban and rural households to work from.

One of the key priorities emerging from a Pacific Extension Summit hosted by Tonga in November 2005 was the need to build the capacity of extension staff and associated institutions to undertake participatory research and extension (PARE). In response, ACIAR commissioned a small R&D activity to determine the particular situation for a range of Pacific islands and different institutions. By accounting for variations in context (e.g. social and cultural differences, previous institutional experiences, farmers’ needs) and differences in institutional roles (e.g. of tertiary institutions, NGO networking agencies, government extension and research staff) ACIAR and partner institutions are now in a far better position to guide the development of tailored training and capacity-building programs.