Vanuatu - Country Strategy

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 Strategy

ACIAR's program in the Pacific island countries (PICs) concentrates on Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kiribati, and works through regional organisations where appropriate. Our strategy recognises the importance of the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors within these countries. It supports R&D and capacity building to address three thrusts: improved food and nutritional security; integrated and sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry resources management and development; and improved biosecurity and increased trade in agriculture, fisheries and forestry products. It recognises the need to address individual PIC priorities arising from differences in climate and soils, availability of natural resources, institutional capacity, infrastructure and potential for economic growth, while at the same time recognising that many challenges are common and best addressed through regional collaboration. By working closely with Pacific partners, and adhering to the intent of the 'Pacific Partnerships for Development' approach, ACIAR plans to significantly increase the size of its PICs program during 2009-10 and succeeding years.

ACIAR focusses on three key stakeholder groups, smallholders, producing for commercial markets; entrepreneurs, developing value chains involving cooperative production, processing and marketing; and corporate producers and exporters, providing market linkages for outgrowers. The ACIAR strategy for the PICs identifies the participation of women in particular as a critical feature of project success. This strategy will also have a significant impact on the household food security of smaller and subsistence growers resulting from training and capacity building for government R&D staff and extensionists and NGO staff and lead farmers, and the development of crop production systems with broad applicability. The ACIAR program provides R&D solutions and capacity building with close linkages to other extension, technology transfer and community development programs implemented by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific island governments, NGOs and other donors.

To achieve sustainable change interventions ACIAR will offer innovative approaches that engage, empower and invest in women. ACIAR R&D activities and projects will consider how each project will specifically address gender inequity in agricultural development, for example inequity in decision-making and women's access to appropriate technology and knowledge. This will include consideration of the optimum level of women's participation to achieve maximum project impact on hunger, poverty and food security; significant increase in opportunities for women in income generating activities and decision-making; and a growing understanding of gender issues in the community in which ACIAR operates. Women particularly have a central role in household food gardening, tree crop production, and marketing of horticultural, tree crop and fisheries products. Project activities will include appropriate gender-based objectives, milestones and performance indicators.

In agriculture, the program will focus on adaptation to changes in microclimate and identification and management of constraints to productivity in both staple root and highvalue crops. It will assist the identification and development of new high-value horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables and ornamentals) for domestic, regional and international markets. In fisheries, ACIAR will focus on addressing sustainable production of oceanic and inshore fisheries, the development of alternatives through aquaculture and improvements in economic returns through improved product quality and better market linkages. The forestry program will emphasise the development of emerging
plantation opportunities through improved silvicultural management, enhanced genetic resources, new products, and development of disease and pest detection and management methods. There will be increased attention to the development and strengthening of agribusiness linkages with farming systems and marketing research undertaken to underpin the strategy. The program also has a strong
emphasis on building R&D capacity within the region.

The Australian Government also released a Pacific Economic Survey 2008 in March 2008. The survey looks at the economic position of countries in the region, including East Timor.