Annual Operational Plan

ACIAR in the Pacific 2019-20

Date released
31 October 2019

Overview

ACIAR is part of the Pacific family. Since 1982, we have been funding and connecting Australian researchers with their counterparts throughout the Pacific, helping reduce poverty and improve food security. 

We are investing more than AUD$22million in agricultural research and partnerships across nine countries in the Pacific region, including Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 

Our research in the Pacific 

Each of our partner countries in the Pacific faces specific agricultural development challenges, including economic shocks (such as abrupt changes in food and fuel prices), natural disasters (such as cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes and tsunamis), and high exposure to the impacts of changing climate patterns. 

While there are significant challenges facing the Pacific region, there are also opportunities for countries to forge their own unique path to economic development.  

A key focus of our Pacific program is enabling regional collaboration in research and capacity building to address common issues and opportunities. This regional approach includes various projects addressing biosecurity, climate-resilient livelihoods, and opportunities for stronger agribusiness development. Specific multi-country projects and linked programs include: 

  • Fisheries (pathways to change in Pacific coastal fisheries in Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) 
  • Forestry (domestication and breeding of sandalwood, agroforestry and catchment rehabilitation) 
  • Crops (sweetpotato, indigenous vegetables, commercial vegetables, tropical fruits and cocoa) 
  • Soil information and soil health. 

As part of our long-term commitment to the Pacific, we are also developing and implementing a regional 10-year strategy through close consultation with national and regional research and development agencies. This strategy will guide our medium and long-term focus in the region, with strategic direction and priorities being revisited every two years at the Pacific Week of Agriculture.  

You can read more about ACIAR’s research in the Pacific in our Annual Operating Plan, or by visiting individual country profiles.