Pacific region program 2022–23 

Partner country	No. projects
Pacific island countries	34
Fiji	20
Kiribati	4
Samoa	13
Solomon Islands	14
Tonga	11
Vanuatu	9
Papua New Guinea	22

 

^{Note that a project may be conducted in several countries, therefore the total number of projects in this table will be greater than the number of projects in the region.}

 

The countries of the western Pacific region are set apart from the rest of the world. Many are small and geographically isolated, have limited land mass and arable land, fragile natural environments and few resources. Increasingly, they are more vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change than many other regions of the world.

Each country in this region faces specific development and agricultural challenges including small formal economies, long distances from major markets, high costs and rapidly growing populations that hamper economic growth. Governance and capacity constraints in some countries also limit their ability to deliver services. These challenges make it difficult to respond and recover from disasters and climate change effects, which are prominent in the region.

In 2021–22, the region was confronted with a string of civil and natural disasters that included civil unrest and demonstrations in Solomon Islands, volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, and flooding and landslides due to cyclones across several countries.

Pacific island countries also face the consequences of a triple burden of malnutrition – a situation where undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity coexist. Unhealthy diets, lifestyles and environment are key risk factors contributing to these non-communicable diseases.

For the last 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects globally. Cities have been locked down, borders have closed, limiting international travel, and supply chains have been disrupted, upending economies. The Pacific region has been equally affected.

With the threat of inadequate health care to cope with COVID-19, Pacific countries were quick to close borders, establish isolation strategies and roll out protocols of social distancing. Many Pacific island countries have intensified their vaccination programs, including boosters to help manage the spread of the virus. Australia has assisted the region by providing donations of vaccines and support to local health systems.

In 2020 ACIAR published a report¹ that examined food systems in the Pacific region and the vulnerabilities that were exposed or amplified by the COVID-19 shock. Income and production by farmers and fishers were impacted by the movement restrictions; service delivery was disrupted, especially on small and medium islands; local markets closed reducing the availability of fresh produce, which was felt most by urban areas; tourism declined significantly reducing farm incomes that were reliant on supplying tourism establishments; and migration to rural areas increased food demand and pressure on agriculture. Lockdowns and border closures also resulted in employment and income losses, remittances declined and general household and business spending declined. In response to this analysis, ACIAR commissioned an assessment of agrifood systems transformation through circular migration between Pacific island countries and Australia2. This assessment concluded that the combination of continued labour demands in Australian agriculture, COVID-19 socioeconomic impacts in the Pacific, and future food systems risks in Pacific island countries, create an opportunity for greater agriculture-oriented research and training within agriculture-related labour mobility.

The impact of the pandemic continues to hit the Pacific region hard. Agriculture and fresh produce emerged as the foundation of the economy for the region and ensured food security for the population when the manufacturing sector, trade and services stalled.

To reduce and mitigate ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on economies, Pacific region countries adopted a variety of measures, including economic stimulus packages, home gardening programs through seed distribution, farm support packages and backyard aquaculture farms. Cash transfers to most vulnerable households were also implemented to augment loss of income.

While many Pacific region countries are still contending with and responding to the onshore surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the region and governments are preparing to restart their economies and open borders. The past 2 years have resulted in renewed interest in, and support for, agriculture, fisheries and forestry; enthusiasm for innovation in food systems and value chains; and the creation of new domestic market opportunities.

 

Drivers of regional collaboration

While acknowledging the individual needs and unique research and development priorities of each partner country in the Pacific region, the scattered nature of the Pacific region nations and their small populations mean that many countries cannot address all their challenges and opportunities in agriculture alone.

The ACIAR program with the Pacific region has a strong focus on enabling regional collaboration, especially through our close relationship with The Pacific Community (SPC), which plays a key role in communicating research outcomes of relevance across the region. Regional research programs and projects are implemented through agencies with regional capability (including SPC, the University of the South Pacific and CGIAR centres) and bilateral research and extension agencies.

Papua New Guinea is a significant partner within our Pacific region program, and we have a specific strategy that highlights enabling collaboration with the small island states of the region on issues of common interest.

ACIAR Pacific region program

The 2017 Pacific Step-up highlighted in the Australian Government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper elevated Australia’s partnerships with the Pacific region to a new level and focused on strategically secure and economically stable support for the region. This strong focus was re-emphasised by Australia’s new government in 2022.

In 2022–23, we will continue to build on our long engagement with the Pacific region, through our regional office in Fiji. We will develop new 10-year strategies with the Pacific island states and Papua New Guinea.

We are developing our medium-term priorities under both 10-year strategies through consultation with national government partners and regional research and development agencies as the region enters the new normal. We will focus our efforts on re-building the agriculture sector post-pandemic and re-engaging with partners, including face to face discussions where possible. We are also supporting Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry, which Fiji will host in March 2023.

We continue to support alumni of ACIAR capacity building programs and fellowships to work hand-in-hand with Australian researchers to provide insights into how the pandemic is affecting local food security and to ensure future food security of the Pacific region. We also support the scaling up of new opportunities in COVID-19 relevant research areas such as One Health (the interface between human, animal and environmental health), biosecurity and improving resilience in food supply chains, both within partner countries and between Australia and partner countries.

A key focus of our program within the Pacific region will be 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. Multi-country projects and linked programs include:

• fisheries (pathways to change in Pacific coastal fisheries)
• 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.