The Government of Fiji with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pacific Community (SPC) will host the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry, taking place from 6-10 March 2023 in Nadi, Fiji.

The Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry (PWAF) is a bi-annual event that brings together leaders, experts, and stakeholders from the agriculture and forestry sectors in the Pacific region to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing the sectors. This year's theme is "Growing Together: Transforming Pacific Agriculture and Forestry".

When: 6 – 10 March 2023

Where: Sofitel Hotel, Denarau Island, Nadi, Fiji

How to attend: please register at https://forms.gle/KzurUmGUxMoKiD3G6

More information: https://bit.ly/PWAF2023 and https://www.agriculture.gov.fj/

Led by the Government of Fiji with support from FAO and SPC, this year's Pacific Week will include the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry as well as the Regional Meeting of the Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services to be held on 10 March and 9 March respectively.

The first three days of PWAF (6–10 March) will feature a series of side-events designed to address key topics facing the agriculture and forestry sectors in the Pacific region: Among them are:

• pandemics, climate change and natural resource security,
• transforming agriculture and forestry through science and technology, and
• creating a circular green economy for agriculture and forestry.

FAO will also organize a series of side-events including:

• Pacific good practices in Implementing and monitoring forest and landscape restoration - Enhancing resilience for people and nature;
• Agribusiness Incubation Program (AIP) as a potent strategy towards sustainable agrifood systems transformation;
• From the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) to the Joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security adopted at COP27;
• Promoting ecologically-based alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides to enhance food safety and security in the Pacific Region;
• Scaling up agroecology in the Pacific: using traditional knowledge and innovation to address food system and climate change.

These side-events will provide a valuable opportunity for participants to engage with FAO and learn about its programs and initiatives in the Pacific, and to collaborate with FAO and other stakeholders on efforts to transform the agriculture and forestry sectors in the region. FAO will also launch the “2022 Annual Report of FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands”, providing information to its partners and stakeholders about the organization's achievements in 2022.

Participants including media representatives are invited to join the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry either in person or via a live stream link, which will be provided at a later date. In either case, kindly register, in advance, using the above link.

For more information, please contact Maryia Kukharava [email protected], FAO Communications Specialist for the Pacific Islands.