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Forests in the South Pacific have a crucial role in the survival of the island peoples. They can be compared to a supermarket located on the doorstep of a house, stocked with construction material, energy, food and medicines. They provide shelter, clean drinking water and have important cultural significance in the daily life of the indigenous peoples. Conserving and managing these forests sustainably is at the heart of the island...

Over the years, rapid and unregulated clearance of forestland for farming, mainly subsistence farming has impacted greatly on the area and quality of forests. The Government of Niue through the Ministry of Agriculture, planned to convert currently abandoned ex-forestry plantations back to natural and productive forests under the concept of ‘demonstration forests’ where production and conservation efforts are balanced and the resources are continually managed. This audiovisual manual has been produced...

Preparing for and responding to natural disasters as they affect access to food for millions of people in the Pacific Islands was a major theme at the first-ever meeting of the Regional Pacific Food Security Cluster Forum in Nadi, Fiji that took place from 26 to 28 April. The joint FAO/WFP meeting of some 50 representatives from governments, non-governmental and UN organizations, was jointly hosted by the FAO and WFP Food...

One year on, Farmers in Niue see progress in an FAO project to replant fruit and nut trees on the Pacific nation. Launched in March 2016, the two year project entitled – Niue Household Fruit and Nut Trees Integrated Replanting Project – is implemented by FAO and the Government of Niue to increase local fruits production as a means to improve food and nutritional security and increase employment. The project also aims...

The FAO Subregional Office of the Pacific Islands is pleased to welcome Mr Joseph Nyemah Nyemah as Nutrition and Food Systems Officer. A Liberian-Canadian national, Joseph arrives directly from Malawi where he was with the One UN as humanitarian advisor. “In this role, I led inter-cluster coordination for the food security, agriculture, nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education, protection and health clusters over a $395 million humanitarian response.  Working for...

Eight communities on the island of Savai’i in Samoa have decided to continue forest conservation and have agreed to five year management plans (2017-2022) for three Community Conservation Areas. The areas cover and protect a total area of 14700 ha of native forests and include water catchment areas, wetlands, lava flow areas and important lowland forests. In March 2017 the village leaders formally agreed and signed a memorandum of understanding with...

Mele Tauati, a Tongan national, joined the team at the FAO Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands as a Small-scale Fisheries Junior Professional Officer from February 2017. She joins FAO with 10 years of fisheries work and research experience from Tonga and Samoa. “Taking up this position is a prestigious opportunity, so I am very grateful and honoured as a Pacific Islander to work for FAO here in the Pacific. It’s...

Increasing scientific evidence over the past two decades indicate that the global climate is changing. As a result of a climatic shift, humanitarian actors and donors are facing new challenges to respond in a timely and effective way. Expanding needs, competing priorities and scarce resources globally mean that new tools are needed to ensure smart, effective investments to help attenuate the impact of disasters before they occur. One tool that is...

FAO is supporting Samoan farmers to consistently market top quality produce through a project targeted at the community, private sector and institutions. In December 2016, FAO conducted a survey of pineapple and bread fruit producers in Samoa to understand postharvest handling practices in terms of harvesting, packaging, transport and product quality. The survey was led by Prof Steven Underhill from the University of Queensland, Australia. The survey is a continuation of prior...

Those pineapples that still seem exotic on a super market shelf anywhere beyond the equator, are not just gorgeous to look at and luscious to eat or drink but this seemingly omnipresent tropical produce requires a careful and lengthy process of cultivation.   In the Pacific island of Vanuatu, where pineapple production on a large commercial scale is still being developed, local family and commercial pineapple farms are being helped...