Revitalizing and commercializing agriculture
Around 80 percent of Solomon Islanders live in rural areas. Most rely on agriculture and fisheries for their food and money. But the country's agriculture sector, increasingly prone to climate hazards, has underperformed over the last two decades, hamstrung by chronic underfunding, declining production and productivity, and a lack of infrastructure and services, among other factors.
Working closely with the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, IFAD, farmer organizations, the private sector and other stakeholders and development partners, the Centre led the design of the country's Agriculture Sector Growth and Investment Plan. It was officially launched by the Prime Minister in October 2021. The ten-year plan details the Government's goal to revitalize, modernize and commercialize the country's agriculture sector to contribute to the well-being, prosperity and food and nutrition security of all Solomon Islanders.
In line with the country's National Development Strategy, the plan centres around four key programmes designed to guide public and private action and investment in the coming years. The first programme seeks to improve and professionalize the services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to create an enabling environment for innovation, research and sustainable agriculture sector growth. It will focus on increasing farmers' access to information, knowledge and technology through decentralized extension services and greater private sector involvement, among other activities.
Like many Pacific Island countries, the Solomon Islands struggles with the triple burden of malnutrition – high rates of obesity, micronutrient deficiencies and stunting and wasting among children. An increased reliance on imported foods, especially highly processed foods, has led to a rise in non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. In response, the plan's second programme will promote innovative technologies and resilient production systems to ensure greater availability and access to diverse, nutritious and affordable food.
The third programme aims to boost livestock productivity through improved breeds and veterinary and technical advisory services as well as environmentally sustainable farming systems for smallholder and commercial-scale livestock development. The fourth programme will focus on increasing the productivity and quality of traditional export crops such as coconut and cocoa while also promoting lucrative new crops like coffee, kava, vanilla, cardamom and ginger for export and domestic markets.