Bilateral Meeting with The Hon. Franklyn Derek, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development; and The Hon. Trevor Hedley Mahaga, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology of the Solomon Islands

Nadi, Fiji - At the SIDS Solutions Forum held in Nadi, Fiji, the FAO Director-General met with The Honourable Franklyn Derek, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and The Honourable Trevor Hedley Mahaga, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology of the Solomon Islands.

Minister Derek emphasized cassava as the Solomon Islands’ priority crop under FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, noting that 60,000 small-scale farmers, comprising 70 percent of the population, engage in family farming. He highlighted the country’s active involvement in FAO’s Digital Village Initiative (DVI), which supports rural development through digital solutions.

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting the Solomon Islands in achieving its food security and sustainability goals through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. It was noted that to address agricultural and environmental challenges, the Solomon Islands launched the New Day Strategy with FAO’s support, focusing on food security, One Health, and sustainable agrifood systems.