Building the blue Pacific through the One Country One Priority Product initiative

 

Event duration:  One hour 10:15 - 11:15 (Fiji local time) | 23:00 (5 Nov) - 00.30 (6 Nov) (CET)  

Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) encounter significant challenges regarding food, nutrition, and livelihood security due to geographical isolation, limited arable land, vulnerability to climate change, an aging farming population, and insufficient policy support. However, the region also presents unique opportunities through its diverse agroclimatic conditions and rich cultural traditions. The One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative addresses these challenges by fostering the development of promising and sustainable SAPs, ultimately supporting food security, healthy diets, farmers' livelihoods, and environmental protection.

The 2024 Pacific SIDS Solutions Forum serves as a pivotal platform to showcase the OCOP initiative's achievements over the past year, highlighting the SAPs of participating countries and the tangible benefits derived from their engagement.

This hybrid plenary session of day two of the 2024 SIDS Solution Forum with the theme on Building the Blue Continent through Better Production will explore how the FAO OCOP initiative can benefit Pacific Small Island Developing States by promoting their unique agricultural products globally.

The session will start with an overview of the vision and strategy for building the Blue Pacific Continent, followed by drawing on the learnings from the One Country One Product initiative as an example of developing specific commodity value chains. The focus of the breakout discussions is on identifying and upscaling innovative solutions for sustainable and resilient production systems.

Objectives of the Session

• Inform participants about the strategy and potential of OCOP for the Blue Pacific Continent.
• Showcase advancements and lessons learned under the OCOP initiative, assisting countries in further developing their SAPs.
• Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices among SIDS.
• Attract additional countries to join the OCOP initiative by highlighting tangible benefits and ongoing FAO support.
  

Expected Outputs

Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the OCOP initiative's goals, strategies, and benefits for their countries. The session will encourage questions and interactive discussions among participants and OCOP representatives.

Key Components of the Session

1. Pacific OCOP Plenary: Overview of the OCOP initiative, country presentations, and discussions on regional interventions and impacts.
2. Pacific OCOP Expo: A showcase for participating OCOP countries to present their products and future plans, highlighting their achievements.
3. Pacific OCOP SIDS Wall: An interactive activity where participants can share observations, suggestions, and express interest in joining the OCOP initiative.
   

Provisional agenda

Topic	Presenter
Introduction
Welcome Remarks	Jong-Jin Kim, FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Assistant Director General
Background Paper on OCOP	Hemant Nitturkar, Agriculture Officer, FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific
Video on OCOP in Action in the Pacific Region	Video Presentation
Country Presentations on OCOP - CROPS
Promise of Wetland Taro in Cook Islands	Hon. Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown, Minister for Agriculture, Cook Islands
Boosting Turmeric in Fiji	Hon. Vatimi Rayalu, Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji
Realizing the Potential of Cocoa in Samoa	Hon. La'auliolemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Samoa
Expanding Cassava in Solomon Islands	Hon. Franklyn Derek Wasi, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Solomon Islands
Promoting Sweet Yam Production in Tonga	Hon. Lord Fohe, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Food, Tonga
Reflection on OCOP-CROPS and Remarks on China-Pacific Island Countries Agriculture Cooperation Center (CPIAC)	Professor Yi Zhongyi, President, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Country Presentations on OCOP - LIVESTOCK
Developing Egg Production in Nauru	Hon. Jesse Jeremiah, Minister for Environmental Management & Agriculture, Nauru
Promoting Egg Production in Vanuatu	Hon. Nako Natuman, Minister for Agriculture, Vanuatu
Questions and Answers
OCOP Session Wrap-Up	Jong-Jin Kim, FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Assistant Director General

 

 

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