1. The South Pacific Region
Pacific Community

2. THE PACIFIC REGION – OCEAN OF ISLANDS
Land area of 553,959 sq.km in 33mn sq.km of ocean
Contains about 25,000 islands
Ranging in size from small atolls to land masses the size of Papua New Guinea (area of 462,840 sq km) – 83% of the land area
Home to 8mn people
Predominantly rural population but rapid urbanization – more than 40% in urban areas in a few countries

3. CHALLENGES FACING THE PACIFIC REGION
Small populations and economies
Weak institutional capacity in both public and private sector
Remoteness from international markets – high costs of transportation
Susceptibility to natural disasters and climate change
Fragility of land and marine ecosystems
Limited fresh water supply
High import dependency
Vulnerability to exogenous shocks

4. CONTEXT Uniqueness of the Pacific Food security
Nutritional security – linked to health problems – poor quality food – very high rate of NCDs
Need for improved livelihoods, especially for farmers

5. PRIORITY RESEARCH NEEDS – DEALING WITH ALL NR SECTORS
Value-adding (inclusive) for niche markets (domestic and export markets). Needs to be considered within a value chain approach. Assists issue of convenience food
Crop improvement – supports value-adding and climate change. Also for nutritional superiority
Climate change – mitigation and adaptation. Modelling sadly lacking

6. PRIORITY RESEARCH NEEDS
Participatory approaches to research and extension – to develop an understanding of different systems. To include innovation systems
Policy to support agriculture for development;
Community-based systems for managing resources to ensure sustainable utilization and maximizing productivity
Biosecurity and Trade Facilitation - market access