Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry 2023

FAO will also organize a series of its own side-events focused on various themes related to the agriculture and forestry sectors in the Pacific region, including:

Pacific good practices in Implementing and monitoring forest and landscape restoration - Enhancing resilience for people and nature

• 6th March 2023, 11:00 -13:00
• Venue: Ball Room 3, Sofitel Hotel, Nadi, Fiji

United Nations has declared 2021-2030 the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (UN Decade is led by FAO and UN Environment), with the aim of preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems on all continents and in all oceans; build political momentum; and create a global movement and scale up successful restoration actions. 

FAO works with key partners and countries, through various programs that contribute to national and international commitments and processes. The organization facilitates key partnerships for restoration, such as the United Nations Decade. 

The Pacific Island states seeks to further enhance sustainability in agriculture, especially in the fields of livestock, fisheries, food systems, forest management, agricultural and food supply, and biodiversity conservation. The debates on the proposal for a regulation on restoration of nature, Climate Justice is being led by the PIS//SIDS at the last COP 27. 

The event will focus on increasing the knowledge and political attention to implementing and monitoring forest and landscape restoration solutions in the fight against climate change, with co-benefits on local livelihood and economies.

 

Agribusiness Incubation: a potent strategy towards sustainable agrifood systems transformation

• 6th March 2023, 2-4 PM
• Venue: Sofitel, Ball Room 3

The session will introduce Agribusiness Incubation as a powerful cross cutting strategy that can foster sustainable improvement in production, productivity and remuneration in the agriculture sector which includes crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry and natural resource management while promoting consumption of healthy foods in the consumers. Agribusiness Incubation has proven highly successful in India, Kenya, Nigeria and elsewhere globally in engaging youth and women in enhancing value from rural activities and in creating meaningful rural jobs.

 

From the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) to the Joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security adopted at COP27

• 7 March 2023, 09:30 AM – 12:30 PM
• Ballroom 4, Sofitel Hotel, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji

Objectives of the session:

i)       Share updates and lessons on the implementation of the KJWA in the Pacific

ii)      Raise awareness on the decision adopted at COP27 on the  Joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security

iii)    Share countries priorities on the call for action on the implementation and scaling up of climate actions on agriculture and food security in the Pacific 

Promoting ecologically-based alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides to enhance food safety and security in the Pacific Region

• 8 March 2023, 1:30 -2:30 AM
• Venue: Ball Room 3, Sofitel, Nadi, Fiji

Ecological pesticides, such as biopesticides and botanical pesticides, are made from natural sources and have low toxicity to non-target organisms. They can provide effective pest control while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Education and awareness-raising campaigns can be helpful in promoting the use of ecological pesticides and encouraging farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices.

Pacific Regional Pesticide Registration Scheme (PRPRS) was developed towards harmonization of pesticide registration in the region. The PRPRS is a regional support mechanism that pools resources and technical expertise from the member countries to facilitate national decision making based on sound scientific evaluations. The regional support mechanism will also foster regional collaboration and harmonization of national systems so that technical capacity is strengthened through sharing of risk assessment methodologies and data/information management systems; and information and knowledge of agro-ecological alternatives are identified and supported.

PRPRS will regulate phasing out of HHPs (highly hazardous pesticides) which are an attributing factor to causing cancer in humans. Replacing HHPs with ecologically friendly products re-assures improvement of human and the environment health thus contributing to One Health.

 

Scaling up agroecology in the Pacific: using traditional knowledge and innovation to address food system and climate change

• 8th March 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
• Venue: Legendary Room, Sofitel resort, Nadi

This side event aims at sharing lessons learned from the implementation of a network of agroecological demonstration farms across the region and initiating a discussion on the conditions for mobilizing traditional and scientific knowledge for a better use of natural resources in the context of climate change. It will contribute to raising awareness about the principles of agroecology in the Pacific and its relevancy, based on the testimonies of the actors involved in this network: institutions (SPC, FAO), local actors (Department of Agriculture of French Polynesia), universities and the farmers involved.

It also aims to present the methods implemented, which are based on the tracking of innovation among farmers, and new methods of cooperation between researchers and farmers in order to combine traditional knowledge with scientific advances. 

Exchanges of experience between the PROTEGE and POFLN projects will be presented as a concrete illustration of cooperation between French-speaking territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis & Futuna) and English-speaking countries (Fiji, Nauru, Tonga, Solomon Islands) in the region.

Speakers:

Fuatino A. Fatiaki - Organic and Agroecology Productions Systems Officer for the Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network (POLFN) project implemented by SPC and funded by Kiwa. The project aims at developing access to organic farming methods and technologies to address food security, climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation

Peggy Roudaut - Program Manager, PROTEGE project, implemented by SPC & funded by EU in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis & Futuna. PROTEGE aims at promoting sustainable & climate change resilient economic development by emphasizing biodiversity & renewable resources

Clément Gandet - Agriculture & Forestry thematic coordinator, PROTEGE project, which aims at accompanying the agroecological transition to bring about climate-change-adapted & biodiversity-friendly farming

Philippe Couraud - Director of the French Polynesia Agriculture Division (DAG) which implements the agricultural and forestry policy for the territory

Françoise Henry - Organic farmer on 9 Ha in Tahiti (fruit orchards, vegetable garden and laying hens). President of Bio Fetia PGS association and part of the PROTEGE network of agroecological demonstration farms

Pierre Ferrand - Agriculture Officer, Regional focal point for Agroecology and the UN Decade of Family Farming, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand)