Samoa Agriculture & Fisheries Climate Change Policy
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) officially opened the Inception Workshop on March 22, 2023, to kickstart the development of the first Samoa Agriculture & Fisheries Climate Change Policy. The Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MAF, Matatumua Taimalietane Matatumua, led the workshop, which is technically supported and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The workshop aimed to engage key stakeholders in the policy development process.
Climate change poses a serious threat to agriculture and its ongoing development. Nevertheless, agriculture remains the backbone of Samoa’s economy and contributes to local livelihoods and income generation, especially for the local village community, including vulnerable families. The sector generates 10.4% of GDP (2017 estimate) and uses 65% of labor, with 97% of households producing agricultural goods for subsistence and/or commercial purposes.
The barriers to climate-resilient agriculture include unsustainable farming practices, policy and regulatory gaps, limited crop diversity, limited observation and early warning networks/systems, gender inequality, limited access to finance, weak institutional capacity, and limited youth participation in agriculture. Guidance on the agriculture sector’s response to these gaps is a priority for the new policy.
During the Inception Workshop, Sala Sagato Tuiafiso of the Samoa Farmers Association shared his experience and emphasized the importance of including contributions from smallholder farmers and fishers in the development of the policy. He further reiterated the importance of including research and data access under the policy. Ms. Matatumua, MAF Acting CEO, emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement in the process and encouraged participants to provide their contributions and inputs into the policy development process. Assistant FAO Representative, Fata Philip Tuivavalagi, stated that the policy was extremely important in ensuring the strengthening of Climate Smart Agriculture and Fisheries practices to ensure the sector is resilient to climate-related impacts.
The Inception Workshop held at the Lava Hotel was attended by members of Government Ministries, Development Partners, and community stakeholders. Following the Inception Workshop will be a series of national consultations for Upolu & Savai’i. Updates of the development process for the Samoa Agriculture & Fisheries Climate Change Policy will be available on the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries website and Facebook page.
For more information on the Samoa Agriculture & Fisheries Climate Change Policy, contact the Policy, Planning, and Communication Division of MAF
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