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ProjectStrengthening Capacity of Youth for Employment and Livelihood in Agriculture - TCP/SAM/3603 2020
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No results found.Approximately 80 percent of the population of Samoa resides in rural areas, yet the contribution of the agriculture sector to the national gross domestic product (GDP) is relatively low. While agriculture accounted for around 50 percent of the GDP in 1980, this contribution decreased to less than 10 percent by 2013. In contrast, remittances accounted for 18.2 percent of the GDP in 2011. The 2009 Agriculture Census found that 15 786 of the 23 164 households surveyed were agriculturally active. However, only half of these agriculturally active households derived some income from their produce, with the remainder of households producing purely for the purpose of consumption. In addition, an estimated 37 300 ha was being used for agriculture at the time of the census, representing 57 percent of the total agricultural land. More generally, 82 percent of agricultural production value is generated from crops. Only 24 percent of the value added to products, however, is achieved through commercial agriculture, with subsistence farming accounting for most of the value-added products in the sector. In Samoa, there are five crops that account for 76 percent of production value. These include taro, swamp taro, coconut, banana and pumpkin. Additionally, cabbage (15 percent) and tomato (3 percent) account for most of the remaining production value. Critically, shortcomings in the domestic production of high-value horticultural crops contributes to the high cost of both local and imported vegetables compared to substitute foods. This in turn, contributes to the Samoan population’s high dependence on purchasing imported foods, which is estimated to account for over 70 percent of their diets. As a result, there are high consumption rates of prepared and convenience foods that contain high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat, which contribute to poor nutrition and obesity. Despite the existing challenges, the agriculture sector has been at the forefront of economic growth in Samoa and remains crucial to national food security, income generation and export potential. Therefore, the vision for the Agriculture Sector Plan 2011–2016 focused on “Agriculture for Food and Income Security” and was guided by the “farming and fishing first” theme. In particular, two of the key areas that have been explored are improved fruit tree development and value addition for selected crops. -
ProjectDeveloping Capacity for Implementing Agricultural Census 2019 - TCP/SAM/3702 2022
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No results found.Samoa is a Pacific island country with a population estimated at 202 506 in 2021 Samoa’s traditional economy is dominated by community based agriculture and fisheries However, although more than 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture and fisheries contribute only 9 6 percent to the gross domestic product Agriculture and fisheries remain at the forefront of the government’s economic growth strategy The Agriculture Sector Plan ( 2016 2020 provides the framework for the development of the sector and focuses on strengthening regulatory frameworks, improving food security and income in rural areas, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring an environmentally sustainable sector The Plan emphasizes the need to strengthen agricultural data collection to provide a better evidence base for agricultural policy making Under the Statistics Act 2015 the SBS was mandated to conduct an agricultural census in 2019 as part of a ten yearly cycle of agricultural censuses The Samoa Agricultural Census 2019 (SAC 2019 was included in the national statistical programme as part of the Samoa Strategy for the Development of Statistics 2011. -
ProjectStrengthening the Capacity of Farmers and Food Vendors to Supply Safe Nutritious Food in Guadalcanal, Malaita and Temotu Provinces of Solomon Islands - TCP/SOI/3601 2020
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No results found.With more than 1 000 islands covering a total land area of 28 369 km2 spread over 1.3 million km2, and a population of 515 870 (in 2009), the small island developing state and least developed country of Solomon Islands faces significant food security challenges. As the population grows, there is a need to ensure that food is accessible, affordable and nutritious, providing vital nutrients and proteins to support the health of the population. The increased availability of low-cost imported foods high in carbohydrates and fat is changing dietary patterns in the country. FAO’s 2014 Nutrition in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories states that one third of children under 5 are stunted as a result of failing to meet their daily energy and nutrition requirements. Among adults, nearly 30 percent of women and 25 percent of men are overweight while 14 percent of women and nearly 9 percent of men are obese. The combination of stunted children and overweight adults creates a triple burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases. This Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project was formulated to address these food and nutrition-related challenges by building farmer organizations’ capacities to adopt improved agricultural production methods in order to increase root and cash crop production - and the crop’s market competitiveness relative to imports - contributing to their increased availability. Given the country’s increasing youth population, particularly in rural areas, the project placed emphasis on students and young farmers. It also sought to strengthen market linkages between farmer organizations and school canteens in order to improve the nutrition content of school meals. Finally, it assisted school canteens and food vendors in adding value and processing local foods. Its ultimate aim was to increase the consumption of locally grown foods - especially root crops, which are high in micronutrients - to improve food and nutritional security within rural communities. Farmers’ productivity was enhanced through training in community nurseries and demonstration sites in each province. These nurseries also acted as genebanks where farmers from surrounding communities could access improved planting materials. The training curriculum included soil improvement techniques, diversification and intensification of production, pest and disease management, seed production and storage, and post-harvest management. Students were included in the training in line with the project’s focus on youth.
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