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