The Minister for Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Honourable Frankly Derek Wasi, delivered the keynote address at the side event titled “A Resilient Pacific Food Systems – It Is Everyone’s Business”, held during the 4th Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry, Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
The event was co-hosted by the Secretariat of Pacific Community (SPC), CSIRO, the University of Wollongong, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), and the Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON).
It brought together a diverse group of participants, including women’s groups, researchers, policymakers, and representatives from the private sector.
In his address, Minister Wasi echoed the vision outlined in SPC’s Strategic Plan, which advocates for food systems that are accessible, regenerative, biodiverse, equitable, and resilient to shocks. He emphasized that achieving food system resilience in the Pacific requires collective action across all sectors of society.
Minister Wasi highlighted some key initiatives undertaken by the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. These are guided by two overarching policy pillars:
1. Making agriculture attractive and inclusive across all levels of society and resilience to climate change.
2. Building agriculture as the economic backbone of the Solomon Islands.
He also referenced the national vision as outlined in the five medium-term objectives of the Solomon Islands National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016–2035, which include climate change, education, resilience, and the Solomon Islands Food Systems Pathway.
Underscoring the importance of regional and global cooperation, Minister Wasi encouraged participants to move beyond discussion and take tangible steps to implement the recommendations generated during the event.
“Food systems and food production are not the responsibility of a few—they are everyone’s business,” Minister Wasi reminded the audience. “We all need to eat to survive.”
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[MAL Press]
