THE PACIFIC AGRIBUSINESS RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (PARDI): A NOVEL APPROACH TO HORTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PACIFIC

Abstract

Pacific island countries face significant challenges in improving livelihoods and overcoming poverty, particularly with the food and fuel price surges in 2008, the impact of the global economic crisis, a number of natural disasters, difficulties maintaining infrastructure, and the negative effects of climate change. In addressing some of these challenges, Pacific island countries and international agencies recognise that improving the competitiveness of industries, which provide a platform for stronger economic growth, is the basis of overcoming many of these challenges. The importance of agricultural development in alleviating poverty and providing a catalyst for sustainable economic growth has been widely documented. In the Pacific, agricultural productivity tends to be derived from traditional small-holder farming systems, with horticultural production and associated supply chains representing one of the fastest growing components. Issues affecting the horticultural sector in the Pacific include distance from markets, small and inconsistent scale of production, high transport costs, eroding tariff preferences, technical market access barriers, migration of skilled labour, resource depletion and degradation, and risks from climate change. In meeting these challenges, a network of Australian universities and agencies, the Secretariat of Pacific Island Communities (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific, supported by ACIAR, have developed an innovative approach to horticultural development based around intervention priorities generated by supply chain and market analysis. Rather than pre-defining a specific set of commodities or researchable priorities the Pacific Agribusiness Research for Development Initiative (PARDI) incorporates a 'market-oriented' approach to identify horticulture products and chain opportunities. PARDI delivery has integrated horticultural scientists with social scientists and market analysts. This paper outlines the methodologies and preliminary project outcomes, with specific focus on horticulture development in Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.