Samoa's Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries hopes to strengthen Samoa's relationship with leaders of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific to ensure accessible trade and food supply with one another. 

The SIDS conference is currently underway in Samoa and was officially opened on Monday by the Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative Jong-Jin Kim. 

Speaking about the significance of the forum this week, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, said that "sharing expertise and innovation" on how to preserve food is one important aspect of the forum. 

"There is also an expression of adding more produces for all Pacific Island countries security purpose to ensure that there is enough supply of food for all member countries," La'auli. 

"We are also looking at ways in which can assist our neighboring countries in terms of trade. For example, what we have can be supplied to other Pacific Islands without what we have available here in Samoa and vice versa. 

"What we want to achieve is for our island states to be less dependent on imported goods from other bigger countries in the world because it's more costly and expensive. 

"However, if we can be able to supply what we have with one another and exchange goods and produce within the region, it will not only be cheaper, but it also benefits our local farmers."

Nevertheless, La'auli said one of the important issue being discussed in the forum is utilising the technology and modern devices to exchange, sell and buy goods. 

He made reference to the Maua App which can now enable local farmers to sell their produce and receive direct payments for their goods. 

"If we utilise what we have available very well, it will benefit our people and especially our hard working farmers. They don't have to wait until they have enough taro for boxes of taro to be exported overseas. 

They can now have the other options of selling their taro or whatever organic food online using that app so a lot of discussions are focused on how we can use these technologies and apps for exchanging of goods.

"We are also looking at strengthening our partnerships and collaborations with leaders of other countries."

The 2022 Pacific SIDS Solutions Forum is organised to follow up and build on the global SIDS Solutions Forum of 2021 through identifying country-specific and regional successes (good practices), challenges and next steps within the context of advancing the achievement of the SAMOA Pathway and 2030 agenda in the context of COVID-19 and the 5F crisis (food, fuel, feed, fertilizer, and financing) recovery.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (F.A.O.) and the Government of Samoa through its Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had invited world leaders from SIDS in the Pacific, as well as heads of technical and resource partner organisations and countries to attend the forum.

In addressing the gathering, the Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative Jong-Jin Kim acknowledged the participations of Pacific S.I.D.S. leaders. 

"In particular Ministers of Agriculture, Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers, Directors General, Permanent Secretaries and other senior government officials from the ministries of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, health, and ICT. 

"It is also encouraging to see that leaders from communities, academia, development partners, the UN, donors, IFIs, and the private sector are participating in this event. 

"As you know, the region covered by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is vast, stretching from Afghanistan and Iran in the far west, all across south Asia, east and southeast Asia, continental Australia and as far east as here – in the island nations of the southwest Pacific. 

"While the Small Island Developing States of the southwest Pacific – you, our FAO Member Nations – may feel, at times, somewhat isolated, geographically, from the larger Asia-Pacific region.

"I can assure you that the Pacific SIDS, the partnerships and work we at FAO have dedicated to you is delivered with equal passion and commitment. 

"The work of FAO colleagues here at the Subregional Office under the direction of Xiangjun Yao is impressive. The convening of this, the second SIDS Solutions Forum in less than two years is testament to that."

He then reminded the gathering of some of the outcomes and highlights from last year's forum. 

"The highlight of last year’s forum clearly was the decision to launch the SIDS Solutions Platform in view of the vast opportunities that it could provide for the knowledge exchange and collaboration among the SIDS. 

"It was conceived as a dedicated venue to exchange innovative tools and to scale up good ideas. The Platform would also offer to partners the possibility to connect and would be complementary to existing regional and global platforms on knowledge exchanges on South-South Triangular Cooperation. 

"I am pleased to see that today the SIDS Solutions Platform that was proposed has been established, and while still quite new, continues to develop. 

"During last year’s Forum, 11 innovation and digitalization solutions were showcased by their proponents. The forum recognized the vast potential of innovations and digital technologies to provide scalable solutions to tackle the many common challenges faced by the SIDS’ agrifood systems."

He then reassured of the ongoing support of the FAO in ensuring that all member countries get the best out of agriculture, not only for nutrition and food security, but also to protect the environment. 

 "As we heard from COP27, good agricultural practices should not only be known for land scarcity and deforestation, but also for contributing to reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the Pacific. 

"So it was good to know the outcome of COP27 focused on helping smaller nations, like SIDS, respond to these threats through the creation of a special fund. 

 "Let me also highlight here that these responses take on a greater urgency in the Pacific due to other, simultaneous challenges. 

"I know, as you do, that unlike other parts of the world, the impacts of COVID-19 have disproportionately affected Pacific SIDS. This is largely because of your import-dependent economies (for both food and tourism), short agriculture value chains and a health context of diet-related diseases. 

 "As a result of COVID-19, the tourism sector of Pacific economies collapsed with far reaching ramifications for agriculture and food security. These impacts have reversed critical successes in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pacific SIDS.

 "Having said that, we also know that Pacific SIDS are endowed with some of the world’s most highly valued biodiversity, and your people are innovative, creative and resilient. 

 "One of the best partnerships that development stakeholders like FAO can pursue with Pacific Governments is to create the enabling environments that can allow the population to thrive. 

"With this in mind, during the 2021 SIDS Solutions Forum, we promised the audience – all of you – that the SIDS Solutions Platform was not a theoretical initiative, but a place for action-driven collaborations."

Held at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel Conference room, this year's forum is guided by the theme "Working together to leave no one behind”.