The Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) serves as an umbrella organisation for national farmer organizations in the Pacific island region. It is based in Nadi, Fiji and has membership of organisations from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, as well as a Melanesian regional organisation. Although operating informally since 2009, its first formal foundation meeting was held in April 2013 in Nadi, [1] when 13 organisations were represented [2] and PIFON became operational as a legal entity in its own right. [3]
PIFON was established to provide support to the small national farmer organisations in the region through coordinating capacity building, sharing success stories, and supporting regional exchanges of expertise, thus potentially enabling smallholder farmers to play an important role in agricultural value chains. [2] The founder members noted that while farmer organisations had in the past depended on a high level of donor support, this support had often been sporadic. Moreover, because of their limited resources the organisations had been unable to clearly articulate their needs. It was therefore considered important to develop business activities to promote farmer organisation sustainability, while not detracting from their core values and objectives. [2]
PIFON carries out three broad types of activities: to enhance sustainability of national members; to provide practical information to enable farmers to carry out income-generating activities; and to support members in promoting sustainable production practices. [3] Within the Pacific region it has identified opportunities for farmers to supply growing urban and tourism markets, expand tree crop exports, and exploit niche product exports based on fairtrade and organic certification. [4]
Since its establishment PIFON has received support from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Commission and Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA). It has also signed a partnership agreement with the Pacific Community (SPC). [5]
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in economic and industrial development. It is headquartered at the UN Office in Vienna, Austria, with a permanent presence in over 60 countries. As of April 2019, UNIDO comprises 170 member states, which together set the organization's policies, programs, and principles through the biannual General Conference.
The Pacific Community (PC), formerly the South Pacific Commission (SPC), is an international development organisation governed by 27 members, including 22 Pacific island countries and territories around the Pacific Ocean. The organisation's headquarters are in Nouméa, New Caledonia, and it has regional offices in Suva, Pohnpei, and Port Vila, as well as field staff in other locations in the Pacific. Its working languages are English and French. It primarily provides technical and scientific advice, and acts as a conduit for funding of development projects from donor nations. Unlike the slightly smaller Pacific Islands Forum, the SPC is not a trade bloc, and does not deal with military or security issues.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
The Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) was an inter-governmental regional organisation dedicated to providing services to promote sustainable development in the countries it serves. In 2010, its functions had been transferred to the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), thus ending SOPAC as a separate entity. Today, SOPAC is a division of the SPC with its main office in Suva, Fiji.
The Committee on Fisheries (PECH) is a committee of the European Parliament.
Cicia is a Fijian island of the Lau Group. One of the Northern Lau Islands, Cicia is volcanic and is composed of raised coral. Its area is 34.6 square kilometres (13 sq mi).
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and EU member states. Since 2000 CTA has operated within the framework of the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement with a mission to “strengthen policy and institutional capacity development and information and communication management capacities of ACP agricultural and rural development organisations. It assists such organisations in formulating and implementing policies and programmes to reduce poverty, promote sustainable food security, preserve the natural resource base and thus contribute to building self-reliance in ACP rural and agricultural development.”. The centre is closed in 2020, after the end of the Cotonou Agreement and the subsequent end of its financing.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is an intergovernmental organisation based in Apia, Samoa with more than 90 staff members. The organisation is held accountable by the governments and administrations of the Pacific region to ensure the protection and sustainable development of the region's natural resources. The organisation actively promotes the understanding of the connection between Pacific island people and their natural environment and the impact that these have on their sustenance and livelihoods. The organisation was established in 1982. Previously South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the word "South" was replaced with "Secretariat" in 2004, in recognition of the members north of the equator. The French equivalent name is Programme régional océanien de l’environnement (PROE).
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association working to promote the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is an Australian Government statutory agency that forms part of the overseas aid program in the Foreign Affairs and Trade Portfolio, reporting to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. ACIAR was established under the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Act 1982 (Cth),(the ACIAR Act), as amended, to identify agricultural problems in developing problems and brokers Australian agricultural scientists to find solutions.
Ghana'sMinistry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is the government agency responsible for the development and growth of agriculture in the country. The jurisdiction does not cover the cocoa, coffee, or forestry sectors. The primary organisation and main area of the presidential administration of Ghana is the nation's Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), which is in charge of creating and carrying out policies and plans for the agricultural sector within the framework of an efficient national socio-economic development and prosperity agenda. The Ministry's plans and programmes are created, coordinated, and put into effect using frameworks for policy and strategy using a sector-wide approach. The Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy II and the Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan were both developed with the aid of MOFA in relation to this.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in Vietnam and other developing countries. IFAD supports more than 200 ongoing programmes and projects around the world.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pat was a small but strong tropical cyclone that passed directly over Aitutaki, Cook Islands, in southern Pacific Ocean on February 10, 2010. Part of a series of storms to impact the group of islands early that year, Pat was first identified as a tropical depression on February 6 well to the northeast of the Samoan Islands. The storm steadily organized as it moved generally southeast, becoming a tropical cyclone on February 8. Turning to the south, intensification began in earnest and the system acquired hurricane-force winds within 48 hours of being named. The 445 km (275 mi) wide system displayed annular characteristics and a 19 km (12 mi) wide eye. Pat reached its peak strength early on February 10 as a severe tropical cyclone with winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and a barometric pressure of 960 mbar. Hours later it struck Aitutaki, producing gusts in excess of 185 km/h (115 mph) on the island. Hostile wind shear then prompted rapid weakening of the cyclone. The system degraded below gale-intensity on February 11, just 24 hours after it peaked, and was last noted early on February 12.
An agricultural value chain is the integrated range of goods and services necessary for an agricultural product to move from the producer to the final consumer. The concept has been used since the beginning of the millennium, primarily by those working in agricultural development in developing countries, although there is no universally accepted definition of the term.
The Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) was established in 2007 to promote the private sector’s role in policy making and to encourage business development through effective partnerships with governments, regional organisations, development partners and NGOs. Its headquarters are in Suva, Fiji.
The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is a not-for-profit farmer organization representing national agricultural unions in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. SACAU was originally formed in 1992 by six farmer organizations but has since expanded its membership to include 17 farmer organisations in 12 countries. In addition, there are associate members, including regional commodity organizations and private companies associated with agricultural value chains on a regional basis. SACAU's headquarters are in Centurion, Republic of South Africa.
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is an international, not-for-profit applied agricultural research center with a unique focus on marginal environments. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA aims to improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods of resource-poor farming communities around the world.
The "Organic Market Development in Ukraine 2012–2016, Phase II" project is implemented by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and foster the growth of small and medium enterprises in the Ukrainian organic food sector by developing organic and regional food supply chains.
Maria Linibi is the founder and president of the Papua New Guinea Women in Agriculture Development Foundation.