The Regional Research Agenda Framework (RRA) identifies common forestry and agriculture development challenges in the Pacific region, establishes research partnerships and defines research strategies to overcome these challenges. The framework brings decision-making, leadership, and planning into an inclusive Pacific process. By the Pacific, for the Pacific!
The RRA comprises three core components of Hearing Pacific Voices, Peer Review and Partners in Research. The third component involves testing the RRA through a stocktake of existing information on a selected theme and priority area. The pilot testing on the theme: climate-resilient crops was endorsed by the Peer Review Group and later, the Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services (HOAFS) this year. Six member countries – Nauru, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Marshall Islands and Fiji agreed to participate in the testing. Each country carried out either a survey or focus group discussions on matters relating to climate-resilient crops in the region and farmers’ adaptation to changing climatic conditions.
The Regional Research Team, consisting of lead researchers from six countries, convened at SPC Narere Campus in Fiji for the RRA writeshop, 5 – 7 November 2024. The three-day event was guided by three objectives: i.) to provide a platform for researchers to learn more about data analysis and write-up; ii.) encourage more publications from the test on climate-resilient crops in the region; iii.) encourage a platform for data analysis and sharing among researchers. The intense writeshop commenced with data cleaning, followed by data analyses and then report writing. The representatives shared their findings and experiences from the field – guiding the next steps in the RRA.
Key outcomes from the writeshop include:
- “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating…” Kofi Annan. The writeshop provided moral and technical support to the team on data analyses and interpretation.
- Common grounds were identified on farmers’ perceptions of the effects of climatic conditions and crop preferences. However, there remained specific differences between countries that contributed to the uniqueness of the findings from each one.
- Overall, the findings prompted the question of whether climate change is causing people to return/ readopt the old ways of farming – emphasising the role of traditional knowledge in climate adaptation.
- The representatives drafted a skeleton of the report and abstract for the upcoming regional symposium in Tonga next year, 2025. Virtual meetings have been scheduled for the next few months, leading to the symposium and the upcoming Pacific Week of Agriculture (and Forestry)
It is with hope that the writeshop will be an ongoing process to support the publication and dissemination of research in our region. This writeshop was supported through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and Te Puna Vai Marama - Cook Islands Centre for Research.
