The role of agriculture in the development process in the Pacific

Abstract

The need for agriculture to contribute to economic development in the Pacific is greatest in Melanesia, given rapid population growth and limited emigration options compared with those available to the Polynesian countries. The non-agricultural sector in Melanesia has not grown fast enough to enable rapid labour transfer out of agriculture. With high labour costs and remoteness from world markets the main internationally competitive export industries exploit non-renewable resources or use unsustainably high extraction rates for renewable resources such as forests. These activities fund imports and government revenue but generate little employment. Given this limited structural transformation, the major role of agriculture is in providing food and livelihoods for most households. Policy interventions are not always helpful because of confusion between food security and self-sufficiency and due to data weaknesses. Whether indigenous farming systems can continue to adapt to rising food demand fuelled by rapid population growth remains an open question.