Overarching Productive Sector Policy 2012-2017.

This Policy provides the basis for action by both public and private actors to invigorate sustainable productive sector growth. It recognises the major role played by traditional farming systems in livelihoods and food security and the importance of social and gender equity, environmental sustainability and the need to build resilience. The Productive Sector Policy renews the Government's emphasis on domestic food production with a priority policy focus to national food security and nutritional health through increased food self-sufficiency. The goals of this Overarching Productive Sector Policy are the following: 1. Revitalise the productive sector, including strengthening local food production and marketing systems. 2. Improve farm incomes and livelihoods with particular focus on gender equity and vulnerable groups. 3. Support low carbon, equitable, broad-based sustainable economic growth and improve the balance of trade. The Policy comprises eight Development Outcomes (DO) divided into different strategies, such as: DO1: Increased volumes of saleable agricultural products marketed by the private sector into domestic and export markets. 1.3: Adopt a supply chain approach to facilitate and support the establishment of viable production and marketing chains from input supplies; Strategy 1.4: Give higher priority to development of robust domestic supply chains. Strategy 1.6: Strengthen organisations of rural women producers/market vendors to be fully empowered in the context of institutions such as the marketplace. Strategy 2.3: Strengthen the capacity to monitor the Food Control Act and Food Regulations.
DO3: Increased sustainable production (and productivity) of farm, forest and fisheries products to provide household nutrition, traditional needs, improved cash incomes and to ensure a stable and sustainable supply that caters to the demands of the industry and trade sectors. Strategy 3.1: Improve agricultural production and productivity by focusing on products for which Vanuatu has a comparative advantage. Strategy 3.2: Increase investment in adaptive research and development to support competitive smallholder agricultural enterprises. Strategy 3.3: Improve the delivery of extension services to small farmers. Strategy 3.6: Ensure that all intervention programs are gender focused and gender responsive. Extension services will give special attention to women in recognition of their critical role in family household management and food production. Strategy 3.7: Ensure a well functioning biosecurity service to ensure protection of plant and animal health from introduced exotic pests and diseases. Strategy 3.8: In the crop sector, focus on greater productivity of existing staple foods and proven specialty products, better management of land resources including more attention on maintenance of soil nutrients, pest control, weed and disease management for long-term sustainable yields (especially in organic systems). Strategy 3.9: In the livestock sector, focus on increased production and productivity through provision of input supplies, veterinary support, credit and targeted husbandry extension activities to smallholders. Strategy 3.11: Promote sustainable forest management practices focused on smallholder community-based forestry for economic development of the wood and non-wood production. Strategy 3.12: Promote and support the development of sustainable aquaculture and tuna fishing to help develop local production capacity to meet local demand for fish.
DO4: More onshore processing and value adding of economically viable agricultural products. Strategy 4.1: Develop domestic market and export opportunities based on value added products principally from traditional crops to help ensure strong backward linkages to the rural communities who have the experience and the resources to produce them. Strategy 4.6: Facilitate technical support for market and cost benefit analysis prior to advocating development of new value added products. DO6: Investment in rural infrastructure to increase production, improve market access, reduce costs/improve competitiveness and support rural processing enterprises
DO5: Enhanced environmental services and sector resilience to natural disasters and climate change. Strategy 5.1: Shift policy focus from "crisis management or response" to "risk reduction and resilience-building" Strategy 5.2: Government will advocate and facilitate the formulation of disaster preparedness plans, resource management plans and environmental action plans for the productive sectors. Strategy 5.3: Promote environmentally friendly production systems, including integrated crop management, integrated pest management, agroforestry and organic farming. Strategy 5.4: Strengthen regulatory frameworks and enforcement to encourage sustainable farming and fishing, protect natural resources and prevent pollution adopting a "polluter- pays" principle.