Agriculture Sector Plan 2016-2020 (Volume 1: Governance, Institutional and Strategic Frameworks).

This Plan succeeds the Agriculture Sector Plan (ASP) 2011-2015. It sets the strategic direction and signals priority areas to focus resources (financial and human) for agriculture sector development for the period 2016 through 2020. It provides the framework to guide coherent programs and actions from all key stakeholders to improve food, nutrition and income security in Samoa. A primary aim of the Plan is to strengthen government partnerships, particularly with the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and development partners, to leverage agriculture’s potential to promote enhanced health, prosperity, job creation and resilience. Successful implementation of the Plan will contribute to achieving the national Vision of improved quality of life for all and to advancing Samoa’s attainment of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The End of Sector Policy Outcomes are outlined as follows: 1) Sector coordination improved and investment in food security and inclusive commercial agriculture/fisheries production systems increased. A systematic configuration of coherent policies, laws and regulations are essential to foster the enabling environment for development of competitive agricultural markets and efficient inclusive value chains which sustain livelihoods and incomes in rural areas. Strengthening the agriculture policy, legislative and regulatory framework to meet both the challenges and opportunities of a more open and competitive global trading environment, adapting to the looming threat of climate change and also providing the right incentives for good nutrition and environmentally sound agriculture development will be essential.
Outcome 2: An increased supply and consumption of competitively priced domestically produced food. Family farming forms the core of smallholder agriculture systems in Samoa. A thriving smallholder family farming sector provides the basis for food security, good nutrition and rural livelihoods. Growing this sector will also promote rural development. Therefore, enhancing smallholder productivity, production capacity and related food supply chain quality and reducing post-harvest losses will be critical for protecting and sustaining food security and nutrition in Samoa. Improving access to productive resources, financial services and business skills particularly for women will also be important. Global experience has clearly shown that where women have increased access to income generating opportunities and social decision-making empowerment at community level, household nutrition improves.
Outcome 3: A sustained increase in production, productivity, product quality, value adding and marketing of agriculture and fisheries products. The limited returns from agricultural primary production, long gestation periods before income flows are realised and often lumpy flow of income due to seasonal harvesting, constrain small agriculture producers’ ability to access and service commercial loans. Therefore, it will be vital that the Development Bank of Samoa (DBS) reaffirms its central financing role for the agriculture sector and develops tailor-made financial products to meet the specific needs of agricultural borrowers for each level of development – microfinance, working capital and medium to longer-term capital investments. This will help ensure public investment finance is focused on projects with potentially high development returns, but where risk is the major problem.
Outcome 4: Sustainable agricultural and fisheries resource management practices in place and climate resilience and disaster relief efforts strengthened. Under the Agriculture Sector Plan (ASP) efforts will be made to build capacity at farm household and community level to implement practical adaptation measures to enhance the resilience of families and village communities to climate change and natural disasters. Farming system diversity, integrated pest management, agroforestry and organic farming will be promoted and supported. Greater attention will also be paid to sustainable land use management practices and to matching cropping systems recommendations with land capability assessment information. In the fisheries sector continued efforts will focus on promoting and supporting ecosystem and community-based approaches for sustainable management of inshore and offshore marine resources and robust monitoring, control and enforcement in Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Ensuring national bio-security will also be essential to protecting biodiversity and maintaining productive capacity for food security and to protect plant, animal and human health. Strengthening biosecurity control including quarantine border controls remains a priority, as is developing contingency response capacity for invasive pest (including invasive weeds) and disease incursions.
The present Plan deals with the following issues: Introduction; Key Findings from the Review of the ASP 2011-2015; National Policy Context; Stakeholder and their Role in the Agriculture Sector; Agriculture Sector Plan Strategic Framework; Institutional Setting for Plan Implementation; Implementation and Financing of the ASP; Monitoring and Evaluation.