Minister for Agriculture and Livestock is appealing on STODAS project recipient countries to prioritise people’s needs by collectively identifying best strategies to enhance implementation, ensuring that our rural populations and all stakeholders benefit holistically through the project activities.
Hon. Franklyn Derek Wasi made the call when addressing the 2nd Annual Review and Planning Meeting of the Sustainable Transformation of Domestic Agrifood Systems (STODAS) for Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands project held in Honiara, last week.
The meeting brought together in-person agriculture officials from Solomon Islands, Samoa and Fiji including Dr. Andrew Tukana, Permanent Secretary of Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, and Ms. Luafua Taimalietane Matatumua, Assistant CEO for Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as well as online participants especially Mr. Guangzhou Qu, the FAO Subregional Coordinator, and representatives from the European Delegation, including Mr. Olivier Maes to assess progress, address challenges, and brainstorm synergies for the final year (2026) of the project.
Minister Wasi expressed gratitude to the European Union for funding the project and FAO for their support, highlighting the project’s potential to benefit rural communities and stakeholders.
The project focuses on three key areas:
- Strengthening the policy and institutional environment
- Community-based production systems
- Building capacities for sustainable agri-food systems in the Pacific region
Minister Wasi therefore called on participants to prioritize the needs of the people, saying, “Let us not leave our people behind but must place them as our top priority in all our interventions. He encouraged stakeholders to identify bottlenecks and come up with workable recommendations for the project’s success.”
During the Honiara meeting, delegates visited several field sites in Honiara to see for themselves how communities can strengthen agrifood systems with the project’s support.
In his message to delegates, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Guangzhou Qu shared:
“Everyone deserves access to affordable and nutritious food; farmers should produce more efficiently, sustainably, and earn better incomes; and agribusinesses must be enabled to deliver safe, value-added, and healthy products in a commercially viable manner.”
“By working hand in hand, aligning with national priorities… I am confident we can achieve real and lasting impact.”
The 3 years STODAS project is a Euro €10 million (approximately SBD 100 million) initiative launched in 2023 and is implemented by FAO in the Pacific in collaboration with national agriculture ministries of Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands.
It aims to facilitate the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in the three countries.
– MAL
