Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats

The document outlines a USD 41.7 million programme designed to protect agriculture and fisheries in Fiji, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands from biosecurity threats exacerbated by climate change. It proposes three main outcomes: implementing climate-adapted farming systems, strengthening national and regional early warning systems, and enhancing the enabling environment through better data and policy coordination. The programme aims to benefit over 1.6 million people by reducing vulnerability to pests like the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle and Taro Leaf Blight, which have historically caused severe economic losses in the region.

• Climate change is altering the distribution and intensity of pests and diseases, creating new ecological niches that facilitate the spread of invasive species into new areas, often where biological control agents are absent.
• The Taro Leaf Blight (TLB) serves as a critical example of transboundary disease impact; in Samoa, production fell from 0.4 million tonnes per year to less than 5 tonnes by the end of 1995 after the disease was carried by Cyclone Val in 1991.
• The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) - Guam strain is a high-priority threat in the Solomon Islands and the wider region, capable of killing all coconuts in infested areas and threatening coastal zones that act as barriers against climate-induced waves and tidal surges.
• Climate change increases the risk of zoonotic diseases, such as Leptospirosis and Brucellosis, as heavy rains and floods can wash infected tissues and waste downstream, spreading infections to other livestock and human populations.
• Traditional multi-crop garden systems in the Pacific are naturally resilient, but have become unsustainable due to population pressure and urban migration, leading to a shift toward intensive monocultures that are more vulnerable to pests.
• The aquaculture sector in the Pacific is highly dependent on non-native species, with over 90% of production coming from exotic species, which are vulnerable to climate-induced changes in pathogen virulence and storm-damaged facility escapes.
• Current biosecurity systems in the target countries are hindered by limited trained staff, inadequate laboratory and quarantine infrastructure, and a lack of updated national pest databases.
• The proposed programme has a total indicative cost of USD 41.7 million, with USD 34 million requested as a grant from the GCF and USD 7.7 million in co-financing.
• The programme targets a total of 1,694,310 beneficiaries, including 1,693,304 indirect beneficiaries (the entire population of the three countries) and 38,000 direct beneficiaries through training and Farmer Field Schools.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2019). Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/21960-enhancing-resilience-agriculture-and-food-security-pacific-island-countries-through-managing.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats. 2019. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/21960-enhancing-resilience-agriculture-and-food-security-pacific-island-countries-through-managing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats |date=28 May 2019 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/21960-enhancing-resilience-agriculture-and-food-security-pacific-island-countries-through-managing.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2019enhancing, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/21960-enhancing-resilience-agriculture-and-food-security-pacific-island-countries-through-managing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }