Urgent call for multidisciplinary action to transform Solomon Islands’ domestic agrifood systems

A bold and urgent call for multidisciplinary collaboration has set the tone for decisive collective action to transform the Solomon Islands’ domestic agrifood system.

Supervising Permanent Secretary (PS) and Deputy Secretary – Corporate (DSC), Mrs. Elda Leah Wate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), delivered the call while presenting the keynote address to open the National Agrifood System Multidisciplinary Stakeholder Forum at the Monarch Bar and Grill in Honiara.

Mrs. Wate warned that the country stands at a critical crossroads, facing the growing impacts of the global “5F Crisis” — food, fuel, feed, fertilizer, and finance — exacerbated by climate change and global supply chain disruptions.

“Business as usual is a path to vulnerability. Transformation is not optional — it is a matter of survival,” she emphasized.

In her address, the Supervising PS honoured the nation’s farmers and fishers, calling them the backbone of the Solomon Islands’ food system. 

She acknowledged the severe challenges they face, including rising input costs, erratic weather patterns, and limited market access. 

She stressed the need to empower these frontline food producers with modern tools, infrastructure, and fair market opportunities.

She also echoed a strong call for environmental stewardship, describing climate-smart agriculture as a necessary way forward. 

She illustrated this with examples such as agroforestry for soil protection and mangrove restoration to safeguard coastal ecosystems and fisheries.

A classic example of systemic vulnerability, she noted, is the poultry sector, where delays in imported fertile eggs and rising feed costs have threatened the industry. 

In response, she outlined a vision for locally driven solutions — such as developing heat-tolerant poultry breeds, producing feed from cassava waste and black soldier fly larvae, and powering hatcheries with renewable energy.

“This is what multidisciplinary action looks like — science, tradition, business, and ecology working together to build resilience,” she noted.

She also challenged stakeholders to rethink “efficiency” — not as austerity, but as innovation, pointing to initiatives like vertical urban farming, community-based solar drying technologies, and smarter post-harvest handling to reduce food waste.

“Real change requires cross-sectoral collaboration. When trade, health, and environmental policies operate in silos, communities suffer. We need an integrated national approach — one where the government, private sector, NGOs, businesses, and communities co-create sustainable solutions,” Wate added.

Participants were encouraged to actively engage in the forum’s breakout sessions and to form actionable partnerships by the end of the event.

“Let us not leave this forum with just reports — let us leave with action. Tugeda, we transform!” she concluded, urging every participant to make a tangible commitment to food system transformation.

Mrs. Wate expressed sincere thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for their continued support to MAL through the STODAS project, and also acknowledged the multi-disciplinary stakeholders and partners, NGOs, farmer groups, and government officials who made the forum possible.

The two-day forum, which began Thursday, June 19, and concludes on Friday, June 20, features technical breakout sessions, partnership dialogues, planning, and cross-sector roadmap commitments.

The National Agrifood System Multidisciplinary Stakeholder Forum is organised under the MAL/STODAS project and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

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MAL statement