Food Security and Climate Change in the Pacific: Rethinking the Options

This report describes the present state of food security and its contributing factors in the Pacific region, assesses its prospects amid the growing threats and likely impacts of climate change, and presents potential areas for more active assistance, investments, and interventions from ADB and other development partners.

The Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are a diverse array of countries with widely varying topographies, cultures and economies, fragile natural resource environments, and prosperity, stability, and security that can be compromised by the impacts and consequences of climate change. The Pacific island governments view climate change as a priority issue, especially in terms of its potential impacts on food security, and need clear directions in addressing both issues.

While technical and policy measures to ensure food security amid the ensuing climate change are numerous, interrelated, and complex, the successful implementation of programs and projects calls for simple and flexible designs that carefully consider the capabilities of relevant stakeholders at the regional, national, and local levels.

Contents
ABBREVIATIONS
FOREWORD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
General Background
Economic Context
Social Context
Environmental Context
FOOD SECURITY: CURRENT STATUS AND FACTORS
Food Production and Consumption
Factors Infl uencing Food Security
CLIMATE CHANGE THREATS AND IMPACTS ON FOOD SECURITY
Evidence of Climate Change
Elements of Future Th reats from Climate Change
Climate Change and Food Security
RETHINKING THE OPTIONS
Productivity Enhancement and Economic Growth
Institutional Capacity Development
Building Climate Resilience in Cross-Sectoral Infrastructure Development
Information, Education, and Communication
Effective Disaster Management and Emergency Response System
IMPLICATIONS FOR ADB ASSISTANCE
Addressing Climate Change
Opportunities in Sector Investments
Ensuring Food Security
Support Interventions
REFERENCES
APPENDIXES
1 Food Crops and Livestock Production, Pacifi c Region
2 Food and Livestock Production Performance in Pacifi c Countries
3a Country-by-Country, Sector-Based Assessment of Adaptation Needs (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Timor-Leste)
3b Country-By-Country, Sector-Based Assessment of Adaptation Needs (Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu)
4 Synergy between ADB Assistance and 2010 Framework for Action on Food Security in the Pacifi c
5 ADB’s Pacifi c Climate Change–Related Portfolio: Selected Ongoing and Pipeline Projects Addressing Climate Change in the Pacifi c Region

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