Food Security

“Bees are very important in terms of pollination particularly the types of crops that we grow and export here in Tonga, which is squash and the watermelon both of those crops need to be pollinated by bees,” says Debra Allan, a beekeeper on the main island, Tongatapu.

Tagata Pasifika reports OhaiTonga is an NGO based on the main island of Tonga. 

They created a buzz in 2020 when locals were trained as beekeepers, part of the plan to ensure the island kingdom bounces back quickly after natural disasters like cyclones which impacts severely on the insect population.

He made the comment at the 36th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 8-11, 2022.

Hu’akavameiliku who is also Acting Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forests said Tonga is also ranked third as the world’s ‘most at risk’ country to the effects of climate change, with 80 percent of its population living on the coastlines.

In the Pacific, it's triggering what the aid organisation is calling a "pandemic of child malnutrition".

Researchers found that food prices have gone up significantly in many Pacific countries, including by nearly a third in Vanuatu.

There is also evidence that one in five Pacific households have been eating cheaper meals, or skipping some altogether, because they can no longer afford a healthy diet.

The APEC economies have been urged to work together to waver the challenges and create opportunities for women participation in sustainable agriculture and fisheries for food security and revenue generation.

PNG delegate and Chief Livestock Advisor with the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Regina Nukundj, said women in agriculture and fisheries play an important role in supporting their households and communities.

It is part of the national development plan of the agricultural and fisheries sectors.

Speaking in a Radio and Televised program, Minister of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries Hon. Semisi Fakahau said, this is part of the development plan of both sectors for next year.

Tonga has submitted their plans to the World Bank with the purpose to ensure food security in Tonga in agriculture and fisheries.

World Bank was assisting Tonga in writing our proposals for the development plan.

This was discussed during a workshop on ‘Food Security and Bio-Security in Melanesia’,  organised by The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) School of Biological and Chemical Sciences (SBCS) at the Laucala campus in Suva on 5 April, 2016.

The workshop looked at land snails as pest agents, including biosecurity risks and disease transfer, and how introduced species leads to the decline in self-sufficiency and healthy food production. The potential for using edible native snails and their sustainable use was also discussed.