Addressing declining agricultural productivity, coastal erosion, pressure on fishery resources, and disruption of supply chains were at the heart of discussion over five days of exchanges, analyses, and networking between 15 European and British Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) at the recent Green Overseas (GO) Program “Strengthening Food Systems Resilient to Climate Change” workshop in Tahiti in early December.
Olivia Woodiwiss, agricultural advisor for the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) Department of Agriculture and chair of the Beef Suppliers Working Group, in a panel discussion, focused on the downstream links in processing, marketing, coordination of stakeholders, and adaptation of the agricultural sector to a changing climate.
“I delivered a presentation on the supply challenges of our beef industry in the Falkland Islands, highlighting that this has stemmed from a range of factors including communication gaps, logistical constraints, and the narrow supply window we operate in. The aim was to provide other Overseas Territories with insights that may inform their own efforts when looking to establish or strengthen local red meat supply chains,” said Woodiwiss. “The Green Overseas Program serves as a platform for OCTs to exchange knowledge, share challenges, and explore practical solutions. While most of the participating OCTs were from the Caribbean and Pacific regions, and their climates differ significantly from ours, they face a similarly high reliance on imported food. Faced with larger populations and limited land resources, these territories have adopted innovative strategies to strengthen food security. They have worked hard to introduce initiatives that encourage local communities to re-engage with agriculture and increase the production of food locally.”
“A key takeaway for me came during visits to several farms and production sites on the field trip days, where the emphasis was consistently on small-scale production,” said Woodiwiss. “This approach was reinforced by strong government backing and policy frameworks developed collaboratively with local stakeholders and the European Union. Working alongside the local people, on the land, has been fundamental to the success of these initiatives. Farmers were enabled to build a business or new enterprise sufficient to meet local demand only, with imports of similar products only permitted when domestic production was deemed inadequate. For example, producers submitted expected yields for fruit or veg, four to six weeks in advance, allowing a committee of decision makers to determine whether imports of items such as tomatoes, for example, would be required next month. They knew what the local demand was, and they aimed to fill it locally first. Although our climate conditions differ, there is much we can learn from the systems and decision-making processes applied in other OCTs, particularly their prioritisation of local production targets and structured planning mechanisms.”
Since taking on the role of chair of the Beef Suppliers Working Group in the Falkland Islands — which is mandated to engage with beef suppliers across the islands and ensure the Falkland Islands Meat Company (FIMCO) is proactively working and communicating with beef suppliers to address shortfalls in production levels — Woodiwiss has passed several milestones, including regular joint meetings with suppliers and stakeholders, changes to the national beef pricing grid, revised supplier contracts, and actively supporting the launch of FIMCO’s online supplier portal.
In addition to Woodiwiss’ remarks at the workshop in Tahiti, other panels included transportation and import dependence in French Polynesia, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; public strategies for food resilience in French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia, as well as visits to organic fruit and vegetable farms, agricultural schools and food transformation factories to better understand what mechanisms could be put in place to combat the decline in local agricultural production, and lack of land and supply challenges in French Polynesia.
Organized in collaboration with the consortium in charge of the GO Climate Change Resilience community – made up of Ramboll and BRL Ingénierie – the recent workshop mobilized international and local experts to provide concrete technical support to the OCTs.
Find more information on the recent “Strengthening Food Systems Resilient to Climate Change” workshops here: https://www.green-overseas.org/en/infos-et-medias/go-workshop-polynesia-strengthening-food-systems-resilient-climate-change
Photos courtesy of the Green Overseas Programme, with thanks to photographer Thibault Poupaert”.
