Sera Navuga 
The Pacific region is stepping up efforts to secure its food future.
Agricultural leaders are currently meeting in Nadi to emphasize the vital need for collaboration in conserving and actively using plant genetic resources.
A key player in these discussions is Ministry of Agriculture, which is aligning with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s global initiative.
This push isn’t just about preserving traditional crop varieties, but about using them in practical ways that benefit farmers and communities.
Principal Research Officer, Savenaca Cuquma.
Principal Research Officer, Savenaca Cuquma, highlighted that the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network has been crucial in connecting small island states with global research centers and seed banks.
He says that regional cooperation allows countries to access crop varieties more resilient to changing climates and emerging diseases, which would otherwise take years to acquire individually.
“No country is self-sufficient on genetic resources. We are interdependent on each other. We should share. Globally, it says ABS, which is called access and benefit sharing. You access materials, maybe the benefits for you, maybe you do breeding, you do crop improvement program, you develop new varieties, and then you share. Share again the benefits to the Pacific Islands,”
Cuquma says Fiji, for example, has already released climate-resilient taro and kumala varieties developed through regional breeding programs.
Many of these were created in response to past agricultural disasters, such as the taro blight in Samoa.
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