The agriculture-nutrition-income nexus in Fiji
This technical brief (PDF) by CTA describes the agricultural sector in Fiji and, to increase rural people’s access to nutritious and healthy food, they came up with several key recommendations: 1). Establish a cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder, gender-sensitive technical oversight committee to improve coherence in policy and decision-making for improved agriculture and agribusiness performance, economic empowerment and nutrition outcomes. 2). Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework for tracking achievements against agreed targets across government ministries, working in partnership with producers, academia and the private sector including financial institutions. 3). Support and strengthen community-based organisations that are piloting innovative and effective solutions that contribute to women’s agricultural and economic transformation and particularly benefit rural households. 4). Conduct more scientific research on the nutrient content and health benefits of traditional Fijian crops and marine resources and support the development of new/improved/novel healthy Fijian food products. 5). Design and conduct more targeted education, communication and marketing campaigns to promote more diversified diets for good health. Align the agriculture and nutrition curricula from primary to tertiary level to increase awareness of the health and economic benefits of local nutrient-dense foods. 6). Increase access to affordable business, financial and technical services and mentorship support to enhance value chain performance. Train farmers, fisher folk and agribusinesses/small-medium enterprises on food safety, post-harvest handling and production/processing techniques.