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FROM THE FIELDS TO THE TABLE

Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and crops in Fiji

August 4^th, 2014

A country at risk

RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE THREATS

Coastal communities and low-lying farms in Fiji are already victims of climate change. Sea level rise and flash floods are putting enormous pressure on the outdated drainage systems in Fiji. As a result, these cannot hold water back to prevent flooding. The spillover has a direct impact on food and cash crops, threatening food security and damaging the economy.

The high cost of inaction

PUTTING LIVES AT STAKE

Rainfall and flash floods are predicted to increase over the next 30 to 50 years. The people of Fiji need targeted measures to stay safe from these extreme weather conditions. Without immediate action, people’s lives will remain at risk and the coastal communities and low-lying farms in Fiji will continue to be victims of climate change.

Predictions show that rain will continue to increase for the next 30 to 50 years. What we need to do is to adapt to these future changes. - Api Tuwai, PACC Coordinator in Fiji.

A source of renewal

INVESTING IN MORE RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE

External partners are a critical component to building stronger and more resilient infrastructure. The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Programme (PACC) is a source of renewal for the coastal communities and low-lying farmers in Fiji. It’s investing in stronger, more resilient infrastructure to replace the existing clogged water ways and broken flood gates. At the same time the programme will safeguard against the rise in sea level and increase in rainfall intensity that Fiji expects to confront over the next 30 to 50 years.

Better designS

ADAPTING TO FUTURE CONDITIONS

Flexibility is an important part of climate proof design. The PACC project, in cooperation with local communities, is therefore developing drainage systems that can cope with future population pressures (both upland and in the flood plains) and the additional pressures (such as extreme rainfall events and sea-level rise) caused by climate change.

What you plant matters

MATCHING CROPS TO A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

Adapting to climate change also goes beyond the built environment and communities can adapt in different ways. Some methods address the obsolete drainage systems in Fiji, while others identify new products and crop varieties that are better suited to the changing conditions. Saltwater- and waterlogging-tolerant crops for example, are less vulnerable to a lack of freshwater.

The PACC project introduced crops that are resilient to high water table areas. It worked closely with the Koronivia Research Station that tested these root crops and PACC distributed them to farmers. – Api Tuwai, PACC Coordinator in Fiji.

Test zone

TARGETING VULNERABLE AREAS

The PACC project, supported by UNDP, is testing climate resilient root-crops in cooperation with Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture. The vulnerable coastal communities of Nakelo (Tailevu) and Deuba (Serua) have been selected as pilot zones, which are inundated by saltwater and threatened by severe rainfall and floods year round. The villages also have to cope with dysfunctional, 30-year-old drainage systems that are remnants of the Fijian rice industry which collapsed three decades ago. Thanks for the PACC project, farmers in Nakelo and Deuba are now successfully planting three varieties of dalo, cassava and kumala.

After the rice industry collapsed, these areas were left idle. Most of the current farmers are small-scale farmers going into commercial and semi-commercial farming and they are not able to support the maintenance of the drainage system. – Api Tuwai, PACC Coordinator in Fiji

THE PACC programme

ENHANCING COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP

The PACC Samoa project team raises awareness and promotes climate change mainstreaming at the community level. It addresses the ways in which human activity increases community vulnerability, climate variability and climate change. In 2013, the PACC team and government partners carried out awareness raising activities with ten schools and eight communities, reaching more than 3,300 students, 150 teachers and 168 community members.

Community development plans have been developed in seven of the communities, which incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction activities. The project has also had great success working with community ‘champions’, who act as project facilitators, linking the project team with the communities. This approach is enhancing community ownership as well as building sustainability for the project.

We need to have drainage systems that can withstand the increase in rainfall. We need community partnership to maintain these drains. – Api Tuwai, PACC Coordinator in Fiji.

For more information on the project, please visit the PACC Fiji Project Profile. Additional information can be found at www.sprep.org/pacc/fiji and www.pacificclimatechange.net.

Footnotes

Story by Caitlin Connelly and Andrea Egan / Photos: Luke McPake, Joe Hitchcock and Andrea Egan

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FootNotes

Story by Caitlin Connelly and Andrea Egan / Photos: Luke McPake, Joe Hitchcock and Andrea Egan

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FROM THE FIELDS TO THE TABLE

Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and crops in Fiji

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