The Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR) Program Programme aims to strengthen the capacities of regional organisations in the Pacific Islands region and its member states to adapt to climate change and mitigate its causes.  The programme in Vanuatu (which has been operational for 8 years) was structured in 3 components in 2016: (1) Mainstreaming climate considerations and adaptation strategies; (2) Implementing adaptation and mitigation measures; (3) Climate change and education.

The Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) Program aims to develop the capacity of Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to manage climate risks. Ultimately climate change adaptation involves the management of identified climate change risks. This project is a component of PACCSAP, and aims to increase the capacity of decision makers in PICs to make informed decisions on climate change adaptation using CBA. By investigating two case studies this PACCSAP project has tested the application of CBA for managing climate risks in the Pacific.

The lack of incentives for the effective participation of farmers in the fruits and vegetable sector leading to an increased reliance and dependency on imported forms of fruits and vegetable products in the domestic markets have been attributed to a number of factors of which inconsistency in supply and deficient quality in fruits and vegetable products are more prominent. These dual negative factors are the direct result of the lack of coordination and management of the sector.

As the #1 ranked country for vulnerability on the World Risk Index, the lives of men and women in Vanuatu are constantly threatened by climate change and disasters. Following the most devastating cyclone to ever hit Vanuatu – cyclone Pam in 2015 – and widespread drought as a result of a strong El Nino event throughout 2015 and most of 2016, the impacts are growing ever more severe with climate change predicted to increase the intensity and impacts of such events over time.

Coastal fisheries provide staple food and sources of livelihood in Pacific Island countries, and securing a sustainable supply is recognised as a critical priority for nutrition security. This study sought to better understand the role of fish for Pacific Island communities during disasters and in disaster recovery. To evaluate community impacts and responses after natural disasters, focus group discussions were held with men and women groups at ten sites across Shefa, Tafea, Malampa and Sanma provinces in Vanuatu.

Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam was one of the worst
natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. The
country suffered loss and damage to an extent
that vastly overwhelmed its own capacities. A
strong El Niño, in the months following the cyclone, acted
as additional multiplier for existing development problems,
especially with regard to water and food security
in rural areas. In many ways, the cyclone and its impacts
reflect political, conceptual and operational challenges
that lie at the heart of the current debate on loss and

Pacific Tool for Resilience 

PARTneR will enable Pacific government Ministries and stakeholder organisation to effectively developed and used risk-based information to support development decision making on DRR & DRM

PARTneR will tailor RiskScape, a disaster impact mapping and modelling software developed jointly with New Zealand NIWA and GNS science. 

This report examines the state of food security1 in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila through a focus on the accessibility (physical and economic) and acceptability (preferences) of fresh, nutritious local food. Historically, the Pacific Islands have been thought of as food secure with rich volcanic soils and high rainfall levels ensuring a plentiful and diversified supply of nutritious, fresh foods. The rapidly expanding urban areas of the Pacific are often neglected in this discourse yet are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, exacerbated by social and environmental change.

The National Fruits and Vegetables Strategy is part of a series of strategic documents produced
by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist in implementing the
Vanuatu Agriculture Sector Policy (2015-2030).The development of this Strategy was made
possible through the financial, technical and in-kind support from key partners and stakeholders
to ensure that the strategy will serve as a realistic and well supported roadmap for this important
sector over the next 10 years.
 

OSCAR is a new agro-meteorological information system that VanKIRAP partner, the APEC Climate Centre (APCC), has been developing with the assistance of the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department (VMGD), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and farmers from across the country.

PORT VILA: New climate information products that explain how climate change is likely to affect key sectors of Vanuatu’s economy, and how to plan practical adaptations to address climate risk, were unveiled last week in Port Vila.

This published article on women and climate change in Vanuatu.The research and paper by University of Newcastle (UoN) was undertaken as part of the VanKIRAP Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) work funded by GCF FP035/VanKIRAP project.