Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Franklyn Derek Wasi has received a courtesy call from Karen Mapusua, director of the Land Resources Division at the Pacific Community, at the ministry’s headquarters in Honiara.
Mapusua and her team are in Solomon Islands to support the country as it assumes the chairmanship of the Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services (PHOAFS).
Solomon Islands led its first regional meeting following the formal handover from the Kingdom of Tonga during the opening of the 11th PHOAFS virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Wasi welcomed Mapusua and her delegation and acknowledged the support provided by the Pacific Community in assisting Solomon Islands in taking up the chairmanship of the regional body.
Mapusua briefed the minister on the agenda for the current PHOAFS virtual meeting and preparations required for Solomon Islands to host the next PHOAFS meeting in the country next year.
Solomon Islands is scheduled to host the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry, a week-long regional event, in Honiara at the end of May 2027.
The Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services is a regional platform that brings together senior agriculture and forestry officials from Pacific island countries and territories to coordinate policy priorities, food security initiatives, climate resilience efforts and regional agricultural cooperation.
The Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry is held every two years and is regarded as the region’s premier agriculture and forestry event, bringing together ministers, technical experts, researchers, development partners and private sector representatives to discuss food security, biosecurity, sustainable rural development and climate resilience.
Regional organizers said the 2025 Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry in Tonga focused on the themes of “more regeneration, more productivity and more resilience,” highlighting growing regional attention on climate adaptation, sustainable farming systems and agricultural research collaboration across Pacific island economies.
