Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Vatimi Rayalu has strongly extended Fiji’s support towards the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action at the COP28 summit in Dubai.
Mr Rayalu attended the High-level Session which convened dignitaries and ministerial leadership around the Emirates Declaration to discuss the paths, modalities, and opportunities involved in its implementation.
He said with livestock accounting for over half of those emissions, meat and dairy were at the forefront of many agricultural conversations at the summit.
In conveying Fiji’s support towards the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food System and Climate Action, Mr Rayalu said the event offered an opportunity for countries to share experiences from the national level and build momentum for the two-year agenda outlined in the declaration.
“Our emissions in Fiji and the Pacific are negligible in the global context, yet we are witnessing extreme weather events, rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns and increased pests and diseases, all of which directly affect farming, food production and the wellbeing of our nation and the communities at large,” Mr Rayalu said.
He said the economic implications of these impacts were huge, thus the Declaration recognised that food systems were context specific – the opportunities and challenges within a particular food system were unique to national and regional circumstances.
“There is no universal prescription or one-size-fits-all approach for food system transformation.
“Any approach should build on lessons learnt from past work and harness existing momentum around this agenda.
“It is welcoming to know that this event offers an opportunity to further build momentum and rally around aligned approaches to realise our shared objectives while respecting national and local circumstances.”
He adds that following the COP28 summit, the Ministry would be launching a new 5-year strategic development plan (2024-2028) which considers the transformation of our food systems and accelerates progress that addresses food security, sustainable livelihoods and socio-economic development.
