The Kiribati Agriculture Strategy is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is 10 years between 2020 and 2030. The goal of this policy is to raise domestic agricultural production and productivity, in order to increase national and household income, reduce poverty and ensure food security, improved nutrition, health standards and biosecurity for Kiribati and its people.
An integrated agriculture and nutrition effort will be carried out to develop nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food production systems. The linkage between nutrition and health will be strengthened to enhance food security through adequate and sustainable supply of fresh local food, improve people s nutrition and health, and prevent malnutrition-related diseases. An extensive national education, training and awareness program will be implemented to raise consumer awareness on the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet by choosing locally produced food.
Sustainable atoll crop production systems will be developed by improving crop diversity, especially among traditional crops. Furthermore, agroforestry systems using indigenous trees grown in combination with staple crops and small livestock will be developed for the development and implementation of integrated and holistic food production systems. Soil management and conservation will be strengthened to enrich soil fertility and increase agricultural productivity. Water conservation will be ensured by adopting water management technologies, promoting drip irrigation systems, and promoting integrated agroforestry system to reduce the water required for food production.
Farming and business skills of farmers engaged in crop and livestock production, including men and women, will be improved through training in sustainable farming techniques to grow their own food and produce a surplus for income. In order to increase volumes of surplus produce of small-scale farmers to sell at local markets and thus increase their incomes, the Government and the private sector will work together to develop efficient value chains by incorporating the private sector actors that can provide fresh produce directly from farmers. Moreover, the national agriculture extension program will be improved to provide advice and services on crop selection, land preparation, seed selection, planting, crop management, harvesting and sales, storage, and marketing and sales techniques.
Institutional capacity building support will be sought from SPC and FAO in the area of biosecurity to manage plant and animal pests and diseases and weeds. Consequently, the capacities of biosecurity staff will be increased to increase export and domestic trade potential in compliance with international standards through training in import risk assessment and import specifications concerning market access, carrying out quarantine and pest and disease identification and control, updating national pest lists, and issuing phytosanitary and animal health certificates for export commodities and produce. Sustainable livestock management systems will be developed to increase animal production, cope with animal diseases, and to manage animal waste effectively. In addition, national campaign on waste management will be conducted for a cleaner environment and better nutrition. Capacity building, research and development studies will be carried out for making livestock feeds purely from local ingredients or producing feeds locally with a combination of local and imported materials. Agriculture, transport and marketing infrastructure will be improved to ensure safe processing and storage as well as to support the production of crops and transportation of those outputs from farmers to markets and to consumers efficiently. Financial institutions, including banks and credit providers, will be organized to support and make available accessible low-interest agricultural loans to farmers.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation will be integrated into the agriculture sector to increase its resilience against the potential impacts of climate change, such as increased temperature, drought, seawater intrusion and coastal erosion; to develop more sustainable production systems; to adopt new sustainable agricultural practices; to introduce appropriate technologies; effective use of traditional agricultural knowledge; and to enhance human and institutional capacity building.