Public policy support for smallholder agriculture All ACP Agriculture Commodities Programme (AAACP) & Secretariat of the Pacific Community

This Brief is one of a series developed under the All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (AAACP), which is funded by the European Union. The AAACP aims to improve the incomes and livelihoods of agricultural producers, and to reduce income vulnerability at the producer and macroeconomic levels. In the Pacific, the Programme is being implemented by the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Land Resources Division (LRD) providing regional facilitation and representation.

In the Pacific island countries, a large proportion of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, and the agriculture sector contributes a significant amount to the national economy (even though this contribution is not always accurately reflected in national accounts). This sector therefore has the potential to play a major role in sustainable economic development. A goal of public policy is to support the development of the agriculture sector so that it can realise this potential, in an environmentally and socially sustainable way. Public sector actors contributing to this goal include government agencies, but also donors, international and regional organisations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).