Vanuatu's NDC
VanuatuFood System Overview
The food and agriculture sectors are of vital importance to Vanuatu’s economy – employing as high as 56% of the country’s population in 2017 and accounting for one-fifth of the nation’s GDP.[i] Agriculture and livestock – in addition to tourism and offshore financial services – are at the heart of Vanuatu's economy.[ii] More than 75% of agricultural production in Vanuatu is for subsistence purposes,[iii] and subsistence farming is predominantly focused on root crops such as taro, yam, cassava, and sweet potato.[iv] Additionally, about half of the rural households are involved in cattle farming. Fisheries, although relatively small, also have a significant presence throughout Vanuatu, with roughly half of the country’s households participating in fishing activities.[v] Crucially, Vanuatu is ranked as the most vulnerable country in the world with regard to natural hazards, which form an ongoing risk for food production and nutritional security.[vi]
NDC Development
Vanuatu's revised NDC development was led by the Department of Climate Change (DoCC) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) NDC Support Program. It involved multiple rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, including the private sector, NGOs, academia, development partners, and marginalized groups. A gender expert from DoCC was part of the process to ensure gender-responsiveness in the plans and targets.
Food System Measures
Vanuatu’s NDC considers food systems largely from an adaptation perspective (with the exception livestock farming measures, which includes a measure to promote regenerative approaches for livestock management).[vii] This adaptation focus of food systems derives from the fact that Vanuatu’s contribution to global GHG emissions is close to zero. Specifically, the NDC commits to enhancing traditional agricultural practices, focusing on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to ensure that agriculture remains capable of supporting household income and food security by 2030. The NDC includes measures to conserve, protect and sustainably manage mangrove forests and mangrove ecosystems, wetlands, and shoreline trees especially as a measure to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change.
NDC Implementation
In 2019, an Implementation Roadmap was released to support Vanuatu's initial NDC, with plans for an upcoming update. The NDC also places significant importance on leveraging private and multilateral investments for its successful execution. Furthermore, it incorporates a comprehensive MRV system to track progress across the sectors covered in the country’s NDC.[viii]
Sources
[i] Future Directions International, “Food and Water Security in Vanuatu” (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.futuredirections.org.au/wp-content/ uploads/2019/11/Food-and-Water-Security-in-Vanuatu.pdf.
[ii] Republic of Vanuatu, “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution” (2015). Retrieved from: https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/ PublishedDocuments/Vanuatu%20First/VANUATU%20%20INDC%20UNFCCC%20Submission.pdf.
[iii] Future Directions International, “Food and Water Security in Vanuatu” (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.futuredirections.org.au/wp-content/ uploads/2019/11/Food-and-Water-Security-in-Vanuatu.pdf.
[iv] Vanuatu Ministry of Climate Change, “Third National Contribution to the UNFCCC” (2020). Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/ resource/Vanuatu%20Third%20National%20Communication%20Report.pdf.
[v] United Nations Development Programme, “Circular Economy Opportunities in Vanuatu: A Concise Metabolic Approach to Defining a Resource- Efficient and Low-Carbon Future,” UNDP, New York (2021). Retrieved from: https://www.ndcs.undp.org/content/ndc-support-programme/en/ home/ impact-and-learning /librar y/vanuatu-circular-economy-opportunities.html.
[vi] Future Directions International, “Food and Water Security in Vanuatu” (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.futuredirections.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Food-and-Water-Security-in-Vanuatu.pdf.
[vii] Global Alliance for the Future of Food. Untapped opportunities for climate action: an assessment of food systems in Nationally Determined Contributions. n.p.: Global Alliance for the Future of Food, 2022.
[viii] Global Alliance for the Future of Food. Untapped opportunities for climate action: an assessment of food systems in Nationally Determined Contributions. n.p.: Global Alliance for the Future of Food, 2022.