Food, Energy, Water Baseline Assessment for Solomon Islands Strengthening Competitiveness, Agriculture, Livelihoods and Environment (SCALE) Architecture and Engineering Support

The initiative targets three sub-objectives: (a) improve the enabling environment for increased trade and investment; (b) promote the expansion and further development of the agribusiness sector; and (c) improve natural resources governance. The SCALE initiative is a five-year investment in economic growth and trade in the Solomon Islands, with USAID leveraging a broader regional program, the Pacific American Fund, to finance and implement small-scale infrastructure investments under SCALE. During the first two years of the initiative, SCALE-A&E will provide architectural and engineering services to support feasibility studies and construction oversight for priority small-scale infrastructure and logistics investments designed to enhance agribusiness productivity. Malaita Province is the initial core focus of the SCALE initiative, and this report will explore aspects of the government, private sector, and non-governmental sectors and their role in agribusiness. The report will also highlight several value chains through mini-assessments analysis of each. The sections that will be explored include government and its roles in agribusiness, existing energy infrastructure as it relates to agribusiness and potential energy opportunities, existing transportation infrastructure as it relates to agribusiness and opportunities for improvement, existing water infrastructure as it relates to irrigation and agriculture, and the state of agribusiness as it relates to land tenure and land access, access to finance, climate change, subsistence, semi-commercial, and plantation commercial systems, farmer organizations, and market information. Malaita Province is the least developed of the six larger islands within the Solomon Islands, with a conflicted history that has contributed to its lack of development. The island has a workforce that has historically provided labor to develop other islands, while Malaita has remained relatively underdeveloped. The island has the lowest literacy level for women between 15-24 years of age, at 78%, which creates challenges in the ability of people in the community to recognize and take advantage of business opportunities. Malaita Province is 4,200 square kilometers in area and is divided into a north and south island. The terrain of Malaita is mountainous in the center of the island, with some flatter areas towards the coast where most of the coconut and cocoa trees reside along with other agricultural produce. The most populated areas are around the coasts in the lagoons in the northeast (Lau), central west (Langalanga), and along the southwest coasts (Are'are). There are two distinct seasons—a wet season between November and May, and a less wet season from April to October. From November to March there is a possibility of cyclones, creating a risky season for farmers. The agriculture sector accounts for roughly 55% of the GDP and has been referred to as 'the backbone of the Solomon Islands economy.' In 2008, approximately 75% of the workforce was employed in agriculture. Roughly 90% of the population participates in subsistence agriculture, or has vegetable gardens grown for home consumption, while selling the surplus at the market. Logging is the lead export industry for the Solomon Islands, and has caused massive deforestation. Fishing is the second largest industry, and the Solomon Islands have a significant potential for aquaculture development.