Private Sector
Investment leveraged
Value of additional
market transactions
Key Focus Areas
Agriculture
Agriculture is a key sector in Samoa. The 2019 Agriculture Census found that 94.3 per cent of Samoa’s 28,516 households grew crops or raised livestock. In 2020, agriculture generated 8.3 per cent of GDP, mostly via subsistence production. Given the sector’s economic significance, its connection to climate change, and the fact that many non-agricultural sectors were hampered by the pandemic, the bulk of MDF’s current interventions in Samoa relate to agriculture. MDF researched and started investing in several agricultural markets, including kava, feral pigs, agricultural mechanisation, agricultural inputs and cocoa. Many farmers and agricultural firms have been impacted by migration-induced labour shortages, and many farmers are affected by feral pigs.
- Agricultural Mechanisation
- Kava
- Feral Pig Management
Climate Change
Samoa is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Tropical cyclones are predicted to be less frequent but more intense due to the changing climate. The flash flooding that accompanies storms will damage infrastructure, property and crops. There will be little change in mean annual rainfall, but there will be more extreme rain events. Annual mean temperatures and daily temperature highs will continue to rise. Sea levels are expected to continue to rise at a higher rate than the global average, increasing the risk and impact of storm surges and coastal flooding.
In 2023, MDF identified the following opportunities to mitigate climate change and increase climate resilience and adaptation:
• Kava is susceptible to climate change-induced weather events. In 2023, MDF’s partner, Samoa Herbs, developed a kava growing guide, which help farmers cope with anticipated climate-related changes.
• MDF amended its agreement with a kava exporter to incorporate activities that will help it better manage climate adaptation, including investing in solar drying houses and a water reservoir.
• MDF completed market assessments on rooftop solar and electric vehicles. There are opportunities to assist Samoan households and businesses to access suitable products and services. These interventions will help Samoa meet its climate mitigation and adaptation targets laid out in their NDC and NAP, including their aim to generate 100 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
• MDF is working on an intervention to expand organic fertiliser production with the use of animal manure. The fertiliser could improve soil health and reduce the use of imported chemical fertiliser.
