Tuvalu launches the project GEF-7 Integrated Agro-ecosystem Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Climate Resilience https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/10517 The inception workshop was held in Funafuti on the 4th April 2024. This GEF-7 project isimplemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnershipwith the Government of Tuvalu, through the Department of Agriculture, within the Ministry ofNatural Resources. The programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aims to reverse land degradation,enhance local livelihoods and increase climate resilience through integrated agro-ecosystemapproach (IAE) in all the islands of Tuvalu. This initiative focuses on local food production andconsumption to decrease the reliance on imported foods and promote healthy eating. It aims atreviving traditional farming practices and embracing new technologies to increase land productivityand address the country’s land degradation challenges. The project aligns with the national efforts todefine and implement land degradation neutrality targets set under the United Nations Conventionto Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country with a population of around 11,000 people living on a total landarea of 26 km 2 and faces several land degradation challenges due to direct (unsustainableagricultural and farming practices, climate change slow onset events and disasters) and indirectdrivers (land tenure, population pressure). The project will be implemented in all islands, comprisingof three reef islands (Nanumaga, Niutao, Niulakita), five atoll islands (Nanumea, Nui, Nukufetau,Funafuti, Nukulaelae) and one composite island (coralline atoll/table reef) (Vaitupu).The IAE approach aims to address these challenges, and it is underpinned by the recognition of thebiophysical constraints of low-lying atolls and coral islands, and social and economic limitations, thataffect negatively the livelihoods and significantly reduce the resilience of the communities. Thus,the IAE approach, promoted by the project, applies a systems approach that seeks to optimize theinteractions between people and the land-base natural capital (plants, animals, water, soil), whiletaking into consideration the sociocultural and economic aspects of the society that need to beaddressed for food security, sustainable livelihoods and for strengthening resilience to climatechange. The workshop provided a platform for participants to familiarize themselves with the project, theconcepts of IEA approach and LDN, validating the first year annual workplan, confirming institutionalroles and responsibilities.  Furthermore, the gatherings fostered discussions on the role of the project in addressing thenational development objectives in the food security, agriculture and land use sectors. A diverserange of stakeholders, including representatives from key departments from the Office of the PrimeMinister, the Ministry of Natural Resources Development, the Ministry of Home Affairs, ClimateChange and the Environment, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, CSOs and NGOsparticipated in the workshops. The sessions included an interactive session to conduct a mapping ofthe institutional capacities that are considered crucial for the execution of the project.When welcoming participants, Mrs Manaema Saitala, the Acting Permanent Secretary of theMinistry of Natural Resources Development, appreciated the support from FAO and the GEF, emphasizing the importance of the project in managing very limited terrestrial natural resourcesbase, including poor soils and scarcity of water resources, which makes Tuvalu’s agriculturalecosystem one of the most challenging for crop and livestock production with limited options toincrease production. Likewise, Mr Raushan Kumar, FAO Lead Technical Officer at FAO SAP, stressed the fact that landdegradation and loss of agricultural ecosystems services are strongly interlinked in the fragile low-lying atolls and are subject to a wide range of interrelated threats. As land degradation increases andcontinues to be intensified by climate change, the provisional ecosystem services in the form of foodproduction capacity of the islands’ ecosystems decreases, with severe impacts on food and nutritionsecurity and loss of food sovereignty. For this reason, the IAE approach emphasizes a systemsapproach to local food production to improve the health of agro-ecosystems while ensuringsocioeconomic benefits. Furthermore, Mrs Moe Saitala, UNCCD and GEF Focal Point, highlighted that Tuvalu’s participation inthe UNCCD is rooted in the nation’s unwavering commitment to environmental conservation andresilience-building. While the islands may not be directly affected by desertification in theconventional sense, they face a myriad of environmental vulnerabilities, including rising sea levels,coastal erosion, and freshwater scarcity. By aligning with the principles of the UNCCD, Tuvalu seeksto leverage international support and expertise to address these challenges and safeguard thenatural resources for future generations.Participants expressed gratitude toward the GEF and FAO, acknowledging the importance of thetraditional ecological knowledge and traditional farming skills as crucial aspects to revive and protectthe agri-food system. Participants also recognised the importance of achieving food security inTuvalu as Non-Communicable Diseases are a major cause of concern.Likewise, Mr Matio Lonalona, Director of the Department of Agriculture (DoA), reiterated theimportance of implementing the GEF project in line with the Te Kete - Tuvalu National Strategy forSustainable Development (2021-2030), Tuvalu National Agriculture Sector Plan (2016-2023) and theTuvalu Sustainable Healthy Food Security Strategy to address the country agriculture and foodsecurity challenges through the promotion of local food production and consumption, as well as thereduction of the strong dependency on imported food. The DoA aims at achieving 60% of foodconsumption from local produce by 2050, while maintaining the provision of the islands’ ecosystemservices. Mrs Elisa Distefano, FAO GEF Technical Adviser, concluded the event by recalling the importance ofensuring a wide stakeholder participation for the successful project implementation, and theexpected roles of the central government (e.g. Agriculture Department, Climate ChangeDepartment, Environment Department, Land and Survey Department, Public Health Department,Gender Affairs Department, Tuvalu National Youth Council), the local government (Kaupule 1 ), NGOs(Live and Learn Environmental Education), and CSOs (Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu Women’s Centre andthe Fafine Nui I Funafuti Association). 1 The Falekaupule on each of the islands is the traditional assembly of elders or te sina o fenua (literal translation: "grey-hairs of the land"). Under the Falekaupule Act (1997), the powers and functions of the Falekaupule are shared with theKaupule, which is the executive arm of the Falekaupule, whose members are elected.