FOOD trade plays a vital role in daily life across the Pacific, with many island nations depending on imported food and beverages.
For years, reliable and consistent data on what foods were traded, in what quantities, and between which countries, was missing.
To address this, the Pacific Food Trade Database was developed in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC), the University of Wollongong, and ACIAR.
The database provides, for the first time, a clear and consistent picture of the food and beverage trade across the Pacific region.
“The Pacific’s food systems are deeply interconnected with trade,” said Dr Anna Farmery, project leader at the University of Wollongong’s ANCORS.
“Imports are a major part of the Pacific food system, impacting everything from food security to nutrition.”
Before this initiative, trade data across Pacific Island countries was often incomplete, inconsistent, and highly variable.
Decision-makers were left with an unclear picture of the region’s food trade landscape.
The database’s core objective is to create a regionally consistent time series of food and beverage imports and exports to support national and regional policy development.
It resulted from long-standing collaboration between ACIAR, SPC, and the University of Wollongong through projects on integrated agri-food system analysis.
“SPC brings deep regional knowledge and expertise in trade data management and use, while the University of Wollongong provided the technical capacity to develop globally novel data-cleaning methods,” explained Dr Tom Brewer, Senior Research Fellow at ANCORS.
The partnership also focuses on building capacity to use trade data, with SPC’s Statistics for Development Division leading training across the region.
The database is already proving its value, with government officials in Papua New Guinea trained in its use to support policy development.
At a regional trade workshop in Fiji, officials from 15 Pacific island countries used the database to develop country policy briefs on imports of unhealthy foods.
“Access to reliable trade data is critical for Pacific Island countries,” said Peter Ellis, Director of SPC’s Statistics for Development Division.
The database is freely available online via an interactive dashboard through the Pacific Data Hub.
Researchers are using it to map trends; measure import reliance and identify increases in imports of unhealthy food.
“Except for significant export and re-export from Fiji to other Pacific countries there is limited intra-regional trade,” said Dr Tom Brewer.
Enhancing intra-regional trade could build regional resilience to global shocks and climate impacts.
As engagement grows, the Pacific Food Trade Database is becoming a cornerstone for regional food system analysis and smarter, healthier futures for Pacific communities.
With material provided by ACIAR