Climate Change and Cocoa on the Guadalcanal Plain, Solomon Islands

Growing cocoa is a valuable industry for smallholder farmers in the Guadalcanal Plain and more generally it provides a significant national social and economic benefit. The climate conditions of Guadalcanal Plain are currently suitable for growing cocoa. However, national reports and farmers’ experience says that tropical cyclone events, flooding and prolonged heavy rainfall have significant negative impacts on the industry. The concern is these climate risks have the potential to become worse in the future in a changing climate, and other related climate-related risks may also arise.

Experts at the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock collaborated with climate scientists from CSIRO to assess the possible impact of climate change on cocoa in the Guadalcanal Plain.

PROCESS

The case study was prepared using the eight steps outlined in the Developing Climate Change Information for the Pacific guidelines:

  1. Identify stakeholders and plan engagement
  2. Determine climate change information needs
  3. Find existing climate change information
  4. Collect observed climate data
  5. Collect and evaluate climate model data
  6. Construct climate change projections
  7. Assess climate change risk
  8. Communicate climate change information
PUBLICATIONS

The case study is documented in a number of publications: