Policies and laws for promoting sustainable agroforestry in Vanuatu

An appropriate legal and policy framework is important for the development of agroforestry. This paper identifies and discusses some of the key legal and policy issues arising with respect to Vanuatu’s move to develop sustainable agroforestry. Fundamentally, there is a lack of a joint agroforestry strategy for relevant government departments, and this challenges the effectiveness of existing policies that touch upon agroforestry, particularly those relating to agriculture and forestry. There is a significant overlap of agroforestry-related activities across several government departments, and coordination and cooperation between these departments is wanting. Finally, alienation of local communities from their land is a major hurdle for agroforestry development in Vanuatu. This paper suggests that the government should take immediate initiatives for management of agriculture leases, particularly regarding lease to foreigners; and support for interagency cooperation is needed for promotion of agroforestry