Technical Brief: The agriculture-nutrition-income nexus in Tonga
Year of Publication: 2020-01-21
Description
The Kingdom of Tonga consists of over 170 coral and volcanic islands; 36 are populated. The total population is about 100,700 and 70% of people live on the main island, Tongatapu, which is the main centre of national activities. Agriculture accounts for 18% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 90% of exports. Approximately 85% of all households rely on subsistence agriculture (including forestry and fisheries) for food and income but only about 5% of farms are commercial, and 22.1% of the population live below the poverty line.
This technical brief analyses the policy and institutional framework, agriculture, food and nutrition challenges and opportunities and provides concrete recommendations to strengthen the agriculture-nutrition-income nexus.