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The Science-Management Days, held on 23 and 24 June, marked the closing week of the CLIPSSA project. Hosted at the Presidency of French Polynesia in Papeete, the event brought together public authorities, researchers and representatives of civil society to explore how the findings of this research-action project can help anticipate the risks posed by climate change.

©Fabrice Charleux

CLIPSSA: Understanding the Climate to Anticipate the Future

“The significance of this achievement is immense because, in the Pacific, science is not merely an added value or an optional source of expertise.” Moetai Brotherson, President of French Polynesia

 ©Fabrice Charleux

Thanks to the invitation and co-organisation of the Government of French Polynesia, IRD, Météo-France and the French Development Agency (AFD) welcomed the CLIPSSA project focal points from across the four participating territories. Participants included representatives from the Directorate of Agriculture of French Polynesia; the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of the Environment of Wallis and Futuna; the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD); as well as representatives from the Government of New Caledonia, North Province, South Province, Technopole Nouvelle-Calédonie and the Bio eKo Consultants consultancy. Together, they took part in the closing week of the CLIPSSA project.

Diverse Discussions on Climate Change Adaptation

“CLIPSSA was built upon a strong conviction: responding to climate challenges requires bringing together disciplines and different forms of knowledge.” Mélanie Roué, IRD Representative in French Polynesia

Held on 23 and 24 June, the Science-Management Days created a direct link between scientific knowledge and public action at the Presidency of French Polynesia. Opened in the presence of President Moetai Brotherson and members of his government, the event enabled the CLIPSSA scientific team to work alongside government departments and public services from the territories under study in identifying possible adaptation pathways for the near future, drawing on the project’s scientific findings. This work took place through a series of creative workshops designed and facilitated in close collaboration with the teams from the Directorate of Technology and Innovation (DTI) of the Government of French Polynesia. These Science-Management Days were built directly upon the intermediate conference held in Nouméa in March 2025, which established a genuine space for dialogue between researchers, public authorities and territorial stakeholders. The objective of both events has been to foster the uptake of CLIPSSA’s scientific findings while supporting the co-development of adaptation strategies capable of responding to the expectations and needs of local communities.

Moetai Brotherson and Mélanie Roué ©Fabrice Charleux

A total of 107 participants attended the two-day event, including the scientific teams and the DTI facilitators. Participants represented government departments, project partners—including Météo-France and AFD—local authorities, non-governmental organisations, the agricultural sector and the four territories involved in the CLIPSSA project. One of the main challenges of the event was to address the distinct expectations of the different stakeholder groups. Researchers, public authorities and civil society did not seek the same types of information nor pursue the same objectives.

To respond to these different needs, the workshops were designed around three complementary questions:

• How can the usefulness and potential applications of scientific data be identified?
  For researchers
• How can scientific evidence be integrated into public policies and adaptation plans? For public authorities and decision-makers
• How can future climate conditions, together with the strengths and vulnerabilities of the territories, be better understood in order to prepare for future challenges?
  For civil society

©Maya Leclercq

Understanding and Taking Ownership of the Results

“Having access to these climate data is invaluable for guiding our experimental work and for better characterising how our crop varieties will respond to climate change.”

Sébastien Blanc, Head of the Tropical Root Crops Centre, Technopole Nouvelle-Calédonie

The first, entitled “Understanding, Questioning and Taking Ownership”, focused on presenting CLIPSSA’s main scientific findings. The second, “Co-designing and Integrating”, held on Wednesday morning, aimed to support participants in collectively reflecting on how these scientific findings could be incorporated  into territorial adaptation planning. 

©Fleur Vallet 

During the afternoon, participants took part in a series of mini-conferences organised around five key themes:

• Temperature projections
• Tropical cyclones
• Precipitation
• Agricultural impacts
• Local knowledge

Working in small groups, participants rotated between the different scientific teams. Each session combined a concise presentation of the research findings, a discussion with the researcher leading the session, and a collective reflection structured around the “Three Us”:

• Utility – How useful are these findings?
• Usability – Can they realistically be used by stakeholders?
• Use – How can they be translated into concrete action?

This format enabled every participant to attend each thematic presentation while encouraging direct dialogue with the researchers. The summaries produced at the end of each workshop now constitute valuable working material for identifying which scientific findings are considered most relevant by the various stakeholders, as well as the conditions required for their effective mobilisation in public decision-making.

Integrating Knowledge and Taking Action

“How can these scientific findings be incorporated into public adaptation policies?” Fleur Vallet, Geographer and CLIPSSA Project Coordinator, IRD

 ©Fabrice Charleux

On Wednesday morning, the programme continued with a workshop sequence dedicated to integration. Building upon the scientific findings presented the previous day, participants were invited to identify the information they considered most relevant, assess its potential implications for their territories, compare these findings with the climate plans available to them, and finally develop a series of possible adaptation measures.

The morning concluded with a gallery walk, during which participants visited each group’s work to discuss the proposed ideas, followed by a Samoan Circle. This facilitation method created an open and inclusive space for participants to share their experiences, encouraging both active listening and collective dialogue. The objective was not to produce immediate operational solutions. Rather, the workshops were designed to initiate a collective learning process, enabling participants to experiment with a working method grounded in the integration of scientific evidence into territorial planning and climate adaptation processes.

On Wednesday afternoon, the momentum generated during the Science-Management Days continued with a workshop dedicated to strengthening the adaptation component of the French Polynesia Climate Plan (PCPF). The workshop was organised by the consultancy K Ora as part of its project management support to the Department of the Environment (DIREN).

Building directly upon the work carried out within CLIPSSA, the workshop aimed to take the process one step further. Whereas the previous sessions had enabled participants to understand and take ownership of the climate data and to identify priority climate impacts, this workshop focused on comparing these findings with existing public policies in French Polynesia. Participants assessed whether the adaptation measures already included in the Climate Plan were sufficient and explored opportunities to strengthen them by drawing inspiration from adaptation initiatives implemented in comparable island contexts.

The workshop brought together representatives from several government departments around an island archetype approach, distinguishing between high islands with barrier reefs, the Tuamotu atolls and urban centres. This approach encouraged participants to move beyond sector-specific perspectives and begin designing adaptation strategies from an integrated, cross-sectoral perspective.

Planning for the Future Rather Than Enduring It

“We all come from island states and face common challenges arising from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on our ways of life.” 

Antfalo Levu Boaz, Director of the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD)

Participants’ feedback highlighted a strong appreciation for the workshop format. The mini-conferences encouraged direct exchanges between researchers and participants, while the presence of facilitators fostered active participation from audiences with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.

The presentations dedicated to Climate Science, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Agricultural Impact Modelling generated particularly rich discussions, reflecting the strong interest shown in these three complementary components of the CLIPSSA project.

The workshops held on Wednesday morning further confirmed this positive dynamic. The scientific resources made available throughout the event were widely used by participants, and the working groups rapidly embraced the proposed methodology, establishing numerous connections between CLIPSSA’s scientific findings and the strategic priorities already identified within their respective territorial climate plans.

These two days demonstrated that sustained dialogue between researchers, public authorities and civil society can lead to concrete outcomes that are both scientifically robust and closely aligned with the needs of local communities.

If this collaborative dynamic continues through the long-term uptake of CLIPSSA’s scientific findings by public authorities, the project has the potential to support the development of adaptation strategies capable of guiding public action to safeguard Oceanian ways of life in the decades ahead.

For those wishing to relive the event, a highlights video is available on the CLIPSSA website and on the IRD YouTube channel. The full programme of the Science-Management Days, together with the presentations delivered on Tuesday 23 June, is also available online.

                                              

The photographic exhibition created from Jean-Michel Boré’s documentary The Marriage of Knowledge was presented at Te Fare Iamanaha – Museum of Tahiti and the Islands from 16 to 20 June, and at the University of French Polynesia from 22 to 25 June 2026. Through a series of photographs, the exhibition highlighted both the transformation of South Pacific ecosystems and the local knowledge developed by communities in response to the increasing hazards associated with climate change.

©Willis Waweru – Te Fare Iamanaha – Museum of Tahiti and the Islands

Images That Tell the Story of the Territories

©Willis Waweru – Te Fare Iamanaha – Museum of Tahiti and the Islands

As part of its closing activities, the CLIPSSA research-action project set out to create a photographic exhibition illustrating, through the power of images, both the value of its research and the importance of preserving the territories at the heart of the project.

Twelve photographs depicting New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia were selected from the documentary work of IRD filmmaker Jean-Michel Boré. While producing The Marriage of Knowledge, Boré captured striking landscapes, personal testimonies and traditional techniques. Together, these images not only gave rise to a compelling documentary—available on the IRD YouTube channel—but also formed a powerful visual collection presented to the public during the CLIPSSA project’s closing week.

Bringing the Exhibition Closer to Its Audience

     ©Willis Waweru – Université de la Polynésie française

The CLIPSSA photographic exhibition was conceived as a parallel event to the project’s closing conference, with the aim of raising awareness among the populations of the territories under study about the impacts of climate change.

To reach a broad audience, it was displayed at Te Fare Iamanaha – Museum of Tahiti and the Islands from 16 to 20 June, before moving to the Research Auditorium of the University of French Polynesia from 22 to 25 June.

Through this strong territorial presence, CLIPSSA reaffirmed its commitment to serving the communities living in the territories that form the focus of its research. The exhibition also reflects the project’s commitment to scientific accountability by returning the results of research to the citizens concerned.

Traditional Pacific Crops Facing the Threat of Climate Change

On June 2, 2026, the South Province of New Caledonia, in partnership with CRESICA, hosted a public conference as part of the C’Nature series dedicated to the impacts of climate change on island agriculture. On this occasion, two postdoctoral researchers in climate science from the CLIPSSA project, affiliated with the IRD (French National Research Institute for SustainableDevelopment), Gildas Guidigan and Dakéga Ragatoa, presented the major findings of the agronomic component of their work. Together, they provided answers to a question that seems simple on the surface, yet is central to food security in Pacific territories: what is the future oftropical root crops—taro, yam, and cassava—in the face of inevitably rising temperatures inWallis and Futuna, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia between now and the end of the century?

Why Focus on Tropical Root Crops?

Yam, taro, and cassava are not merely subsistence crops. The researchers, in consultation with the governments and provinces concerned, recalled their symbolic and social significance: asymbol of tradition and identity, a legacy passed down by ancestors, a food for sharing and solidarity, and a marker of resilience and pride for Oceanian societies. Global warming and itsdirect consequences on subsistence farming thus pose a concrete question: how can we prepare for it, and through what means? Specific varieties were selected for this study, such as Veo, Taloulu, Vegi ulu liliki or Vegi kau’i ti, Fiji taro, Kari, Florido, Taiwata, Maniota Ufi, and Manioka(Manihot esculenta).

 

Dakéga Ragatoa ©Willis Waweru

A Cascading Methodology: From Regional Climate to the Crop Field

To answer this question, the team set up a multi-step modelling chain. Projections from the IPCC global climate model (resolution of approximately 100 to 200 km) were refined through regionalization using the ALADIN (~20 km) and AROME (~2.5 km) models developed under the CLIPSSA project, as well as additional debiased regional models from the SOCLE-OM project (NIWA from New Zealand, AUS-CORDEX from Australia).
These climate data then feed into the APSIM Next Gen (APSIM-X) agronomic model, which simulates daily plant growth. The studied varieties were created using the APSIM-Potato module. Data availability varies across territories: New Caledonia possesses relatively comprehensive climate, soil, and agronomic data, whereas for Vanuatu, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna, only climate data were directly used, with other parameters extracted or estimated from
scientific literature and existing technical sheets.

Scientific Modelling in the Service of Food Security

To anticipate potential yield declines, the scientific team cross-references climate models with the APSIM plant growth simulation model to spatialize (after calibration and validation) projections at a very fine scale (2.5 km grid cells). This tool integrates soil characteristics, atmospheric parameters (temperature, rainfall, solar radiation), and agronomic data collected in the field, allowing researchers to simulate plant development from planting through to potential
yield (biomass and water use).

 

Gildas Guidigan ©Willis Waweru

 

Warning for Studied Taro Varieties, Resilience for Yam Varieties: Contrasting Diagnoses

The results presented outline a worrying trajectory for taro, which is particularly sensitive to heat stress, while yam emerges as a pillar of resilience (in comparison to taro):

● Wallis and Futuna: Heat stress already at play: In Wallis and Futuna, under the SSP3- 7.0 scenario (equivalent to a +4°C increase in mainland France by 2100), local warming is estimated at +1.37°C by 2050 and +3.04°C by 2100 for the Alo and Hihifo sites. Simulations show a continuous decline in the average potential yield of all three crops—especially taro (talo ulu)—along with a sharp increase in poor harvest years by the end of the century. Heat stress emerges as the most decisive climate factor. Comparing the three crops, taro, cassava (manioka), and yam (vegi) all show slight declines in potential yield over time (taro losing the most), while cassava remains more stable—a finding that, according to researchers, calls for a rethinking of root crop
planning in the territory.

● French Polynesia: In French Polynesia, simulations focused on three specific crops: taro (Veo variety, Colocasia esculenta), yam (Dioscorea alata), and cassava (Maniota Ufi variety, Manihot esculenta). Spatialized outputs project a drop in potential yields compared to current observations. The sensitivity analysis conducted with APSIM-X confirms this downward trend for both crops and, as in other territories, identifies heatstress as the primary climate factor driving this decline (researchers note that at this stage, only climate parameters are considered, excluding non-climatic socio-economic or agronomic factors). Taro will suffer an alarming drop of around 29% in its potential yield as early as 2050. Bad harvest years could increase by up to 60% by 2070. High-
production areas in Tahiti and Moorea will shrink, and cassava could cross the critical threshold of 50% losses in the rainiest sectors.

● Vanuatu: Fiji water taro will reach its thermal limits by the end of the century: Vanuatu faces the most concerning diagnosis of the presentation: Fiji taro, which is already experiencing significant heat stress, could lose up to 60% of its potential yield by 2100, with a marked acceleration in losses after 2050—up to 46% of the years classified as loss years over the studied period. Conversely, yam varieties (Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea esculenta) appear significantly more resilient, with losses limited to 5–19% depending on the models and varieties; Dioscorea esculenta is considered particularly reliable for future food security. Temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation all influence yields, with temperature remaining the dominant factor for taro. Researchers emphasize the need to prioritize the promotion of adapted yam varieties, farmer training, varietal diversification, adjusting planting dates, mulching, organic manure application,agroforestry, and establishing early warning systems, with special attention given to the northern islands of Vanuatu, identified as priority zones for adaptation investments.

● New Caledonia: In New Caledonia, the picture is more nuanced. Taro (CTT75 Kari), already close to its optimal temperature, is expected to see its yields gradually decrease (between -21% and -32% by the end of the century), with a sharp increase in poor harvestyears after 2080 and a possible shift of cultivation areas to cooler regions; low-altitude coastal areas, particularly on the East Coast and in the North, could become unviableafter 2060. Yam, on the other hand, shows overall higher robustness: the CTT100 Florido variety is projected to remain virtually stable until 2100 (a loss of 2% to 7% dependingon the model) and, according to researchers, represents the primary food security crop to prioritize. Meanwhile, CTT230 Tiawata shows a moderate decline but remains productive and viable throughout the century. Notably, solar radiation and precipitationinfluence yam yields more than temperature, whereas temperature remains the main constraint for taro. Researchers recommend immediately expanding the cultivation ofCTT100, diversifying heat-tolerant taro varieties, adjusting planting calendars before the 2040s, and implementing an early warning system for yield anomalies.

Diversifying and Anticipating: Keys to Agricultural Adaptation

Faced with the projected increase in “bad harvest years”, IRD researchers emphasize the urgent need to adapt farming practices in Oceanian gardens. The future of food sovereignty in theseterritories will depend on strategic choices co-designed with producers:

1. Varietal Adaptation: Promote heat-resistant replacement crops (such as Florido yam) and encourage farmers to mix multiple varieties and species in their fields to identify those best suited to climate variations.

2. Technical Adjustments: Advance planting dates (with shifting seasons) by 3 to 6 weeks to avoid heat peaks, implement widespread mulching to retain soil moisture, and optimize organic manure application.

3. Agroforestry: A practice that already exists locally but provides substantial microclimate
benefits.

Gildas Guidigan ©Willis Waweru

Shared Messages Across the Pacific

Beyond the specificities of each territory, several common takeaways emerge: across all studied sites, heat stress is the single most penalizing climate factor for root crop yields, particularly for taro. However, water availability must not be overlooked, as water sources are also drying up
with global warming. Yam consistently stands out as the most resilient crop (in this study) to climate change, making it a primary adaptation strategy (alongside other heat-resistant species and varieties) to bolster food security across Pacific territories, while cassava and especially taro appear more vulnerable depending on the zone. Finally, researchers stress that resilience does not mean an absence of risk: even the most stablevarieties require proactive adaptation practices (varietal selection, crop calendars, soil and water management) before losses accelerate—particularly around the 2050–2060 horizon, which several models identify as a tipping point.

Translating Research into Public Policy

This conference served as a vital reminder of the absolute necessity to translate scientific research into concrete public policies. Facing climate disruption occurring literally “under our feet”, combining data-derived technical solutions with the daily experience of farming communities will be the indispensable engine driving Pacific resilience. The event concluded with a Q&A session with the audience and expressions of gratitude delivered in several Pacific languages (Māuruuru, Tankiu tumas, Malo, Oleti)—reflecting the resolutely regional dimension of the CLIPSSA project. CLIPSSA brings together climate scientists, anthropologists, agronomists, and local communities around a single shared challenge:preparing the Pacific’s subsistence agriculture today for the climate changes of tomorrow.

In an article published in The Conversation, researchers from the CLIPSSA project, Catherine Sabinot, ethnoecologist and anthropologist, and Maya Leclercq, postdoctoral researcher in anthropology explain how local knowledge serves as a powerful tool for adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change impacts across Pacific island territories.

Farmers in the Pacific confronting climate change

On 2 December 2025 at 6 p.m., the South Province auditorium hosted a C’Nature conference dedicated to agriculture and adaptation to climate change. On this occasion, researchers from the CLIPSSA project shared their various works:  Catherine Sabinot (anthropologist and ethnoecologist), Maya Leclercq (anthropologist and sociologist, via videoconference from French Polynesia), and Samson Jean-Marie (PhD student in anthropology and geography), as well as Ida Palene, a former intern who is now a civic service volunteer with CLIPSSA. Together, they discussed a key question:

How, particularly in South Pacific societies, do farmers observe climate change in their immediate environment? Do they experiment with concrete responses, and do they pass on knowledge and practices to better adapt to it?

In the Pacific islands, agriculture is practised in close harmony with the seasons, the soil, the winds, the rain… and extreme events. Knowing how to anticipate a very dry period, reorganise crops after heavy rains, or prepare for the approach of a cyclone is part of daily life for many families. At the heart of the discussions is a powerful idea: the communities of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia have built, through experience, genuine ‘cultures of risk’. In other words, ways of observing, interpreting and acting that enable them to cope with climate uncertainty. The challenge today is to combine this knowledge and these practices with scientific knowledge in order to strengthen adaptation.

 

Recognising and identifying vulnerabilities in the face of a real climate threat

During the conference, researchers highlighted the transformations of weather and climate mechanisms driven by climate change, particularly the ENSO mechanism, which causes year-to-year fluctuations in rainfall and temperature. They explained how these changes affect agricultural crops, harvests, and water storage.

Dry seasons tend to be longer and more intense. They hinder crop growth, cause water stress, dry up water sources, and make the soil harder to cultivate. Conversely, severe flooding leads to plant diseases and destroys crops. In both cases, communities must adopt new water management strategies and prepare for shifts in agricultural yields. The climate emergency therefore raises pressing concerns about food security.

 

“The hardest part is water. The dry season lasts longer; the small creek there (…) just stones, stones (…) we have to choose which field to save.” Farmer from Canala, New Caledonia, January 2024

 

Hybridising knowledge: a tool and space for resilience

During the presentation and subsequent discussions, the CLIPSSA team described knowledge hybridisation as an active, living process. It can be defined as the combination of endogenous knowledge (inherited from ancestors, embedded in genealogy, and passed down through generations) and exogenous knowledge (from external sources such as NGOs, scientific research, social media, etc.). Over time and through climate events, farmers experiment with new practices and generate new forms of knowledge, shaped by their own experience and the various resources available to them.

Researchers described several practices and techniques observed in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna: mulching, angled staking, crop diversification, selecting more resilient seed varieties, and innovations in irrigation. They also showed how learning spaces and moments are diversifying, involving nakamals, kava bars, schools, markets, fields, and small Oceanian home gardens such as fa’a’pu, as well as social media and various forms of media. These spaces and moments—these evolving socio-temporal settings—move beyond conventional pathways and societal norms, enabling adjustments in agricultural practices within climate contexts that are themselves constantly changing.

Part of the conference was dedicated to the role of women in the circulation of knowledge, highlighting the essential yet often invisible role they play.

Ida Palene, agricultural engineer, presenting her research on the role of women in the circulation of knowledge.
Photo credits: Marie Baritaud.

How did the researchers work with local communities?

Through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, researchers worked alongside farmers to make visible the lived experiences of local communities facing climate change and to highlight the ways in which knowledge circulates.

They organised participatory mapping workshops, during which participants spatialised cultivated areas exposed to various climate hazards. They also collaborated with schools, notably through drawing workshops that revealed the representations and knowledge of the younger generation.

@crédits photos Marie Baritaud 

The C Nature 2025 conference once again demonstrated the importance of combining local knowledge with academic research. Farmers experience the direct impacts of climate disruption and, on a daily basis, develop ways of forecasting weather conditions and adapting to them. Through trial and error, as well as success, they build a genuine culture of risk. By merging endogenous local knowledge with exogenous knowledge, adaptive strategies emerge that resonate more closely with those who work the land — and which deserve to be more fully integrated into public policy.

 

The project leaders:

Crédits photos@ Aurelia

Stéphanie RABAULT (UNC) Project Manager for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Catherine SABINOT (IRD) Researcher in Anthropology and Ethnoecology

Edouard HNAWIA (UNC-IRD) Chemist, Ethnobotanist, and Ethnopharmacologist Continue reading →

 

When food sovereignty becomes a lever for sustainable development

The international and multidisciplinary symposium dedicated to food and tourism in Oceania, jointly organised by the Pacific Campus for Hospitality and Catering Professions and Qualifications (CMQP), the Centre for Tourism Studies in Oceania-Pacific (CETOP), the Centre for Island Health Studies (CESMI) and the Centre for Island Governance and Development (GDI), in partnership with the University of French Polynesia (UPF), was held in Tahiti from 25 to 27 November 2025. This event was devoted to the issues of food sovereignty, tourism and catering.

Oceania has an exceptional wealth of food that is beneficial to health, but it also depends on imports of food products, some of which are processed, leading to diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

This symposium is part of a scientific, heritage and tourism initiative. As the promotion of local knowledge is one of the pillars of the CLIPSSA project’s action research, two members of our team, Fleur VALLET and Maya LECLERCQ, participated in this symposium in Papeete.

 

The Clim’en vers and Clim’à table projects, or the science of mediation

After presenting the main components of the project, the partners and the territories involved in CLIPSSA, Fleur introduced the audience to the Clim’en vers and Clim’à table projects. The focus was on the Clim’à table project, in line with the theme of the 2025 conference.

These initiatives have demonstrated the existence of different vectors for raising awareness of scientific mediation, which open up further options for popularisation (slam, gastronomy).

They show that popularisation is not just a matter of simplifying content, but above all of reinventing language. Slam, gastronomy, food, tourism and other cultural forms are powerful cognitive and emotional vectors. They mobilise attention, identification and engagement, three essential conditions for the circulation of knowledge.

This also demonstrates that understanding a concept and using specific or proposed intermediate means is a way of responding to and resisting the increasingly pressing climate challenges, as the example of faaapu shows us. The Clim’a table project and faaapu lay the foundations for a question: How can tomorrow’s food be a factor in resilience, development, innovation and adaptation in the face of climate change?

 

Faaapu: Resistance through subsistence.

Maya presenting her research results on faaapu @ Fleur Vallet

Vegetable gardens are called ‘faaapu’ in Tahiti and Moorea, and refer to a form of domestic agriculture. Faaapu generally occupy small plots of land, often close to homes, and their primary function is to reduce food expenses, promote healthy eating and increase self-sufficiency. This method of gardening generally does not use pesticides, and there are different ways in which knowledge is passed on between residents who cultivate their faapu. They are also laboratories for experimentation and hybridisation between knowledge and their environment, as most Oceanic people feel and experience it. Cultivating and feeding oneself, despite climatic and economic uncertainties, is a way of resisting, of sustaining oneself over time and therefore of existing.

Beyond the social, spiritual and economic dimensions of agriculture and fishing, food security is one of the foundations on which Oceanian culture is based. People farm and fish primarily to eat. Faaapu are therefore a pillar of local autonomy. They promote healthy eating, the transmission of traditional knowledge and experimentation with practices adapted to the current environment. In the face of climate change, these spaces are becoming places of innovation where ancestral knowledge is evolving. Food security thus appears to be a central factor in cultural continuity and mediation between traditions, adaptation and transmission.  They are being reinterpreted and enriched in the face of a new parameter: the climate challenge. Because for Oceanic peoples, to live is to resist.

 

Find our team’s presentations here

 

An international framework for thinking about adaptation

From 13 to 16 October 2025, the CLIPSSA team attended to the Adaptation Future 2025 international conference in Christchurch, New Zealand. Part of the United Nations World Adaptation Science Programme (WASP), this major event brought together researchers, public decision-makers, economic actors, associations and local communities. It provided a unique forum for discussion on adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change, with an emphasis on recognising and using indigenous and local knowledge as levers for resilience. This echoes the areas ofreflection and research-action, the core of CLIPSSA project.

 

CLIPSSA: a collective and interdisciplinary dynamic

During a panel discussion entitled ‘Connecting knowledge: transdisciplinary approaches to climate change adaptation in the South Pacific’. CLIPSSA researchers demonstrated the relevance of combining exact sciences and local knowledge. These disciplines work together to transform raw data into concrete tools for public decision-making, adapted to the realities of the concerned areas(Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia).

CLIPSSA operates in a dense institutional landscape, and the project must harmonise the interests of multiple stakeholders (researchers, funders, technicians) at local and regional levels. The cooperation and success of the project, therefore, relies on fluid and clear collaboration between partners with different epistemologies.

@crédits photos Christophe BUFFET AFD

‘At the local level, we work with a wide range of stakeholders, each with different timeframes and interests, whether accessing data and results or contributing to public policy direction.’ Fleur VALLET, project engineer and geographer’  Fleur VALLET, CLIPSSA project engineer

 

The humanities and social sciences team: pillars of resilience

The humanities and social sciences research team (Maya LECLERCQ, postdoctoral researcher in anthropology, and Samson JEAN MARIE, doctoral student in anthropology and geography) demonstrate through surveys and observations that adaptation is the result of practical field intelligence developed by farmers in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and French Polynesia. It stems from a detailed understanding and observation of natural cycles. And although the threats are common (cyclones, floods), the responses are specific to each territory; adaptation is not uniform: it is rooted in local culture and geography and evolves according to context, gender and resources, whether material (agricultural equipment) or immaterial (transmission of endogenous or exogenous knowledge).  This illustrates a philosophy of adaptation based on humility and cohesion:

Vanuatu: ‘When the cyclone hits, we don’t decide alone. We get together and see what is still possible.’

New Caledonia: ‘We cannot fight against the water, so we adapt to it.’

Samson, via video call from New Caledonia @photos crédits Christophe BUFFET AFD

From climate modelling to agricultural resilience

Accurate climate data is essential for forecasting agricultural yields and securing water resources in the South Pacific. Global climate models produced by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, created in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation, which brings together 195 member states) are often too imprecise for the small islands of the South Pacific.

CLIPSSA refines this data using the ALADIN (20 km) and AROME (2.5 km) models to match the specific topography of the South Pacific islands. This is the downscaling methodology: integrating the specific characteristics of each island provides hyper-local accuracy, as these characteristics influence climate data. However, while there are certainties and grey areas if the rise in temperatures is confirmed, uncertainty remains about precipitation, requiring increased monitoring of extreme events, as presented by Dakéga RAGATOA, our researcher in modelling the impacts of climate change on agricultural systems.

@crédits photos Christophe BUFFET

Gildas GUIDIGAN (researcher and modeller) will link this data using the APSIMx model. This is an agricultural production system simulator developed to reproduce and analyse in detail the interactions between crops, climate, soil and agricultural management practices. This agronomic model will translate climate data into real impacts on food crops (yams, taro). This will make it possible to map the areas that could remain cultivable and those that might become vulnerable, thus providing concrete tools, adapted to the terrain, to support agricultural adaptation and sustainable water management strategies.

 

Adaptation by and for the territories of the South Pacific

For Séverine Bouard, geographer and panel moderator, adaptation cannot be one-size-fits-all; it reflects those who practise it. Each island has its own social and political organisation. And after five years of work, two observations have emerged: rich interdisciplinary collaboration has generated a huge amount of knowledge, but there are also gaps and challenges that show that data is still missing that is necessary for reliable and accurate modelling of food crops.

Séverine BOUARD, panel moderator @photo credits Christophe BUFFET

 

 

 

End-of-studies internship carried out by Chloé DELBOVE

Master’s degree: Scientific Ecology and Social Sciences (Specialising in

socio-ecological transformations and transitions) National Museum of Natural History, Paris.

February-September 2025

Supervisors: Maya LECLERCQ (IRD), Catherine SABINOT (IRD)

Academic tutors: Nelly PARÈS, Sociologist, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Master’s 2 programme, Anne-Caroline PREVOT, Ecologist, Centre for Ecology and Conservation Sciences (CESCO), National Museum of Natural History.

Fieldwork: Tahiti, French Polynesia

Defence on 8 October 2025 at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

 

 

Abstract

What if the key to climate resilience in French Polynesia lay not only in technical reports, but in the hands of those who work the land? At a time when the island territories of the South Pacific are facing unprecedented vulnerability (droughts, floods, food dependency), faaapu, Polynesian vegetable gardens, are emerging as veritable laboratories of innovation and survival.

 

Faaapu of Tahiti, @crédits photos Chloé DELBOVE

This research, therefore, explores the role of faaapu as levers of resilience for the territory. Going beyond their simple productive function, the study analyses these spaces as places for the transmission and reinvention of local knowledge, whether traditional, experiential, or institutional. The central issue questions the extent to which these agricultural practices, rooted in everyday life on the Tahiti peninsula, are adapting to environmental changes. This study suggests that the combination of learning methods and the active mobilisation of this knowledge in the face of climatic constraints can produce systemic effects, thereby contributing to improved food security and overall resilience across the territory.

 

Context of the study

The aim of the study is to produce data on the future climate of the South Pacific (projections up to 2100). Chloé DELBOVE’s internship contributed to the production and analysis of data on local knowledge in French Polynesia.

Figure 1: Map showing the location of interview and observation sites during the 2025 mission in French Polynesia, Tahiti. (Chloé Delbove, 2025, QGIS)

Three hypotheses guided the analysis:

• Agricultural knowledge and practices are the result of dynamic processes of learning and transmission.
• They are actively mobilised to cope with the effects of climate change.
• They can contribute to broader territorial resilience, under certain conditions.

This study emphasises the living, fluid nature of local knowledge and its potential for the socio-ecological and climate resilience of the territory.

It is based on a qualitative ethnographic survey conducted over two months (April-May 2025) on the Tahiti peninsula. It includes around thirty semi-structured interviews with farmers and institutional actors (ADIE, CAPL, DAG). The sample reflects a wide variety of profiles (age, background, gender, farm size, and type of crops).

Figure 3: Feedback workshop, June 25 in Taravao, example of production “Draw your faaapu” (Maya Leclercq, 2025)

Key  findings

In French Polynesia, faapu are much more than just vegetable gardens. They are multifunctional and contribute to the balance of Tahitian society. They provide food for personal consumption and generate income through sale or exchange. They preserve cultural roots through their connection to the fenua.

As in most South Pacific societies, knowledge is transmitted orally; one must watch and ‘learn by doing’, as one interviewee reported. Learning takes place within the family circle, particularly from grandparents to grandchildren. It is based on direct experience with physical engagement and experimentation in the field (watching, trying, making mistakes, and starting again).

 

Figure 7: (From left to right) Protection of seedlings placed in elevated areas and covered with a tarpaulin, testing a new seed variety obtained from another farmer (Chloé Delbove, 2025)

In addition to this heritage, there are other sources of knowledge, such as training courses, exchanges between farmers, social networks, online videos, and personal trials.

However, this transmission is also subject to uncertainty. Farmers are ageing, and young people sometimes have aspirations other than working the land, making the succession of knowledge and traditions uncertain. Faapu have become laboratories for adaptation, where different practices are tested, ranging from crop diversification, adjustment of agricultural calendars, and refined water management to the development of composting and agroecological practices.

Figure 4: Photograph of a 20m2 fa’a’apu, with the raised seed table (Chloé Delbove, 2025)

Conclusion

This study shows that there are several levers of resilience and even resistance to climate change. Rooted in the present, faaapu are living, innovative spaces. It is imperative to recognise and support this local knowledge, in addition to scientific and institutional approaches. This is essential for building fairer adaptation strategies that are rooted in the identity and realities of Polynesians. It allows us to listen to the resilience they demonstrate and to value and capitalise on the full potential of promising local knowledge.

 

Read her thesis and presentation.

Woman in her field, @credits photos Ida PALENE

End-of-studies internship carried out by Ida PALENE

ISTOM: School of Engineering in International Agricultural Development

February–August 2025

Supervisors: Samson JEAN MARIE (IRD), Catherine SABINOT (IRD)

Fieldwork: Vanuatu

Defence on 23 October 2025 in Angers in the presence of two professors who are members of the jury: Brice EBODE, lecturer and researcher in geosciences and the environment, and Smail Slimani, lecturer and researcher in hydrogeology at ISTOM.

Ida during her thesis defense in Angers, @crédits photos Ida PALENE

In two rural villages in the Vanuatu archipelago, women farmers are reinventing agricultural practices, solidarity and gender roles on a daily basis to cope with climate and social upheaval. Ida Palene, a young agro-development engineer, went to share their daily lives.

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