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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.

Continue reading →

A story of sweet and savoury bites, flavours of climate change

 

Photos crédits : Caroline Agier, Météo France

The CLIPSSA project (Pacific Climate, Local Knowledge and Adaptation Strategies), in collaboration with the hospitality and catering (industry) program of the Auguste Escoffier Vocational High school and the Consortium for Research and Innovation (CRESICA), co-organised an innovative cocktail party, “Clim à table”. Clim à table focuses on food, particularly the iconic tuber crops of the South Pacific such as yam, taro and sweet potato, at the crossroads of climate change and gastronomy. The highlight of this collaboration took place during the inauguration of the Science Festival on Thursday, 2nd October 2025, from 6pm to 8pm, at the school restaurant in Nouméa, New-Caledonia. CLIPSSA enriched the progression of the students in the hospitality and catering program at the Escoffier high school providing opportunities for meetings, exchanges and encounters.

Enriching encounters

To further their knowledge and work, Escoffier students benefited from a visit by CLIPSSA project researchers to their agroforestry garden on the school grounds. It was an enriching encounter where they were able to talk to the scientists and ask questions about their missions and roles within CLIPSSA. It was an opportunity to gain from their expertise and learn a little more about climate change and its effects. It is a way not only to make scientific research concrete and tangible, but also to highlight that some concepts are already familiar to them to to the extent that they experience them on a daily basis (adaptation, resilience, agricultural work, fishing).

Photos crédits : Caroline Agier, Météo France

A touch of intelligence and a dash of creativity

This 2025 edition of  of the Science Festival was intelligence, in all its various forms. The ambassador for this edition, Colin de la Higuera, researcher and professor at the University of Nantes, UNESCO Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Education, gave a speech on the use of artificial intelligence in research and learning.

Photos crédits : Julien Mazzoni, Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes

The culinary arts

This intelligence was expressed through the creative work of students training for their CAP Hôtellerie (hospitality certificate) and Terminale BTS (advanced vocational high school diploma) at Escoffier. Indeed, assisted by their teachers , they designed and served a cocktail featuring six savoury appetisers (three cold and three hot) and three sweet bites or desserts. The ingredients were meticulously chosen for their gustatory qualities and their potential to evoke themes related to climate change (e.g. bush fires and extreme heat = smoked yam croquette with venison sausage).

Public speaking

Creativity was certainly on display (The day was marked by creativity), particularly with slam poetry, as students participating in the Clim’ en vers project were able to express their thoughts on the same theme. This artistic discipline can be defined in two ways: writing the text, which allows for freedom and intimacy with words, and reciting it orally. Focusing on mini-scenarios, they volunteered to give rhythm and a voice to the urgency of the climate phenomenon. The floor was given to second- and first-year students in the hospitality and catering sciences section.  The involvement of young people in research-action requires recognition of their creativity and the use of the appropriate channel of expression. The CLIPSSA team’s role was to provide the keys, the specific vocabulary and to ensure consistency with the addressed theme.

Photos crédits : Caroline Agier, Météo France

 

Therefore, art, while serving as form of escape, is revealed to be an excellent medium or vector for science communication and popularisation. Through the Clim’ à table project, kitchens, restaurants and classrooms become genuine laboratories providing models for future experimentation and scientific mediation/outreach initiatives. This approach helps to foster awareness of real social issues, thus contributing to development and research. The resulting feedback and lessons learned will be used to inform public policies concerning climate change awareness.

 

 

 

Understanding and exploring scientific issues in a clear, concise, readable and alternative way makes scientific research accessible to all types of audiences.

 

The following information sheets have been created to meet this need with the support and scientific data provided by CLIPSSA researchers:

 

Fact sheet 1: “What is CLIPSSA?’”

Fact sheet 2: ” Building CLIPSSA”

Fact sheet 3: “Better measuring for effective action”

Fact sheet 4: “Changes in farming practices in New Caledonia”

Fact sheet 5: “Coping with water scarcity”

Fact sheet 6: “Coping with water shortages”

 

Other fact sheets will be available soon.

 

Based on the research and work of scientists involved in the CLIPSSA project, these fact sheets address various issues related to the effects of climate change, such as water management, adaptation of agricultural methods and climate modelling.

 

They explain complex scientific work in a simplified manner, while helping to inform decisions and encourage action by stimulating reflection on the challenges of the future.

 

These fact sheets were produced in collaboration with the communications agency ‘Bien fait pour ta Com’, the IRD’s graphics department in Marseille, the CLIPSSA communications team, to combine scientific rigour, clarity of expression and visual quality.

 

Credit: Government  of New Caledonia

 

 

 

CLIPSSA at the second edition of the Caledonian Climate Change Forum

 

At the second edition of the Caledonian Climate Change Forum on Tuesday, 22 July at the University of New Caledonia (UNC), IRD, Météo-France, and the French Development Agency (AFD) were present to welcome various institutional, economic and academic stakeholders.

CLIPSSA was present at the exhibition village (Météo-France and AFD), which allowed the public to discover the advances and results. Information sheets were displayed at the exhibitions.

 

Credit: Eléa Yung-Hing, IRD

During the morning plenary session, the scientific coordinators (Christophe Menkès from IRD and Alexandre Peltier from Météo-France) shared an overview of the current state of climate science research.

 

 

Credit: Eléa Yung-Hing, IRD

 

Then, in the afternoon, the CLIPSSA team organised and participated in a mini-seminar entitled ‘Agriculture, food and water use: towards a sustainable transition to respond to climate challenges’, where Fleur VALLET (geographer and project manager) and Maya LECLERCQ (socio-anthropologist, postdoctoral researcher) led and moderated discussions with the following speakers: Thomas ABINUN (Météo-France Interregional Directorate in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna), Sebastien BLANC (Technopole), Franck SOURY-LAVERGNE (CAP-NC), Stephane BALAYRE (DAVAR), Julie DEFFIEUX (REPAIR), Yannick FULCHIRON (Agence Rurale), Samson JEAN-MARIE (IRD), Gildas GUIDIGAN (IRD).

 

The presentation was divided into four main themes :

 

 

• The first focused on the effects and impacts of climate change on agriculture and water resources. Météo-France, Technopole and CAP presented the main changes in rainfall patterns in New Caledonia, as well as their concrete consequences on agricultural yields.
• The second addressed the issue of competing interests, how to reconcile the needs of agriculture, food, and other water uses in the context of competition and collective water management. DAVAR discussed the overall importance of water resources, with significant spatial and temporal variability, drinking water supply services, needs/resource assessments and local water governance.

Next, an update was provided on adaptations, analysing existing solutions and practices or those to be implemented. CAP NC and REPAIR discussed land use planning and agricultural policies, support for farmers, and changes in practices, using CLIMATERRA and REALISM as examples.

 

Focus on CLIPSSA :

 

• The CLIPSSA team took an anthropological approach to the subject.

 

During his presentation, Samson Jean-Marie outlined the adaptation strategies implemented by local communities during prolonged droughts, using the example of a farmer who abandoned his plantations, which his descendants were able to rehabilitate thanks to innovative solutions. He explained these different solutions, including deferred and localised weeding, mulching on crop rows or localised mulching, the coupling of irrigation systems, and the relocation and establishment of plots, with strategies to limit the impact of cyclones and erosion.

Gildas Guidigan went on to explain that plants respond to specific climate changes such as high temperatures, droughts, irregular rainfall, more frequent extreme events and increased risks to agricultural productivity through physiological, agronomic and sometimes adaptive mechanisms. Indeed, climate stress causes a decrease in photosynthesis in high heat, stomatal closure and loss of growth, reduced fertility (floral sterility, non-viable pollen), and an acceleration of the cycle (less time to produce grain). For example, tubers and cereals in the Pacific, particularly in New Caledonia, have their water requirements and increased vulnerability to heat.

To explain his research, Gildas presented the simulation tool APSIM next gen, which aims to reproduce crop growth (maize, rice, etc.), test different future climate scenarios (RCP 4.5, 8.5, etc.), evaluate alternative agricultural practices (sowing, irrigation, varieties), and assess the response of crops (rice and corn) to climate variables. Results have been observed, particularly with maize, where increasing water stress during flowering and a possible decrease in yield have been noted if the sowing date is inappropriate. For yams, high temperatures cause floral sterility, making irrigation essential in future conditions. The adaptation scenarios identified are therefore to bring forward sowing dates and choose more resistant varieties, as well as optimise water management. Plants experience climatic stress, and their responses can lead to productivity losses, demonstrating the importance of simulation models such as APSIM.

 

 

• Then, in a fourth area, the rural agency, Repair and Technopole, developed a future of possibilities based on food and agricultural models for tomorrow and collective choices to be avoided to guarantee sustainable agriculture and food in the face of future climate change. The topics discussed included the transformation and autonomy of agri-food systems, food behaviour in New Caledonia, more autonomous and economical production systems, ecosystem services and agroecology, and acclimatised local varieties.

 

 

Find the summary sheet for the round table discussion here.

 

Credit: Catherine Sabinot, IRD

 

A youth brimming with ideas and motivation

 

As the government wanted to involve young people in its action plan for adapting to climate change, they were given prominence at this forum, particularly through the choice of venue for the event. Science classes were cancelled so that students could attend the round tables. Educational activities were organised at specific stands to communicate and popularise scientific research among students. Finally, the media present interviewed the young people in attendance.

 

• A youth advocacy event was organised to give young people a voice.
• Two slam sessions were held by Georgina Sioremu, a communications and mediation apprentice with the CLIPSSA team: the dark humour of climate change and my youth has its place.

 

Credit: Government of New Caledonia

 

This youth session echoes the study carried out in 2024 by Ilona DA CRUZ GERNGROSS, a Master’s 1 Sustainability Sciences intern in 2024 within the CLIPSSA project, ‘The integration of young people in the consultation and development processes of the climate change adaptation strategy in New Caledonia’. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the 92nd ACFAS conference, held May 5–9, 2025, in Canada on the theme of “cross-disciplinary research perspectives on responsible management practices,” the CLIPSSA project (Climate of the South Pacific, Local Knowledge, and Adaptation Strategies) gave a voice to Pacific island agriculture. In a presentation entitled “From perception to adaptation strategies: local climate change management practices in New Caledonia and Vanuatu,” Samson Jean Marie, a doctoral student in anthropology and geography working on this project, presented the initial results of these field surveys. He explained how farmers in these territories, who are on the front line of climate change, are adapting their practices to cope with it.

 

Territories on the front line

Oceanian societies, which are heavily dependent on natural and agricultural resources, are on the front line when it comes to intensifying weather, climate, and environmental disturbances: prolonged droughts, destructive cyclones, soil salinisation, and shifts in agricultural seasons. Vanuatu, regularly ranked among the countries most exposed to global climate risks, is a striking example of this. In New Caledonia, repeated episodes of La Niña and El Niño are causing water imbalances and undermining food security in rural areas.

Based on around 100 interviews conducted with farmers, institutions, politicians, and local organisations, Samson, in collaboration with the project’s research team, analyses how agricultural knowledge is built and transmitted in the face of climate change.

This resolutely interdisciplinary approach combines anthropology, agronomy, geography, sociology, and climatology to grasp the complexity of local dynamics. In his presentation, the doctoral student outlined a range of local adaptive responses, such as crop management practices, water management strategies, local cyclone warning systems, and post-disaster responses identified in the areas studied. “Adaptation is not simply a matter of applying international recommendations. It is experienced, improvised, and discussed at the level of gardens, fields, and families,” explained the young researcher.

 

Dynamic local knowledge

Contrary to popular belief, local knowledge is not static. It is transmitted, adjusted, and reinvented in response to climate change. Traditional mulching, hole cultivation, water storage in handmade tanks, adaptation of varieties, and community oral alerts before cyclones: farmers’ innovations take many forms, often invisible to decision-makers, but central to local resilience. “In several villages in Vanuatu and among tribes in New Caledonia, experienced farmers serve as information relays before cyclones arrive. They read the signs of the wind, the birds, and the sea.  These biocultural markers, combined with weather information, enable farmers to anticipate the event [cyclone] ” better, as observed more broadly by the research team.

 

From words to action: when local practices lead the way

By documenting this knowledge, the CLIPSSA project highlights that rural communities in the Pacific are not simply “vulnerable” to the effects of climate change: they are already taking action, often in pragmatic and innovative ways, far from the media spotlight or international climate policies. In other words, these initiatives already embody a responsible approach to climate and environmental change management at the local level. They provide a concrete foundation on which public policies and institutions can build.

The ACFAS conference thus provided a forum to highlight the urgent need to change approaches to local agricultural adaptation practices in climate policies. In response to the conference title, “Cross-disciplinary research perspectives on responsible management practices,” and the conference debate, “Moving from words to action,” the doctoral student replied: “It is time to move from words to action. And that starts with recognising that adaptation cannot be decreed, but must be built with those most directly affected: the inhabitants themselves. Local practices, particularly those related to adaptive responses to the impacts of climate change, are a form of local expertise in action. Ignoring them means depriving ourselves of essential levers for sustainable adaptation.”

Taro plantation in the ‘voura’ of Ipayato (Santo, Vanuatu) @ Samson JEAN MARIE

As part of the “Pacific Climate, Local Knowledge and Adaptation Strategies” project (CLIPSSA), researchers in human and social sciences (HSS) have been deployed in the four countries and territories involved: New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia and Vanuatu. Their objective: to document and report on local agricultural knowledge and its evolving strategies for adapting to the challenges of climate change.

 

Key Figures

To date, the HSS teams have conducted several hundred interviews across the various study sites:

• New Caledonia (La Foa, Canala and Maré): 89 farmers, 11 institutional and political stakeholders

• Vanuatu (Espiritu Santo and Efate): 43 farmers, 12 institutional and political stakeholders

• French Polynesia (Tahiti and Moorea): 57 farmers, 3 food processors, 36 institutional actors, 10 researchers

• Wallis and Futuna (Futuna and Alo): 25 farmers, 10 institutional stakeholders

 

Three Months of Fieldwork in French Polynesia – First Half of 2025

From April to July 2025, postdoctoral modeller Dakéga RAGATOA (in charge of French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna) and project engineer Fleur VALLET accompanied the HSS field team, composed of postdoctoral anthropologist Maya LECLERCQ and interns Chloé DELBOVE and Moeana PENLAE.

Institutional meetings and interim feedback

On the islands of Tahiti and Moorea, the researchers engaged in discussions with the Chamber of Agriculture and Lagoon Fishing (CAPL), the Department of Agriculture (DAG), the CRIOBE research center, the AgroDev and Pae Tai Pae Uta (PTPU) consultancies, the Opunohu agricultural high school, and the “Taro ITE” project team, supported by the KIWA Initiative.

 

 

Public seminar at the University of French Polynesia

On April 22, a seminar at the Pacific Human Sciences Center (MSHP) enabled Maya and Dakéga to present the project’s methodology and early findings. This public restitution reflected the project’s commitment to science communication and local stakeholder engagement. The event brought together AFD Polynesia, NGO representatives, students, and researchers. A second presentation was held at Saint Joseph High School in Punaauia, where Dakéga introduced the APSIMX agroclimatic model, used to simulate future climate effects on Pacific crops, particularly tubers (yam, taro, cassava…).

Read more: From Local Knowledge to Simulation: An Integrated Approach to Anticipating Climate Impacts on Pacific Root Crops & seminar recording

 

Engaging with Local Stakeholders

Maya, the anthropologist in charge of coordinating fieldwork in French Polynesia, led the research alongside Catherine SABINOT, IRD anthropologist and CLIPSSA scientific coordinator. Field interviews with farmers were conducted by Chloé and Moeana, both completing their master’s internships within the CLIPSSA project—Chloé through the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, and Moeana through the University of French Polynesia. They spent several weeks with farming communities: Moeana in Moorea and Chloé on Tahiti’s peninsula, gaining insights into agricultural practices and climate adaptation strategies. Their findings complemented the results produced in 2024 by Maya and Marie-Amélie RICHEZ.

The mission concluded with several feedback workshops for the people involved in the study: future farmers enrolled in the BTSA program at Moorea Agricultural High School, farmers from Moorea, and those from the Tahiti Peninsula.

Read more: CLIPSSA Scientific Findings Presented at the Opunohu Agricultural High School, Moorea

 

Three Months of Fieldwork in Vanuatu – First Half of 2025

Meanwhile, Samson JEAN MARIE, PhD candidate in anthropology and geography, and Ida PALENE, intern from ISTOM, completed a total of six months of immersive fieldwork in Efate and Espiritu Santo. Catherine SABINOT joined them for two weeks. In April, postdoctoral modeller Gildas GUIDIGAN also joined the team for three weeks to familiarise himself with the field and meet institutional stakeholders managing agricultural data.

Institutional and Scientific Engagement

To ensure strong collaboration with local institutions, many meetings were organized.
In Efate, the team engaged with the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD), the Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD), and representatives from the Van-KIRAP project (Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt), aimed at strengthening the country’s resilience to climate change.
In Espiritu Santo, a working visit to the Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Training Center (VARTC) was coordinated by Marie Vianney MELTERAS, the center’s director of research and CLIPSSA focal point in Vanuatu.

 

An Ethnography of Agricultural Knowledge

Samson and Ida shared the daily lives of rural farming communities in Santo and Efate over several weeks. In households, fields, markets, forest paths and rivers, they engaged with elders, youth, women and men, as well as institutional and customary actors. They chose an immersive, participatory approach based on observation, dialogue, and careful listening. Occasionally joined by Catherine during their stay, they used a variety of methods: semi-structured interviews (individual and group), participant observation, discussion workshops, and georeferenced mapping of fields and knowledge-sharing locations.

Farming Systems in Constant Adaptation

Their research revealed a wide array of adaptive strategies implemented by farming families: diversification of plots, crop rotation, preservation of traditional irrigation systems, farming in more remote areas…
While Samson’s work is part of his PhD research on local knowledge and adaptive capacities, Ida focused on the often-overlooked role of women, who play a central part in fieldwork, seed preservation, and knowledge transmission.

Back from the field, the two young researchers brought back more than just data—they also returned with a new language that they now harem save (understand) and toktok (speak): Bislama. A living testimony to their immersion and the relationships forged with the communities they encountered.

 

 

CLIPSSA: Between Pitchfork, Furnace, and Climate Forecasts

Throughout their investigations, the researchers also immersed themselves in the processing and culinary uses of the food crops studied within CLIPSSA. From Vanuatu’s laplap to nalot, a traditional island meal, and through coconut milk preparation workshops in Taravao (French Polynesia), the teams engaged with the food cultures of their hosts.

These moments also echoed a broader issue at the heart of the CLIPSSA project: the food sovereignty of Pacific Island communities.

 

Want to Learn More? 

Stay tuned for upcoming articles featuring field reports from our human and social sciences interns. 

Final Internship by Moeana PENLAE

University of French Polynesia – Master’s Degree (Year 2) in Biodiversity, Ecology and Environment, specialisation in Pacific Island Environments (BEE – EIO)

February – July 2025

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

Participated in the facilitation of 3 feedback workshops in Tahiti and Moorea in June and July 2025, bringing together agricultural students and local farmers met during fieldwork. 

 

Figure 1: Photo of one of the feedback workshops held in Moorea with Agricultural BTS students and trainees in Agricultural Installation Training (FIA) at the Centre de Formation Professionnelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA) of Opunohu (Source: Maya Leclercq, June 2025)  

 

Article summary 

Pacific island territories are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially regarding small-scale agriculture, which is subject to challenges such as irregular rainfall, droughts, and fragile ecosystems. In this context, proper water management and the preservation of adapted agricultural knowledge are essential to ensuring food security. This study, conducted in Moorea as part of the CLIPSSA project, focuses on how farmers adapt to environmental challenges. Our team carried out interviews, field observations, and participatory workshops, highlighting a diversity of local strategies: the use of traditional environmental indicators, and innovative techniques such as drainage systems and composting. The study reveals two main types of agricultural knowledge: on one hand, ancestral knowledge transmitted orally or through observation—such as lunar cycles (tarena) or plant phenology; on the other, contemporary knowledge stemming from modern practices, shared via media, online videos, or training programs. Hybrid forms of knowledge transmission exist, where knowledge circulates through peer exchanges, social networks, or training programs that blend empirical practices with technical input. However, this knowledge is weakened by socio-economic constraints, such as the declining interest of youth in agriculture and difficulties in accessing land. This work thus highlights the vulnerabilities in the transmission of agricultural knowledge and underscores the importance of grounding adaptation policies in local realities. 

 

Study context 

High islands such as Moorea are particularly vulnerable to climate change: extreme rainfall, flooding, landslides, and prolonged droughts. These hazards threaten local food security and complicate water management, especially for sensitive crops like taro or vegetables. For this study, the research area covers a significant portion of Moorea, including an agricultural subdivision and the agricultural high school in the Opunohu valley, as well as valleys where subsistence farming is practiced. 

Figure 2: Study site 

 

In addition to climate-related challenges, farmers face several social constraints. Young people often turn away from agriculture, drawn to jobs perceived as more prestigious. Access to land remains difficult, with land often being shared or legally insecure. Finally, traditional knowledge is gradually disappearing as farmers age—the average age is 49 (RGA 2023)—threatening knowledge transmission and generational continuity. 

The study is based on 18 semi-structured interviews conducted from mid-April to the end of May on the island of Moorea, involving institutional stakeholders (Department of Agriculture (DAG), Chamber of Agriculture and Lagoon Fisheries (CAPL), etc.), farmers, and informal discussions with roadside fruit and vegetable vendors. 

 

Main results 

The results highlight a diversity of adaptation practices that reflect both a strong cultural foundation and a high capacity for innovation:

• Water: A central issue
  During periods of heavy rainfall (December–January in French Polynesia), excess water currently represents one of the main climate challenges for farmers in the Opunohu Valley, especially for sensitive crops such as taro, banana, or papaya, which suffer from soil saturation. In some areas, drainage systems (drainage ditch) or rainwater collection systems have been implemented, sometimes in a homemade manner. However, workshops conducted with farmers showed that this constraint is not shared by all: on sloped land, natural runoff allows water to drain more easily, thereby reducing the risk of waterlogging. 

Figure 3: Photo of a drainage ditch dug on a farmer’s land in Opunohu (Moorea) to evacuate excess water (Source: Moeana Penlae, July 2025) 

 

• Crop choices adapted to local context
  Producers adapt their choices based on topography, soil quality, and water access: banana trees in humid areas, citrus trees on higher ground, and pineapples on dry terrain. Some diversify their crops to reduce risk. 

• Knowledge in constant hybridization
  Many farmers continue to use traditional indicators such as tarena or natural signs (plant phenology, appearance of insects indicating imminent rain, etc.). These indicators are combined with modern sources such as online tutorials, advice from the Department of Agriculture (DAG), or agricultural training (CFPPA). 

• A strong connection to the land
  The fa’a’apu is more than a field: it is a place of learning, memory, and identity. It embodies a sensitive relationship to the fenua, a Tahitian term generally referring to a country, land, or territory. It is often associated with everything related to the soil, the environment, or cultural belonging. 

• Weakened knowledge transmission
  Agricultural knowledge has traditionally been passed down through observation and hands-on practice between generations. Today, this transmission is fading, as young people are showing less interest in the agricultural sector, with the farming profession being undervalued. 

 

Spending less to adapt 

In a context of limited resources, farmers are developing low-cost and autonomous solutions, often outside institutional frameworks: 

• Natural compost made from food scraps, banana leaves, plant waste, or fish waste 

• Buried containers and repurposed tarps to store rainwater 

• Raised beds or elevated growing areas to prevent water stagnation 

• Crop associations to optimize soil moisture (e.g., planting banana trees around other crops) 

It has been observed that, to cope with climate change, many farmers implement simple and inexpensive solutions, often created by themselves. In 1962, Claude Lévi-Strauss described the “bricoleur” as someone who creatively assembles available materials to solve problems—illustrating the inventiveness of these practices through flexible and resourceful thinking. These practices also reflect a certain degree of isolation: due to a lack of targeted support, adaptation often relies on individual efforts. 

 

Conclusion 

Agriculture in Moorea is currently shaped by multiple challenges: climatic, social, and institutional. Yet, farmers demonstrate active resilience by inventing new ways of farming, learning, and transmitting knowledge. This resilience is based on: 

• A deep understanding of the environment 

• An ability to experiment, adapt, and improvise 

• A strong cultural attachment to the fenua 

• A determination to preserve a way of life connected to the land 

To strengthen this dynamic, it is urgent to: 

• Recognize farmers as co-actors in climate adaptation 

• Support modest solutions and local innovations 

• Create spaces for intergenerational exchange 

• Include local knowledge in public climate policies 

Although rooted in Moorea, this research offers valuable lessons for other island territories. It shows that local agricultural knowledge is not a thing of the past, but a valuable resource for building a more resilient, self-reliant, and climate-adapted future. 

Supported by IRD, Météo-France and AFD, the CLIPSSA project (Pacific Climate, Local Knowledge and Adaptation Strategies) aims to give a voice to the younger generation on climate change, blending science with the art of writing. The Clim’en Vers initiative stems from this ambition. It was conceived by Caroline AGIER, communications and digital affairs officer at the interregional office of Météo-France in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. The goal is to guide students in creating texts related to climate change and adaptation, and to showcase their work at relevant events in the form of display panels.

 

Passing on knowledge about climate change

To launch the project, Thomas ABINUN, meteorology and climate studies engineer at the Météo-France interregional office in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna, and Myriam VENDÉ-LECLERC, climate adaptation strategy officer for the Government of New Caledonia, introduced students to the key concepts of global climate change and the different ways to adapt to it. On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, two classes from Lycée Escoffier in Nouméa attended this presentation, coordinated by their science teacher, Ms. BERTRAND.

Introductory session on climate change at Lycée Escoffier, 05/06/2025, ©Cléophée MONTIZON

Choosing key words, writing and performance

In the second stage—writing—the 10th-grade class in Hospitality and Catering Sciences and Technologies (STHR) dedicated two hours of their French class on Thursday, May 22, to the activity led by Mr. MAFFAY. This writing workshop was facilitated by Georgina SIOREMU, artist and communications and science mediation assistant within the CLIPSSA team. It allowed students to create heartfelt, committed texts while sharpening their sense of rhythm through a final recitation. Their original work emerged from four different writing prompts: 

• Write a letter to someone close to you who lives on the other side of the world and doesn’t yet fully understand the impact of climate change. Warn them.

• You live by a river. Due to heavy rains, your house was flooded and you had to move up into the mountains. Describe how you feel.

• Do you know the story of the hummingbird metaphor? If it could speak, what would it say to humankind?
• You run into a former internship supervisor years later. He runs a restaurant and tells you how hard it has become to source key ingredients—especially yam, sweet potato and taro—because of droughts and floods. You go home and write your thoughts in a journal.

Writing session at Lycée Escoffier,  May-July 2025, ©Caroline AGIER

 

In the following workshops, held on Wednesday, July 2 and Wednesday, July 9, students added stylistic devices and refined their sentences to make them more impactful. Each group then practiced performing their text aloud.

On Thursday, July 3, 11th-grade students were surprised by the arrival of a new guest: Simane, a slam artist with both local and international recognition, joined by influencer and TV presenter Astro, and Passil, organizer of the Urban Films Festival. They introduced them to the fundamentals of slam poetry—its definition, values, and purpose. Using a list of verbs and a word cloud on the theme of “the environment”, he created a slam in just a few minutes. Simane then offered a wealth of advice on how to deliver and pace their texts. The students watched several slam performances by the guests.

Writing session at Lycée Escoffier, 07/03/2025, ©Caroline AGIER

 

The second hour was devoted to a writing workshop led by Georgina, designed to link the students’ future profession in hospitality to the CLIPSSA project. A series of prompts helped guide their writing:

• Tomorrow’s menu – cooking in times of crisis: Imagine a restaurant in 2050 facing food shortages due to climate change. How do they adapt? What new recipes? What creativity?

• The submerged school – tale of a sunken place: Tell the story of a hospitality school located on a coastline threatened by rising sea levels. What happens to its staff, its clients, its legacy?

• The last chance banquet: You are organizing a symbolic meal to raise awareness about climate change. What’s on the menu? Who do you invite? What is the atmosphere like?

• Journal of an eco-responsible apprentice: You follow an apprentice learning to cook and serve while reducing environmental impact—sorting waste, sourcing locally, saving energy, following ethical practices…

• A world without seasons: Imagine a world where seasons no longer exist. How does this affect restaurant operations and menu planning?

 

The young slammers thus went through all the key phases of text creation: developing ideas, searching for vocabulary, writing with rhyme, and incorporating stylistic devices. On Friday, July 4, the 11th-grade students finalized their texts, produced clean copies, and performed their final versions aloud.

The creative works of both 11th- and 12th-grade students were exhibited during the Caledonian Forum on Climate Change held on July 22, organized by the Government of New Caledonia in partnership with the University of New Caledonia (UNC).

Exhibition at the Caledonian Forum on Climate Change, 07/22/2025, ©Caroline AGIER

They will be showcased again on August 8 during the Science and ESD Festival organized by the Vice-Rectorate, and in October during the Science Festival coordinated by CRESICA.

Clim’en Vers exhibition panels, 07/2025, ©Caroline AGIER