Find out more about the CLIPSSA regional project, which is helping to tackle the specific climate challenges facing the Pacific islands.

In this article published on The Conversation, Maya LECLERCQ, a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology, and Catherine SABINOT, an ethnoecologist and anthropologist at the Institute of Research and Development (IRD) and a member of the CLIPSSA project, show how, in the Pacific islands, responses to climate change are increasingly based on an articulation between scientific knowledge and local knowledge.

Using concrete examples, this article reviews the work carried out within the CLIPSSA project (Pacific Climate, Local Knowledge and Adaptation Strategies), which aims to better understand climate impacts at the local level and to co-develop adaptation strategies with the affected populations.

A valuable insight into the challenges of adaptation, the role of local communities, and the role of research in the Pacific.

Read it 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.

‘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

 

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.’

 

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.

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.

 

 

 

 

Risk culture at the heart of adaptation strategies

 

The South Province auditorium hosted a C’Nature conference dedicated to agriculture and adaptation to climate change on the 2^nd December 2025 at 6 p.m. 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 (VSC) in IRD and partially working on with CLIPSSA. Together, they discussed a key question:

 

How, do farmers observe climate change in their immediate environment, particularly in the South Pacific societies? 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 : A real climate threat

 

At this conference, researchers highlighted the ENSO climate phenomenon to show that, what farmers are experiencing is the result of a natural process that global warming is altering.

ENSO is an ocean-atmosphere mechanism that can tamper with rainfall and temperature and therefore influence crops, harvests and water storage.  Dry seasons are becoming longer and more severe. They impact crop growth, cause water stress, dry up water sources and make the land difficult to cultivate. Conversely, severe flooding leads to disease and drowns  crops. In both cases, there are yield losses, food insecurity and arbitrary water management in the face of the climate emergency.

‘The most difficult element to deal with is the water. The dry season lasts longer, and the little creek there (…) rocks, rocks (…) we have to choose which field to save.’ Farmer from Canala, (January 2024)

“When it rains too hard, the mud or soil goes into the sea, and the plants get sick. After these rains, we spend more time repairing than producing.’  Farmer from Vanuatu (2025)

 

The hybridisation of knowledge : A  tool and space for resilience

 

Hybridisation is an active, living process. It is a combination of endogenous knowledge (which comes from ancestors, is part of genealogy and is passed down from generation to generation) and exogenous knowledge (external sources such as NGOs, science, social media, etc.).

With a real experimental dynamic, it pushes agricultural practices and farmers towards constant adaptation, with improvements and adjustments over time and in response to climatic events.

A variety of actions are being implemented in terms of practices and technical expertise (mulching, slanted stakes, crop diversification, choosing more robust seeds, innovation in irrigation) and expanding space-time (Nakamals, markets, faapus). Social ties are shifting and breaking with convention, societal norms, customs, and traditions are daring to push their boundaries (with the increasing involvement of women, who are often invisible). Adaptation to climate change is happening all around us; it is a process that is set in motion because in Oceanian societies, everything is connected. This holistic vision forges links between inhabitants and the worlds around them.

 

The tools used by researchers for this hybridisation:

 

• Co-construction: researchers and the local population analyse climate impacts together (in the field, through interviews and observations) to produce shared knowledge.
• Participatory mapping: spatialisation of areas exposed to cyclones and flooding. Enables identification.
• Artistic workshops and participatory debate: Drawing and representation workshop of the faapu (French Polynesia) multitude of representations, personalisation of space and therefore multiple and specific adaptation to each participant.

 

As highlighted by the C Nature 2025 conference, these risk cultures must be combined with scientific knowledge. Farmers are on the front line when it comes to dealing with the effects of climate change. By merging endogenous and exogenous local knowledge, we can produce a course of action and adaptive strategies that are more appropriate and co-constructed in line with the realities of those who work the land. These are resources that must be capitalised on, valued and integrated into decision-making.

 

 

 

When food sovereignty drives 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 beneficial to health, but it also depends on food products importations, some of which are transformed, leading to diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

This symposium was part of a scientific, heritage and tourism initiative. As the promotion of local knowledge is one of the pillars of the CLIPSSA research action project, two members of the 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, it is about 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 knowledge circulation.

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 a 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.

 

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 Oceanian people  feel and experience it. Growing food 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. For the peoples of Oceania, to live is to resist..

 

Find our team’s presentations here.

 

 

 

 

 

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” Wallis-and-Futuna 

Fact sheet 6: “Coping with water shortages” Tahiti

 

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.