Standard Project Report 2016
Country Context and WFP Objectives
Country Context
Spread over a land area of 18,300 km ² and sea zone of 1.3 million km ², Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean comprising 332 islands( of which 110 are inhabited) with a population of 870,000 residing primarily on the two largest islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Situated in the tropical cyclone belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire characterised by active volcanoes and frequent seismic activity, Fiji is highly susceptible to external shocks and natural disasters. The 2016 World Risk Report ranks Fiji as the sixteenth country in the world to face the greatest level of disaster risk due to geophysical and climate-related hazards [ 1 ]. In recent decades, Fiji has experienced multiple devastating cyclones and floods( and more recently the effects of El Niño climate pattern) which have negatively impacted the country ' s economy and labour market. According to the World Bank, Fiji is expected to incur an average loss of USD 79.7 million per year as a result of earthquakes and tropical cyclones [ 2 ]. Global economic shocks, climate change and the expected intensification of natural disasters are projected to significantly undermine the Government ' s efforts in poverty reduction and accentuate the instability of food supplies. Projected yield reductions in staple crops, such as taro and cassava, are likely to increase the vulnerability of low-income households dependent on subsistence agriculture for their food security and livelihoods.
Fiji has one of the most developed economies in the Pacific region, with an estimated annual Gross Domestic Product( GDP) of USD 4.53 billion and Gross National Income( GNI) of USD 4,870 per capita. However, the country still features a large subsistence agriculture sector, and is significantly dependent on tourism, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a large, albeit declining, sugarcane industry. Although agriculture now accounts for only 11.7 percent of the nation ' s GDP, the sector employs 70 percent of the country ' s workforce. Despite significant progress in recent decades, 35 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, with the highest levels of
Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands( FJ) 3 Single Country IR-EMOP- 200952