The key intercultural experiences

Lectures

Professor Diara emphasised major challenges in agriculture in Samoa is predominantly subsistence farming system, land tenure system, and access to seeds, and animal breeds. As presented by Dr. Seei, the overarching goal of the scientific research organisation of Samoa is to reduce imports and increase exports by leveraging science, technology, and innovation. [4] This strategic approach aims to foster sustainable development and economic growth in Samoa. There is a focus on adding value and developing functional prototypes in various sectors such as food and food products, narcotics, and biological and environmental samples. Besides, renewable energy generation and conducts environmental monitoring and impact assessments. This reflects Samoa's commitment to sustainable energy practices and environmental conservation, aligning with global efforts to mitigate climate change. This is crucial for enhancing food security and promoting self-sufficiency in Samoa, reducing reliance on imported agricultural products.

USP (The University of the South Pacific, Samoa Campus)

NUS (The National University of Samoa)

Field visit

Many local buildings are open style, USP classrooms, fale, not only affected by the tropical rainy climate but also reflects the local people trust each other's open mind.

Beach fale, Samoa

Time exploring the city

The bonfire show at the Lava Hotel, and the Samoan style of dance and music performances, made me fall in love with this country.

Lava Hotel, Main Beach Road, Apia, Samoa

The process of preparing for presentation

Our team had several group discussions for the presentation and practised a lot. Based on assessment instruction and rubric, a strong argument must be demonstrated with 6 questions.

My contribution is to be responsible for question 4 and make slides. How does the interdisciplinary makeup of your team contribute to reframing the problem in the way we did?

The challenges I faced were cultural differences and a language barrier. I overcame them by trying to be open-minded and communicate with people positively.

Eventually, we decided to focus on agriculture and food security in Samoa, a specific discussion of the impact of food imports into Samoa on the diet and nutrition of Samoan people. We originally talked about an over-reliance on food imports in Samoa. As Ricardo mentioned in the book "Framing Creative Problems", the original problem description fails to lead to creative and feasible solutions, and no promising leads are visible. [5] Besides, we mentioned that Samoa needs to prioritise a better balance between imports and self-sufficiency. But we realise that this is a solution, not a challenge.

Continuity and change in the contemporary Pacific food system

New knowledge and learning

During the field visits, we were split into two groups, one to visit the coconut products and the other to go to the recycling station. I'm a member of the second group. We went to SRWMA (Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association), which was established in 2017 with 42 members. [6] I saw the machine that processed the plastic waste and how it worked, what made me surprised is that the staff said it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down! This visit has strengthened my environmental awareness.

4. Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa. “Agriculture Research,” published 2024, https://sros.org.ws/divisions/agriculture-research/.

5. Ricardo Sosa, Andy M. Connor, and Bruce Corson, “Framing Creative Problems,” in Handbook of Research on Creative Problem-Solving Skill Development in Higher Education, ed. (Hershey PA, USA: IGI Global,2017), 478-480.

6. Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association. “About SRWMA,” published 2024, https://www.srwma.ws/.