Adjunct Associate Professor Seeseei Molimau Samasoni

Researcher, the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa

Dr Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni is a researcher at the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, where she has worked since 2009 and an Adjunct Researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research. Although formally trained in molecular bioscience and chemical genetics, Seeseei has spent most of her time in recent years leading and managing projects in agricultural R4D in Samoa with close partnerships across the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. Seeseei is the first Pacific Project Leader to lead an ACIAR project in the Pacific, when SROS became the first Pacific national organization to be a commissioned organization for an ACIAR project. In her management of this project, Seeseei encourages the Pacific partners to be the driving forces in leadership decision making for the project. Seeseei also advocates for capacity building initiatives that will lay a strong foundation for a new class of agricultural researchers in the Pacific.

ABSTRACT

Genuine Partnerships for Transformational Agricultural Research and Development

Samoa has had years of investment from donor countries and partners, though it can be difficult to grasp the impact of some of these initiatives particularly in the agriculture space. Agricultural production in Samoa continues to decrease, dependence on imported food increases, and the contribution of the agricultural sector to exports remains inconsistent. For the donor dollar to have real impact, the research and development initiatives need to be developed through genuine partnerships so that they focus on the real needs on the ground, and for such efforts to be sustainable, capacity building needs to be incorporated in these approaches. This talk will focus on the importance of cultural awareness, supporting local champions of change, and recommending a way forward for capacity building for agricultural researchers from Samoa and the Pacific.