Siméoni & Lebot (2012) suggest that the soils data (Quantin's classes I, II and III together) indicates that Vanuatu has a total potential of cultivable land of 492,177 ha (4,922 km²) or 40% of the total land area (12,232 km²). This figure broadly agrees with the Land Use Intensity assessments in VANRIS.
|
Land Use Intensity Class |
Hectares |
Percent |
|
Very High Intensity with Tree Crops (0) |
115,850 |
9.48% |
|
Very High Intensity (1) |
283 |
0.02% |
|
High Intensity (2) |
10,697 |
0.88% |
|
Moderate Intensity (3) |
61,631 |
5.04% |
|
Low Intensity (4) |
72,560 |
5.94% |
|
Very Low Intensity (5) |
98,764 |
8.08% |
|
Extremely Low Intensity (6) |
151,358 |
12.38% |
|
Uncultivated – non subsistence (7) |
47,038 |
3.85% |
|
Unused (99) |
664,316 |
54.34% |
|
Total |
1,222,498 |
|
The Agricultural census from 2022 records 87,775 ha (7.2%) of the country as farmland. At national level, the cumulative land area covered by all cash crops is 21,807.69 ha - representing almost 25% of the total farmland operated by agricultural households. The most planted cash crops (in the land operated by agricultural households) in 2022 were: kava (4,016 ha), coconut (15,781 ha), cocoa (1,777 ha), coffee (84 ha), vanilla (38 ha), lime (23 ha), pepper (60 ha), and noni (27 ha). In terms of livestock: beef cattle farming occupies 18,618 ha; Goats 185 ha; Pigs 194 ha; and Poultry 194 ha. Finally, planted forest for timber production (Sandalwood, Whitewood, Mahogany, Natapoa and Nangae) occupies 3,243 ha.
These figures fall well short of the estimated total potential of cultivatable land. There are complex economic and social issues this resource is not fully utilised. Siméoni & Lebot (2012) also comment that the sustainability of Vanuatu's food production system remains a critical issue as the country seeks to balance commercial agriculture with the need to secure food for its population.
Reference
Siméoni, P., & Lebot, V. (2012). Spatial Representation of Land Use and Population Density: Integrated Layers of Data Contribute to Environmental Planning in Vanuatu. Human Ecology, 40(4), 541–555. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23280263
