| Summary: | This study focuses on the determinants of high-value agricultural export performance in 10 South Pacific island nations and research options for the future improvement of this performance. These nations are representative of many small developing nations that suffer special problems in carrying out agricultural research, notably diseconomies of institutional development, small production bases and markets, fragile and/or restricted agricultural resource bases, and vulnerability of institutions. In the first stage of the study, the histories of all significant high-value agricultural export industries are charted, identifying determinants of their emergence and market defense and, in the case of those no longer in existence, factors contributing to their demise. In the second stage of the study, findings are then compared with criteria for successful agricultural research in small developing nations. Key research functions and institutional responsibilities in research are identified to improve a small nation's ability to create, penetrate, and defend high-value agricultural export markets.
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