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Rural poverty in Tonga

In general Tonga has low poverty rates and high standards of education and health. Yet the country's economy is vulnerable. Employment opportunities are limited and there is a constant flow of outward migration, especially to New Zealand and Australia. About 70 per cent of the population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture and fisheries for a livelihood. Most are smallholder farmers practicing a mixed subsistence and cash crop production. A typical rural farming household produces coconut and root crops (taro, yam and sweet potato), sometimes supplemented by plantains and bananas. Other than farming and fishing, rural poor people lack alternative sources of income. For those who do initiate other types of enterprises, access to markets is limited and transportation costs are high.

Who and where are Tonga's rural poor people?

Tonga's poor communities are mainly in the outer islands: 'Eau, Ha'apai, the Niuas, and the outlying islands of Vava'u. For those living farthest from the main island, access to basic goods and services is more limited, as are marketing opportunities and transportation. Disparities are marked. The main island of Tongatapu has the highest GDP per capita, approximately 15 per cent above the national average. Vava'u is the second largest island in Tonga, both in terms of land area and population, and it is also the second most developed island. However, it has 17  inhabited outlying islands, some as far as 272 km away. The people of these and other far-flung Tongan islands bear the additional costs of transporting produce to and from Tongatapu.

The Ha'apai island group is one of the poorest and least developed regions in Tonga , with a GDP that is about 40 per cent below the national average. Many poor people have emigrated in search of work.

In general rural poverty is concentrated among smallholder farmers and small-scale fishers. Women are particularly vulnerable to poverty. Their work burden increases significantly in poor rural areas, where their contribution of labour is essential to their families' subsistence.

Why are Tonga's rural people poor?

The kingdom of Tonga is an isolated group of scattered islands with a limited resource base and a vulnerable economy. Opportunities for salaried employment are scarce.

The outer islands are disadvantaged because of access problems and the high transportation costs producers must bear to reach markets on the main island. Access to information and basic social services may also be inadequate. Because of the narrow and fragile resource base of the outer islands, particularly Ha'apai, 'Eua and the Niuas, their contribution to national economic growth is limited.

In the more populated islands, productive land for food cultivation is becoming scarce as more land becomes degraded or is given over to new settlements.

Source: IFAD