A commentator in Solomon Islands, Dr John Roughan, says if the government put more emphasis on agriculture it could create employment opportunities for the country's youth.
Dr Roughan, who started the Commmunity Development Trust, was commenting as the country marked 35 years of independence.
He says youth unemployment has been a critical issue since independence and if the government doesn't resolve it, more unrest could result.
Dr Roughan says leaders need to recognise one of the country's great strengths is its ability to grow food.
He says the Solomons has plenty of arable land, a good climate and the people are masters at growing food.
"To me this whole agricultural idea is to make it a full industry. Not just simply growing more and better food, but the whole production cycle, the whole infrastructure needed to keep this food flowing, preserve it - in other words, lets put on our thinking caps and say how can we may agriculture a more productive industry."
A commentator in Solomon Islands, Dr John Roughan.