This paper analyses the ‘Simbo for Change’ project in the Western Province of Solomon Islands, a collaboration between Simbo leaders and a Samoan non‐governmental organisation (NGO), with funding provided by the Australian aid programme. We explore the role of local leadership in catalysing an island‐wide community development project that has generated new livelihoods opportunities and led to greater community cohesion and more proactive governance. By mobilising around a ‘collective subject’ (Simbo as an island community), the project allowed existing skills and practices to be revalued and extended, particularly in relation to chiefly governance and the standing of women in the community. While mobilising the island scale was important in building social cohesion and support for livelihoods activities, this was not a parochial identity but was redefined by stronger connections to off‐island markets, organic accreditation for Simbo, renewed interest from provincial and national government authorities and by the enduring trans‐Pacific friendships established with the Samoan NGO and its trainers. The case study provides an example of the constructive potential of the island scale in Melanesia, whereas other recent studies of similar scale‐making processes have focused on violent conflict generated by industrial scale mining.

中文翻译：

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生计，领导力，联系和本地性：Simbo for Change项目

本文分析了所罗门群岛西部省份的“ Simbo for Change”项目，该项目由Simbo领导人与萨摩亚非政府组织（NGO）合作，由澳大利亚援助计划提供资金。我们探索了当地领导层在促进全岛社区发展项目中的作用，该项目产生了新的生计机会，并导致了更大的社区凝聚力和更积极的治理。通过动员一个“集体主体”（Simbo作为一个岛国社区），该项目允许对现有技能和做法进行重估和扩展，特别是在主要治理和妇女在社区中的地位方面。虽然动员岛屿规模对于建立社会凝聚力和支持生计活动很重要，这不是狭par的身份，而是通过与离岛市场的更紧密联系，对Simbo的有机认可，省和国家政府当局的新兴趣以及与萨摩亚非政府组织及其培训师建立的持久的跨太平洋友谊而重新定义的。案例研究提供了美拉尼西亚岛屿规模建设潜力的示例，而其他近期类似规模制定过程的研究则集中在工业规模采矿产生的暴力冲突上。