The Tongan Civil Society Forum says more community-led development initiatives would help alleviate high levels of hardship there.
A World Bank report has found almost a quarter (23%) of households in Tonga are living in hardship, unable to meet their basic needs of food, housing, clothing, fuel and medicine.
The executive director, Emeline Ilolahia says while the government has good social protection policies in place, more needs to be done at a community level.
Ms Ilolahia says emphasis should be put on local, sustainable agricultural and fisheries projects, and getting women and youth into business.
"For a small country like Tonga, and I think that's similar to other Pacific countries, we just have to go into community-level development. Whatever form, whatever way of engaging, including women and youth in actively participating economically in a much lower level of what some of our development partners and countries expected of a smaller state."
Emeline Ilolahia says such initiatives would grow the domestic economy and make Tonga less reliant on imports.
