A blog maintained by Tevita Kete, PGR Officer Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji Islands
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This weblog documents the activities of Pacific Agricultural Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN), along with other information on plant genetic resources (PGR) in the Pacific. The myriad varieties found within cultivated plants are fundamental to the present and future productivity of agriculture. PAPGREN, which is coordinated by the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), helps Pacific countries and territories to conserve their crop genetic diversity sustainably, with technical assistance from the Bioversity International (BI) and support from NZAID and ACIAR. SPC also hosts the Centre of Pacific Crops and Trees (CEPaCT). The CEPaCT maintains regional in vitro collections of crops important to the Pacific and carries out research on tissue culture technology. The CEPaCT Adviser is Dr Mary Taylor (MaryT@spc.int), the CEPaCT Curator is Ms Valerie Tuia (ValerieT@spc.int).
PAPGREN coordination and support
PAPGREN partners Mr William Wigmore Mr Adelino S. Lorens Dr Lois Englberger Mr Apisai Ucuboi Dr Maurice Wong Mr Tianeti Beenna Ioane Mr Frederick Muller Mr Herman Francisco Ms Rosa Kambuou Ms Laisene Samuelu Mr Jimi Saelea Mr Tony Jansen Mr Finao Pole Mr Frazer Bule Lehi Other CROP agencies Pacific biodiversity Other Pacific organizations Pacific news Interested in GIS?
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Monday, February 28, 2005 Posted 1:38 PM by Luigi
Philippine experts to help Pacific Islands improve access to food 23 February 2005, Rome - The Philippines will send 28 experts and technicians to six Pacific Island countries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said yesterday at the signing ceremony of a new South-South Cooperation agreement.23 February 2005, Rome - The Philippines will send 28 experts and technicians to six Pacific Island countries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said yesterday at the signing ceremony of a new South-South Cooperation agreement. FAO's South-South Cooperation Programme is a global initiative that aims to strengthen cooperation among developing countries at different stages of development to improve agricultural productivity and ensure access to food for all. The initiative is part of a broader programme, the Regional Programme for Food Security in the Pacific to which the Government of Italy has committed US$4.5 million. Common constraints "The Pacific Islands' constraints are in particular their smallness, remoteness, geographic dispersion and vulnerability to natural hazards. They also depend heavily on external economic factors such as changes in the global trading environment," said Henri Carsalade, FAO Assistant Director-General, Technical Cooperation Department, during a signing ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome. "The project will help participating Pacific Island countries to adjust to changes in the international trade environment and to improve household food security through income generating activities," he said. The Philippines will provide technical support for community-based microprojects to six island nations in the Pacific Islands Forum, namely: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. "It is an honour for our country to provide technical expertise to the Pacific," said H.E. Phillipe Lhuillier, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines. "The Philippines will also benefit from the exchange of technical information and we thank the Government of Italy for its financial support to the Regional Programme for Food Security," he said. Expert assistance The Philippines will provide four experts in the fields of Water Control, Crop Production, Animal Diversification and Artisanal Fisheries/Aquaculture who will be based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, for a period of two years. Four technicians, qualified in various areas of expertise will be fielded to each of the six island nations, resulting in a total of 24 technicians for the same period. Under a separate agreement, the People's Republic of China is providing assistance to the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Tonga, Vanuatu and Samoa. The South-South Cooperation Programme is part of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) designed to improve lives in some of the world's poorest countries by rapidly increasing food production, improving people's access to food and reducing their vulnerability to climatic events such as drought and floods. Today, the SPFS is present in more than 100 countries, and the South-South Cooperation Programme is being implemented in 31 countries, with over 700 experts and technicians currently working in farming communities. Contact: Maria Kruse Information Officer, FAO maria.kruse@fao.org (+39) 06 570 56524 Related links: South-South Cooperation http://www.fao.org/spfs/southsouth_en.stm |
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Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives.
PestNet: For on-line
information, advice and pest identification for the Pacific and beyond.
Contact: Grahame Jackson.
Pacific Mapper: For on-line
mapping of point data over satellite images of the Pacific provided by Google Maps.
DIVA-GIS: For free, easy-to-use
software for the spatial analysis of biodiversity data.
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