Posted 3:34 PM by Luigi
World Food Day in Pohnpei

From Dr Lois Englberger

I would like to share with you the article written by Amy Levendusky on the Pohnpei Farmers Fair and World Food Day activities 2006 held on 20 October 2006 . The article is also in the present issue of the Kaselehlie Press along with a photo of Ivy Rose Edwin of 12th Grade who won First Place in the World Food Day Essay Competition. The film of the World Food Day activities, produced by the College of Micronesia FSM Media Center, and in particular by Luciano Matthias, has now also been completed, so be sure to contact Channel 6 Television if you are on island and they would be happy to air that for you! If you would like a copy of this film for training purposes, and further promotion of the wonderful Pohnpei island foods, then please contact either myself or Luciano, and we will see how a copy might be made available for you.

Thank you Amy, Ivy Rose and Luciano, and also to all participating in the 2006 Pohnpei Farmers Fair and World Food Day event, including our funding agencies, as listed in the article below! Also a special thanks to Dr. Mary Taylor, of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Germplasm Centre based in Fiji, for coming all the way to Pohnpei to serve as our guest speaker!

Pohnpei Farmer’s Fair a Success

By Amy Levendusky

The Pohnpei Farmer’s Fair which coincided with World Food Day this year was a great success. The Fair was held on Friday, October 20th, at Pohnpei Agriculture inside of the Botanical Gardens. Activities included a food crop competition, a healthy cooking competition, and an essay/art competition for high school and elementary students. Demonstration booths were also set up for public viewing, including the Island Food Community of Pohnpei (IFCP), the Cooperative Research and Extension Services (CRE) of COM/FSM Land Grant, Public Health, Conservation Society of Pohnpei, DSAP, and the FSM National Biosafety Project. The event was organized by Pohnpei State Agriculture, COM/FSM Land Grant, and the Island Food Community of Pohnpei.

A total of 114 farmers competed in 53 categories in the food crop competition.
Mr. Pensis Elias from Kitti received the most points overall for his entries in the crop competition. (5 points for 1st place, 4 for 2nd Place, 3 for 3rd Place, 2 for 4th Place, and 1 for 5th Place) Mr. Sosner Edgar from U won 1st prize for his 210 pound yam, Kehp en Dol en Wai and his Namwuh Weitahta yam. Mr. Luciano Apraham from Sokehs won 1st prize for his 210 pound yam, Kehp Peniou. Ms. Mathia Pluhs from Nett won 1st prize for her breathtakingly large bunch of Iemwahn bananas. An abundance of fruit and vegetable crops and an impressive variety of banana and sugar cane entries highlighted the significance of locally-grown foods in Pohnpei.

A total of 19 participants entered the Healthy Cooking Competition which focused on local food recipes. The categories included ripe Taiwang banana, ripe Karat banana, Mwahng (giant swamp taro), Kipar (pandanus), and any local food. The criteria included using a healthy cooking method (i.e. steamed, boiled, baked, or raw), using healthy ingredients (i.e. less salt, sugar, fat), good taste and appearance, written recipe accompanying the dish, local ingredients, and food sanitation.

Mr. Samuel Washington from Kitti won 1st prize for his Karat banana cake. Ms. Pelihda Waltu from Kitti won 1st prize for her Kipar (pandanus) jelly. Ms. Eunice Hedgar from U won 1st prize for her Daiwang chocolate milkshake. Ms. Elizabeth Peter from Kitti won 1st prize for her Mwahng recipe and for the open recipe category.

Ivy-Rose Edwin of PICS won 1st Prize in the 12th grade Essay Competition, along the theme “How can you and your family promote local foods for ensuring food security?” Ivy read her essay during the World Food Day ceremony. Rusty Primo of Awak Elementary School won 1st prize in the 8th grade Art Competition, along the same theme.

The World Food Day Committee would like to thank everyone who participated in World Food Day 2006 and the following agencies for organizing/staffing this event: Pohnpei Agriculture of the Office of Economic Affairs, College of Micronesia-FSM Land Grant Program, Island Food Community of Pohnpei, Pohnpei Department of Education, Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific, Pohnpei Department of Health, Natural Resources Conservation Service, College of Micronesia-FSM Media Center, Conservation Society of Pohnpei, Foodland, FSM National Government and FSM National Biosafety Project. The Committee thanks the following agencies for funding World Food Day 2006: Pohnpei State Legislature, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, GEF Small Grants Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Pohnpei Department of Health, Bank of FSM, Pohnpei Island Architect and Construction, FSM Development Bank, Pacific German Regional Forestry Project, Do It Best, New Zealand Government, Telecom, Ace Office Supply, V6AH Radio, and Yoshie Enterprises.

Kalahngan,

Lois

Lois Englberger, PhD
Island Food Community of Pohnpei
P. O. Box 2299
Kolonia, Pohnpei 96941 FM
Tel: 691-320-8639 Fax: 691-320-4647
Website: http://www.islandfood.org