PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:22 PM by Luigi

Sustainable livelihoods in Makira

Terracircle Association, "an international development consultancy providing development aid services to communities and organisations in developing and developed countries," has partnered with Kastom Gaden Association, Solomon Islands, to conduct livelihoods assessments of remote communities on the weather coasts of Guadalcanal and Makira islands as part of an AusAID project. The Makira assessment has just been posted on the Terracircle website here. It is large (over 2MB) but well worth reading in full. Thanks to Grahame Jackson, who took part in the assessment, for alerting us to the publication. This is what the executive summary says about crops:

Cocoa is the main cash crop in most villages but yields are low. There is little knowledge of how to manage it properly and, consequently, losses from diseases — black pod, canker, root rots, pink disease and white thread — are high. Mostly, wet beans are sold as driers are uncommon. Women and youth tend the crop and sell the beans and they are keen to have training. An unusual feature of the Coast is the dominance of Cyrtosperma chamissonis, giant swamp taro or kakake as it is called on Makira and throughout Solomon Islands. Previously, it was a reserve food or restricted to ceremonial use, now it is common in all villages from Tawarogha to Wanahata. Banana is also important, as it is throughout the island, but taro and yam/pana are in decline. Taro has been decimated by alomae, a lethal virus disease, which has been brought to the island in infected planting material in the last 15 years or so. In some villages the disease is known as maehana hui. Yam/pana are little affected by pests and diseases but they no longer fit farming systems that are intensifying in response to population increase. There is growing interest in processing foods, in particular, making chips from bananas.



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Box 77 Nausori Fiji Islands Tel: (679) 3477044 Fax: (679) 3477546-400262 Email: apisainu@yahoo.com Dr Maurice Wong Service du Developpement Rural B.P. 100 Papeete Tahiti 98713 French Polynesia Tel: (689) 42 81 44 Fax: (689) 42 08 31 Email: maurice.wong@rural.gov.pf Mr Tianeti Beenna Ioane Head, Research Section Division of Agriculture Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development P.O. Box 267 Tarawa Kiribati Tel: (686) 28096-28108-28080 Fax: (686) 28121 Email : agriculture@tskl.net.ki; Beenna_ti@yahoo.com Mr Frederick Muller Secretary Ministry of Resources & Development P.O. Box 1727 Majuro 96960 Marshall Islands Tel: (692) 6253206 Fax: (692) 6257471 Email: rndsec@ntamar.net Mr Herman Francisco Director Bureau of Agriculture Ministry of Resources & Development P.O. Box 460 Koror 96940 Palau Tel: (680) 4881517 Fax: (680) 4881725 Email: bnrd@pnccwg.palaunet.com Ms Rosa Kambuou Principal Scientist PGR NARI Dry Lowlands Programme Laloki Agricultural Research Station P.O. Box 1828 Boroko National Capital District Papua New Guinea Tel: (675) 3235511 Fax: (675) 3234733 Email: kambuou@global.net.pg Ms Laisene Samuelu Principal Crop Development Officer Crops Division Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries & Meteorology P.O. Box 1874 Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 23416-20605 Fax: (685) 20607-23996 Email: lsamuelu@lesamoa.net Mr Jimi Saelea Director of Research Department of Agriculture and Livestock P.O. Box G13 Honiara Guadalcanal Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 27987 Mr Tony Jansen Planting Materials Network Kastom Gaden Association Burns Creek, Honiara P.O. Box 742 Honiara Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 39551 Email: kastomgaden@solomon.com.sb Mr Finao Pole Head of Research Ministry of Agriculture & Forests P.O. Box 14 Nuku'alofa Tonga Tel: (676) 23038 Fax: (676) 24271 Email: thaangana@hotmail.com Mr Frazer Bule Lehi Head of Research Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Private Mail Bag 040 Port Vila Vanuatu Tel: (678) 22525 Fax: (678) 25265 Email: flehi@hotmail.com Other links Other CROP agencies Forum Secretariat University of the South Pacific SPREP Pacific biodiversity Biodiversity hotspots Breadfruit Institute Hawaiian native plants Intellectual property rights Nature Conservancy PBIF PestNet SIDS WWF South Pacific Program Other Pacific organizations Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific Micronesian Seminar Te Puna web directory Pacific news Cafe Pacific CocoNET Wireless Island Directory Pacific Islands News Pacific Islands Report Pacific Islands Travel Pacific Time South Pacific travel Time Pacific Interested in GIS? DIVA-GIS	Thursday, December 07, 2006 Posted 2:22 PM by Luigi Sustainable livelihoods in Makira Terracircle Association, "an international development consultancy providing development aid services to communities and organisations in developing and developed countries," has partnered with Kastom Gaden Association, Solomon Islands, to conduct livelihoods assessments of remote communities on the weather coasts of Guadalcanal and Makira islands as part of an AusAID project. The Makira assessment has just been posted on the Terracircle website here. It is large (over 2MB) but well worth reading in full. Thanks to Grahame Jackson, who took part in the assessment, for alerting us to the publication. This is what the executive summary says about crops: Cocoa is the main cash crop in most villages but yields are low. There is little knowledge of how to manage it properly and, consequently, losses from diseases — black pod, canker, root rots, pink disease and white thread — are high. Mostly, wet beans are sold as driers are uncommon. Women and youth tend the crop and sell the beans and they are keen to have training. An unusual feature of the Coast is the dominance of Cyrtosperma chamissonis, giant swamp taro or kakake as it is called on Makira and throughout Solomon Islands. Previously, it was a reserve food or restricted to ceremonial use, now it is common in all villages from Tawarogha to Wanahata. Banana is also important, as it is throughout the island, but taro and yam/pana are in decline. Taro has been decimated by alomae, a lethal virus disease, which has been brought to the island in infected planting material in the last 15 years or so. In some villages the disease is known as maehana hui. Yam/pana are little affected by pests and diseases but they no longer fit farming systems that are intensifying in response to population increase. There is growing interest in processing foods, in particular, making chips from bananas. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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