PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 1:36 PM by Tevita

In Vanuatu, food self-sufficiency is founded on crop diversity\

From : CIRAD

12 February 2009

The root and tuber crop panel of ten villages in Vanuatu comprises more than 1000 varieties of thirteen species. the primary aim of farming in this volcanic archipelago in the South Pacific is to ensure food self-sufficiency.

In Vanuatu, a volcanic archipelago in the South Pacific, root and tuber crops ensure the subsistence and self-sufficiency of the islands' inhabitants. Be they taro (Colocasia esculenta) or the greater yam Dioscorea alata, which are traditional crops introduced by the first sailors to have travelled to the islands some 3500 years ago, or other plants that have been grown for some time or were introduced more recently, root and tuber crops, which are propagated vegetatively, replanted and propagated by cuttings, are the mainstay of the Melanesian diet. However, it is the maintenance of the diversity of these plants that lies behind the food security strategy adopted by the islands' inhabitants. Melanesian gardens are a prime example of this: by mixing crops, they provide protection against pathogens, ensure better use of soils and sunlight, make certain plants more drought-resistant, allow harvests to be spread over time, and provide a more varied diet.

The root and tuber species grown in Vanuatu were inventoried in ten villages representative of the communities in the archipelago. Five primarily grow taro, the other five yam, for both cultural and climatic reasons. With more than 1000 varieties of thirteen species, the inventory confirmed the varietal diversity of the crops grown. The archipelago's agro-biodiversity comprises three types of plants: plants that arrived naturally, for instance on the wind, those imported by the first immigrants - taro and greater yam in this case - and those introduced recently, also by man, in particular cassava.
In most of the villages, notably those attached to their traditions, ancestral crops are predominant. However, in villages subject to severe environmental constraints (acid rain or ash showers due to active volcanoes, cyclones, etc), there are more either local or newly introduced crops. These crops bolster food security by making the cropping systems more resilient.

In other Pacific archipelagos, such as New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, the introduction by the Europeans of new root and tuber species, combined with the arrival of a market economy, has totally disrupted the existing systems. Ancestral species have disappeared and food crop production has become uniform, making the production systems more fragile and reducing the quality of the local diet. Conversely, in Vanuatu, while the local populations are increasingly accepting and growing new plants, those plants have had to fit into the existing agro-biodiverse systems without adversely affecting the other species grown. In the most fragile zones, they even help to overcome the shortages resulting from the seasonal nature of traditional crops. The food production strategy in Vanuatu is not yet under threat, as culturally speaking, owners set great store by their Melanesian gardens, which is continuing to maintain their characteristic agro-biodiversity, despite the growing role played by cash crops grown for export.

These results were obtained under a project on the agro-biodiversity of root and tuber crops in Vanuatu, joint-funded by the Fonds français pour l’environnement mondial (FFEM), CIRAD and the Ministry of Agriculture, Quarantine, Forestry and Fisheries in Vanuatu.

[ Contact ] Julie Sardos, julie.sardos@cirad.fr

Marie-France Duval, marie-France.duval@cirad.fr
Genetic Improvement of Vegetatively Propagated Crops Research Unit

[ For further information ] On the Internet

Root Crops Agrobiodiversity in Vanuatu Project website



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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). 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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	Monday, February 16, 2009 Posted 1:36 PM by Tevita In Vanuatu, food self-sufficiency is founded on crop diversity\ From : CIRAD 12 February 2009 The root and tuber crop panel of ten villages in Vanuatu comprises more than 1000 varieties of thirteen species. the primary aim of farming in this volcanic archipelago in the South Pacific is to ensure food self-sufficiency. In Vanuatu, a volcanic archipelago in the South Pacific, root and tuber crops ensure the subsistence and self-sufficiency of the islands' inhabitants. Be they taro (Colocasia esculenta) or the greater yam Dioscorea alata, which are traditional crops introduced by the first sailors to have travelled to the islands some 3500 years ago, or other plants that have been grown for some time or were introduced more recently, root and tuber crops, which are propagated vegetatively, replanted and propagated by cuttings, are the mainstay of the Melanesian diet. However, it is the maintenance of the diversity of these plants that lies behind the food security strategy adopted by the islands' inhabitants. Melanesian gardens are a prime example of this: by mixing crops, they provide protection against pathogens, ensure better use of soils and sunlight, make certain plants more drought-resistant, allow harvests to be spread over time, and provide a more varied diet. The root and tuber species grown in Vanuatu were inventoried in ten villages representative of the communities in the archipelago. Five primarily grow taro, the other five yam, for both cultural and climatic reasons. With more than 1000 varieties of thirteen species, the inventory confirmed the varietal diversity of the crops grown. The archipelago's agro-biodiversity comprises three types of plants: plants that arrived naturally, for instance on the wind, those imported by the first immigrants - taro and greater yam in this case - and those introduced recently, also by man, in particular cassava. In most of the villages, notably those attached to their traditions, ancestral crops are predominant. However, in villages subject to severe environmental constraints (acid rain or ash showers due to active volcanoes, cyclones, etc), there are more either local or newly introduced crops. These crops bolster food security by making the cropping systems more resilient. In other Pacific archipelagos, such as New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, the introduction by the Europeans of new root and tuber species, combined with the arrival of a market economy, has totally disrupted the existing systems. Ancestral species have disappeared and food crop production has become uniform, making the production systems more fragile and reducing the quality of the local diet. Conversely, in Vanuatu, while the local populations are increasingly accepting and growing new plants, those plants have had to fit into the existing agro-biodiverse systems without adversely affecting the other species grown. In the most fragile zones, they even help to overcome the shortages resulting from the seasonal nature of traditional crops. The food production strategy in Vanuatu is not yet under threat, as culturally speaking, owners set great store by their Melanesian gardens, which is continuing to maintain their characteristic agro-biodiversity, despite the growing role played by cash crops grown for export. These results were obtained under a project on the agro-biodiversity of root and tuber crops in Vanuatu, joint-funded by the Fonds français pour l’environnement mondial (FFEM), CIRAD and the Ministry of Agriculture, Quarantine, Forestry and Fisheries in Vanuatu. [ Contact ] Julie Sardos, julie.sardos@cirad.fr Marie-France Duval, marie-France.duval@cirad.fr Genetic Improvement of Vegetatively Propagated Crops Research Unit [ For further information ] On the Internet Root Crops Agrobiodiversity in Vanuatu Project website * 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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