 Home Overseas Projects The Pacific Projects
Bougainville: Sustainable agriculture and development
During the Bougainville crisis, the Agriculture Department at the Paruparu Education and Development Centre developed a sustainable agriculture system that allowed the area of Avaipa in the highlands of Central Bougainville to be totally self sufficient.
Building Paruparu Education Centre
|
Under the inspirational leadership of Bruno Idowai, a former agriculture extension officer, fixed gardens using mulch were promoted instead of traditional shifting 'slash and burn' gardens. Degraded land was replanted with native, fruit and nut trees. Alternative cash crops, fish ponds and duck farming trees were also promoted.
Promoting sustainable agricultural alternatives and diversity is critically important. The major donors agencies in Bougainville (AusAID, European Union, and UNDP) have been heavily invested in cocoa production in a 'dash for cash' to enable Bougainville to regenerate its shattered economy. More than 20 million cocoa trees are planned but this is a high risk strategy. The new high yield cocoa variety requires open sunlight and is replacing the traditional shade variety, creating further deforestation rather than restoration of existing cocoa groves. The newly introduced variety is more susceptible to disease because the seedlings are being supplied from Rabaul on New Britain. The revived cocoa industry may become susceptible to collapse for environmental as well as economic reasons if the world price falls.
Since 2001 Union Aid Abroad has supported sustainable agriculture training at the Paruparu Education and Development Centre with funding for classrooms, a library and dormitories for males and females. The Agriculture Science Department has been formally opened and training of rural extension officers began in mid 2002. In 2005 there were 25 students in training. Funding has also supported technical inputs and exchanges between the Kastom Gaden Association in neighbouring Solomon Islands. Tony Jansen, a horticulturalist who has worked in Solomon Islands for 10 years, has organised training and exchange visits to train seed curators from the Agricultural Department. A farmers seed savers organisation, the Bougainville Food Security Network, has been established to increase seed exchange, diversity and quality.
The Bougainville Food Security Network is now part of a wider Melanesian Farmers First Network. This regional network assists grass roots organizations focusing on food security. A key focus for MFFN is to find ways to overcome the geographic isolation and very limited communications through the exchange of skills information and organisational capacity building. Creating linkages between projects in different countries and agricultural contexts allows farmers to exchange techniques, experience and staff, generating synergies and learning between projects.
You can support this work in Bougainville by becoming a donor today.
|
