ICDF Technical Aid: Green Assistance for Pacific Island Nations

Poloie is one of the islanders helped by ICDF experts on Kiribati. On a hot August day, we visited the vegetable garden alongside his house. Covering an area of only 30 square meters, the plot was studded with fully grown Chinese cabbages with emerald-green leaves. The technical mission staff enthused: "Seeing Chinese cabbages like this on Kiribati is quite incredible!"

Fifty-year-old Poloie worked on ships for the past 20 years, his income not only allowing him to renovate his house but to also establish a small retail business. After the death of his wife two years ago, he returned to his village, bearing the burden of looking after his children and running the shop completely alone. But he has also managed to learn a bit about growing vegetables.

Poloie says that he often works in his vegetable garden, watering and digging, for an hour and a half every morning and evening, occasionally collecting chicken or pig manure from his neighbors to make compost. "Working in the vegetable garden cheers me up and provides me with regular exercise!" The technical mission will provide Poloie and others like him with 100 vegetable seedlings of various varieties from the mission's seedling center once every three weeks-at no charge. Apart from providing vegetables for his family from his garden, he can earn about AU$50 (about NT$1,500) every month by selling the excess, which provides a few extras for his family.

In Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu, a home gardening competition jointly held by the ICDF technical mission and Tuvalu's Bureau of Agriculture over a two-month period reached a climax at the beginning of August. After judges completed their visits to all the gardens, they announced the winners and awarded prizes. Cucumbers and Chinese cabbages were the designated items in this contest, and the judging was based on yield and quality. Growers had to use only natural organic materials and maintain the environment of their gardens well. The 40 participating families all had an abundant harvest, and were all very happy because everyone won a prize.

Jou Jiunn-shyan (right), chief of the technical mission in Tuvalu, was transferred from Honduras in January 2009. He shares the good fortune of horticulture technician Pan Zhu'en in witnessing the agricultural miracle taking place in this tiny island nation.

Six years ago, when Taiwan had just signed an Agricultural Technology Agreement with the Tuvalu government, Li Songbei, a now retired senior horticultural technician, was first assigned to Tuvalu to explore the situation and decide on a strategy. Li has 30 years experience working in difficult environments in Central and South America, and Africa. He stood on land that had been reserved for a demonstration farm 10 meters from the coast, his feet scraping the bleached and rough coral rocks. As a brisk sea breeze blew across his face, the veteran technician could not help but sigh. To the younger members of his team, he looked almost beaten. "This is the harshest place I have ever come across."

Mo Guozhong, who heads the ICDF's technical mission in the Solomon Islands, has previously led the technical missions on Kiribati and Nauru. He describes four of Taiwan's diplomatic partners: Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Nauru. All these nations inhabit low-lying atolls consisting basically of coral reefs and gravel, to a large extent lacking the organic soil essential for growing food. In addition to the hot climate, some islands lack a source of groundwater, making rainwater collection the only option for irrigation. These factors combine to create an environment not conducive to cultivation.

To make matters worse, in recent years the rainy and dry seasons have become muddled due to the impact of climate change. This in turn has reduced the capability of the soil to hold moisture, precipitating increased salinity. Also, the more frequent and powerful storms have increased the risk of low-lying areas being flooded by seawater.

However, while inducing this barren landscape to bear fruit seems an impossible task, it is essential for the islanders' current well-being, and for their ability to adapt to climate change in the long term.

(bottom) Mrs. Tekori Ruica is a cookery lecturer with the technical mission's culinary team. She is also one of the best farmers in Kiribati and an excellent student.

Health issues have become a primary concern. In August this year, the latest study from the World Health Organization showed that imported foods containing starch and meat have replaced the fruit and vegetables in their traditional diet. In addition, carbonated drinks with their high sugar content have been dumped on the inhabitants. In fact, it is estimated that at least 40% of the approximately 10 million people of the Pacific Island nations have significant health problems due to diet and nutrition issues.

The study also points out that over 50% of the population in at least 10 island nations suffer from obesity, and over 40% on many of the islands have diabetes. It is also quite common for islanders to suffer from anemia, gout or vitamin A deficiency. And of course, these developments are putting pressure on medical and financial resources.

Some may wonder, since the islanders' health is clearly under threat from imported foods, why they don't take the initiative to either eat more vegetables and fruit, or at least import more appropriate foods.

Seve Lausaveve, former secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Tuvalu, explains that as early as the 1960s, rice and flour imported mainly from Indonesia and China began to replace the traditional crops of copra, taro, and pandanus fruit, and have in fact become the staple foods. "Once people change their tastes and preferences, it's difficult to change back." It must be said, too, that imported food has its advantages: it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to cook rice, but over an hour to cook taro with its tough texture. And canned food is extremely convenient.

Lausaveve also says that as early as 15 years ago, foreign aid agencies were already spreading the concept of eating green vegetables, but the islanders were not impressed: "We had no experience of eating green vegetables; we thought they were only for animals to eat." For a long time, imported vegetables and fruit were rare (common vegetables were limited to cabbages, carrots and potatoes), and few could afford the high prices anyway.

Aside from health issues, food security is a further focus. A report at the end of 2008 from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out that small island nations will need to establish a reliable food supply as soon as possible to be able to adapt to climate change, and to avoid future damage to agriculture, fisheries or livestock farming with resulting economic losses. At the same time, developing self-sufficiency in food resources will not only reduce foreign exchange expenditure, but also helps ensure national security.

The horticulture technician in Tuvalu, Pan Zhu'en (left), reminds farm workers of their chores, and hopes that one day they will be able to take over complete responsibility and manage the operation themselves.

With regard to these issues, Tsai Shiang-wu, former chief of the Asia Pacific section of ICDF's Technical Cooperation Department, points out that the ICDF has steadily promoted programs in the four Pacific atoll island nations over the past 10 years with the aim of developing diverse and self-sufficient food resources, and improving the nutritional balance of the islanders by introducing green vegetables to the diet.

Tsai also stresses the fact that Taiwan's technical mission is the only foreign aid agency that has had any success in promoting agricultural programs in the four island nations mentioned above. "The most important thing is that Taiwan has professionals who are willing to spend extended periods on the islands, so they are able to develop long-term strategies that are suitable for local circumstances."

Without doubt, Tuvalu has the harshest environmental conditions of all the islands.

Because the land scheduled for a planned demonstration farm had an uneven surface with rough coral rocks everywhere, the first phase of the farm occupied only 772 square meters, about the size of three basketball courts. It took a lot of effort just to clear the land and improve the soil texture.

In addition, because Tuvalu has no source of groundwater, the farm uses the same system as the locals: collected rainwater flowing into high-capacity storage tanks. The number of tanks has increased from six to 32, and each tank can hold 2000 gallons of water. The farm has gradually expanded to 3544 square meters. "The rainwater can supply the farm for two to three months in the dry season, but once we assess any risk of a water shortage, we will purchase water for emergency use from a seawater desalination plant that was built with Japanese aid," says Jou Jiunn-shyan, the chief of the ICDF technical mission in Tuvalu.

After water and soil issues were settled, the next step was to introduce suitable varieties of fruit and vegetables, plant trial crops and demonstrate how to grow them successfully. In the first year, the mission successfully raised 51 types of vegetable and fruit seedlings, and through a survey of islanders' preferences, 28 varieties were selected.

(bottom) Kiribati farmers cannot help but regard pigs as their treasure. The quality of local pigs has been improved dramatically by the technical mission: they now have a more robust physique and put on weight more quickly.

Tuvalu has a tiny area of land which is narrow and vulnerable; even the largest island is only 10 to 700 meters in width, so for the prevention of natural disasters the nation needs to develop measures in the light of these unusual local circumstances.

During the king tide season from January to March every year, the islands experience the unique phenomenon of seawater bubbling up through the ground in low-lying areas, resulting in increased soil salinity and damaging plant roots. There are ways of preventing the worst effects: (1) checking the tide tables carefully every day, and watering the soil of low-lying farm areas before a high tide arrives; this increases water retention of the soil and so inhibits the absorption of salt, and (2) teaching farmers to fill sacks, milk cans, waste oil drums and other containers with soil to use as an elevated base for seedlings, avoiding seawater damage and maintaining fertility.

In addition, there is the sea breeze. One side of the demonstration farm overlooking the sea has a line of windbreak trees for protection, so there is less erosion from the wind, "but we sometimes need to wash off the salt which sticks to vegetable leaves."

Jou also mentions that in general, coral islands have fewer problems with plant pests and diseases due to their sparse resources, but Tuvalu, which has a foundation of coral rocks, has another serious problem-crab attacks. Crabs are nocturnal creatures, hiding in holes during the day and coming out at night. They love eating seedlings and fresh leaves, and it's impossible to guard against them. He laughs: "In all my studies, from vocational agricultural high school, to university, and then graduate institute, nobody taught me how to repel crab attacks. Some environmentalists even believe that crabs should be conserved, and shouldn't be killed!"

In order to improve the soil in the long term, the technical mission has also set up a composting system on the farm, producing home-made organic compost to replace imported fertilizer. The approach is to collect branches and fallen leaves from the farms and households, then shred the waste and mix it together with pigs' manure every week. This is watered regularly to keep it moist and reduce the smell, and turned and mixed with an excavator every three weeks. "You can create a good-quality compost in about six months." The annual compost output is now running at around 170 tons, easily enough to keep the farm supplied.

On Kiribati, P.K. Tsai, chief of the ICDF technical mission in Kiribati, says that compared with Tuvalu's small barren land, Kiribati has enormous advantages: it has wider areas of arable land and more sources of groundwater, and in some areas where bananas and taro have been cultivated, there is a naturally accumulated humus.

However, due to the impact of climate change, Kiribati is also facing increased soil and groundwater salinity. In order to adapt to these changes, the technical mission is assisting in measuring the salinity of wells, as well as encouraging farmers to be cautious in their use of groundwater. Irrigation water must be part rainwater, and the overuse of groundwater must be avoided at all costs to prevent seawater infiltration.

(bottom) Kiribati farmers cannot help but regard pigs as their treasure. The quality of local pigs has been improved dramatically by the technical mission: they now have a more robust physique and put on weight more quickly.

Because of the more favorable environmental conditions, the technical mission in Kiribati has been able to expand its activities. As well as developing community agriculture, it also actively promotes programs such as livestock breeding, and grass shrimp and milkfish farms. The mission is hopeful that in the near future they will be able to create a wide range of nutritional sources and also make communities visually more appealing.

Wang Delun, a livestock expert, says that one of the main goals of the technical mission is to improve pig breeds. The mission began with imported breeds from the Pacific region, and through selective breeding has developed a better-quality pig which is stockier, can digest a wider range of foods, and has a more efficient "feed conversion ratio" (referring to the number of kilograms of feed needed to produce one kilogram of meat: the lower the ratio, the better). This type of pig needs only four months to mature and has enormous economic benefits over local breeds, which need up to a year to mature and produce quite a coarse meat.

The next stage will be a breeding contract where the mission provides three weaned piglets (two females and one male) to applicant farmers who are only required to have the land for raising the pigs and the willingness to undertake training. According to the contract, two mature sows must be returned to the mission for artificial insemination and breeding, but boars can be sold at AU$600-800 per head, and farmers can keep the profits.

Under the guidance of the technical mission, pigpens are built away from wells and residential areas, and are generally about two meters by four. Portable fencing and special feed are provided free of charge by the mission.

"If the farmer's land is large enough, they can move the fences around to a new location every four months, and the original pigpen area can be used as a vegetable garden. The fruit and vegetables grown on this land will be particularly rich and tasty." Other materials are created from recycled waste materials; for example, feed and water troughs are made from old tires cut in half, and converted oil drums.

Aritoa completed his training at the end of last year. He has been raising three piglets for a month, and they are now very chubby-up to 30 kilograms per head. He doesn't have to wait long for his pigs to reach the standard of a mature pig: 120 kg for a boar and 100 kg for a sow. "I will never go back to raising local pig breeds." He hangs around his pigs most of the day, regularly cleaning out the pen and stroking the pigs to make sure they're happy.

The horticulture technician in Tuvalu, Pan Zhu'en (left), reminds farm workers of their chores, and hopes that one day they will be able to take over complete responsibility and manage the operation themselves.

No matter what the approach, the main task of the technical missions is not to produce food for the locals, but to gradually assist islanders to become independent and self-reliant. So although each mission has a large area under cultivation, their main function is producing seedlings and training local communities. In Tuvalu, all the earnings from selling fruit and vegetables are donated to local charities or plowed back into a fund set up by its Agriculture Bureau to facilitate ongoing agricultural development.

Although building the basis of sustainable agriculture is not a simple task in these island nations, the results have been worth the toil. On Tuvalu, for example, the promotion of horticulture over the past four years has covered almost all of the around 660 households of the main island, and 36 people from seven outer islands have participated in the three-month training course. After completing the course, they return to their homes to put their new skills into practice. In addition, the vegetable market where the products of the farm are sold attracts an average of 50-l00 buyers each Friday, showing an increasing interest in vegetables as a regular part of the diet.

However, Chen Qing'an, who is completing his substitute military service working as a farm supervisor in Tuvalu, believes that what the staff most need is the ability to adapt to the different people and culture. The people of Tuvalu are an ocean race: "When they want something to eat, they catch it from the sea, so they don't really worry much about going hungry." Tuvalu people also have a carefree and easy-going way of life, so the idea of agriculture, of the harvest that requires care and cultivation, is quite foreign to them; very different from that of Taiwanese who believe in the outcomes that result from hard work. Not only do they work slowly, and often need to be reminded about their responsibilities, but the households that are undertaking the gardening program with the mission's guidance may just give it up whenever they feel like it. Therefore, the technical mission uses a competitive approach that combines education and entertainment (edu-tainment) to encourage them to finish what they start.

It is worth celebrating the fact that because of the technical mission's success in producing compost on Tuvalu, in September this year the EU, Tuvalu and the ICDF signed a tripartite agreement. The EU will contribute funding for the purchase of new machinery and renovation of the factory, and the technical mission will be responsible for technical guidance, production and operation.

"The joint program should dramatically increase production of compost. Vegetable production including that of the outer islands in the future should rise substantially, and organic compost may become one of the pioneer environmentally friendly industries at the local level," says Jou excitedly.

(top) P.K. Tsai, chief of the ICDF technical mission in Kiribati, clearly has a green thumb. He takes very good care of the garden, which is well-arranged and full of luxuriant vegetation-like an oasis on a desert island.

In Kiribati, the technical mission has developed a six-year transfer program. From next year, the mission's seedling production center will be managed by locals, and by that time, local farmers should be able to understand how to manage their costs and organize their own production processes.

At present, the technical mission is successfully assisting local farmers to set up a private seed nursery as a trial operation. Also, four markets have been established. People come to sell vegetables, craft goods, second-hand clothing and groceries. Their monthly income can be up to AU$1,500. Because of the success of the markets, they have become a part of Kiribati's tourist attractions in the official tourist guide.

Pelenise Alofa, who is in charge of Kiribati Climate Change Connection, a non-governmental organization in Kiribati, says, "When I speak abroad, I always attribute the great gains made with Kiribati's vegetable cultivation to the down-to-earth promotion of Taiwan's technical mission."

However, Alofa, who used to teach a vegetable cooking class in her restaurant in order to promote a healthy diet among locals, believes that the Kiribati government should introduce other crop varieties unique to the Pacific region, especially traditional staples such as taro and bananas in different varieties to improve the range of available foods. In addition, the government also needs to educate people: "We need to take back our 'food sovereignty,' not only for health, but also to avoid global food shortages in the future. In the event of any global food catastrophe, we could be self-reliant and wouldn't need to worry about imported rice!"

In any case, the hard work has borne fruit. Those front-line workers who have quietly contributed their skills and labor to the improvement of islanders' lives deserve our hearty praise. We hope that the small island nations of the Pacific can make good use of organic farming, fishery and livestock techniques to resist the effects of climate change, and allow them to survive into the distant future.

Taiwan's technical missions in four Pacific atoll island nations

＊Population estimates from CIA-The World Fact Book,  2010年

＊＊Show the most recent start date. Previous missions were withdrawn because of diplomatic issues.