Agriculture in Tuvalu

Last updated

Agriculture in Tuvalu is based on coconut and swamp taro ( Cyrtosperma merkusii ), (known in Tuvalu as Pulaka ), [1] [2] [3] which is similar to taro ( Colocasia esculenta ) but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots"; taro is also cultivated in Tuvalu. [4] [5]

Contents

The soils of the islands of Tuvalu are usually shallow, porous, alkaline, coarse-textured, with carbonate mineralogy and high pH values of up to 8.2 to 8.9. [6] The soils are usually deficient in most of the important nutrients needed for plant growth(e.g., nitrogen, potassium and micronutrients such as iron, manganese, copper and zinc), so garden beds need to be enhanced with mulch and fertiliser to increase their fertility. [6]

Crops

The staple food of Tuvalu is coconut, pulaka and taro. Bananas, papaya and breadfruit are supplemental crops. [7] The dried flesh of the coconut (copra) is the main agricultural export of Tuvalu, with other agricultural products consumed locally. Because of the young geological age of the reef islands and atolls and high level of soil salination the soil is relatively poor. Wealth and status in traditional Tuvaluan culture was determined by possession of pulaka and taro pits (pela) [6] and coconut trees.[ citation needed ]

Traditional use of broadleaf forest

Charles Hedley (1896) identified the uses of plants and trees that were harvested from the native broadleaf forest as including: [8]

While some use is made of traditional flora, modern Tuvalu imports building materials and other products to replace the things traditionally harvested from the native broadleaf forest.[ citation needed ]

Coconut

The cuisine of Tuvalu, is based on the staple of coconut which is used in different forms with coconut water, coconut milk and the flesh of the coconut being used to flavour dishes. Various desserts made on the islands include coconut and coconut milk, instead of the animal milk. [9] Apart from its food value coconut palm leaves and wood have traditional uses as building materials. [7]

From the mid 19th century traders in Tuvalu were active in the acquisition of copra and coconut oil, which were mainly used to manufactured into other products. [10] [11] In 1892 Captain Davis of HMS Royalist, reported on trading activities and traders on each of the islands visited: [12]

IslandProductionAnnual export of copra
Nukulaelae Copra, taro, popoi, a few bananas, a little sugar caneAbout 10 tons copra
Funafuti Copra, taro, pulaka (swamp taro), Bananas, sugar cane, bread fruitAbout 25 to 30 tons of copra
Nukufetau Copra, taro, pulaka, pandanus, a little sugar cane, a few bananasAbout twenty tons copra
Nui Copra, taro, pulaka, pandanus, a few bananas, a very little sugar cane and bread fruit.About 100 tons of copra - in a good year
Niutao Copra, taro, pulaka, pandanusAbout 50 tons copra - in a good year
Nanumaga Copra, taro, pandanus15 to 20 tons copra - in a good year
Nanumea Copra, pandanus, taro30 to 40 tons copra
Vaitupu Copra, taro, pulaka, pandanusAbout 50 tons copra

In modern times there is lower demand for copra and coconut oil as other commodities can be substituted for what were the earlier uses of these products.[ citation needed ]

Pulaka

Grown in large pits (pela) [6] of composted soil below the water table, [13] pulaka is the main source for carbohydrates. Pulaka makes up the bulk of the islanders' traditional diet; it is usually supplemented by fish. [14] Since the unprocessed corms are toxic, they must always be cooked, usually in an earth oven. The pulaka pits are at risk from increasing sea levels, which increase saltwater levels subsoil in the atolls and islands of Tuvalu. On Fongafale islet of Funafuti a survey of the pits that have previously been used to grow pulaka established that the pits were either too saline or very marginal for swamp taro production, although a more salt tolerant species of taro (Colocasia esculenta) was being grown in Fongafale. [15]

Donald Gilbert Kennedy, the resident District Officer in the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1932 to 1938, described the Pulaka pits as usually being shared between different families, with their total area providing an average of about 40 square yards (36.576 square metres) per head of population, although the area of pits varied from island to island depending on the extent of the freshwater lens that is located under each island. [16] Kennedy also describe the land ownership as having evolved from the pre-European contact system known as Kaitasi (lit. “eat-as-one”), in which the land held by family groups under the control of the senior male member of the clan – a system of land based on kinship-based bonds, which changed over time to become a land ownership system where the land was held by individual owners - known as Vaevae (“to divide”). [16] Under the Vaevae system, a pit may contain numerous small individual holdings with boundaries marked by small stones or with each holding divided by imaginary lines between trees on the edge of the pits. The custom of inheritance of land, and the resolution of disputes over the boundaries of holdings, land ownership and inheritance was traditionally determined by the elders of each island. [16] [17]

Agricultural pests

The agricultural pests that are a threat to the agriculture of Tuvalu are:

Invasive plants

Wedelia or trailing daisy ( Sphagneticola trilobata ), a plant native to the Caribbean, has become endemic in Tuvalu. It is competing with low-growing herbaceous species along beaches and roadsides, where it inhibits the growth of seedlings of medicinal plants and other native species of cultural importance. [18] [19] Thaman (2016) described about 362 species or distinct varieties of vascular plants that have been recorded at some time on Tuvalu, of which only about 59 (16%) are possibly indigenous. [20]

Changes in diet

Besides rising saltwater levels, "changing lifestyles and eating habits" also threaten the cultivation of the crop, [3] a process that began during and after World War II, when American occupying troops supplied the islands with imported foods and many pulaka pits are no longer maintained. [21] Imported foods are often high in sugar, leading also to an increase in the need for dental care. The Tuvaluans benefited from the canned food supplied by the American forces, although the change in diet continued after the war, which resulted in long term impacts on health. [22] Tuvaluans adopted a diet that includes high levels of corned beef, rice and sugar. This food is consumed even when fish and traditional vegetables are available. This diet is believed to contribute to increasing levels of diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases among Tuvaluans. [23]

On Funafuti, the Fatoaga Fiafia Garden grows vegetables, including cucumbers, beans, pumpkins and Chinese cabbages, and tests salt-tolerant crops, such as a hybrid pawpaw. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvalu</span> Country in Oceania

Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Tuvalu</span>

The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is situated 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) northeast of Australia and is approximately halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna and north of Fiji. It is a very small island country of 26.26 km2 (10.14 sq mi). Due to the spread out islands it has the 38th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 749,790 km2 (289,500 sq mi). In terms of size, it is the second-smallest country in Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tuvalu</span>

The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians, so the origins of the people of Tuvalu can be traced to the spread of humans out of Southeast Asia, from Taiwan, via Melanesia and across the Pacific islands of Polynesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaitupu</span> Atoll and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Vaitupu is the largest atoll of the nation of Tuvalu. It is located at 7.48 degrees south and 178.83 degrees east. There are 1,061 people living on 5.6 square kilometres with the main village being Asau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanumea</span> Atoll and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about 400 miles (640 km) of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) with a population of 512 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fongafale</span> Island in Funafuti, Tuvalu

Fongafale is the largest and most populated of Funafuti's islets in Tuvalu. It is a long narrow sliver of land, 12 kilometres long and between 10 and 400 metres wide, with the South Pacific Ocean and reef on the east and the protected lagoon on the west. The north part is the Tengako peninsula, and Funafuti International Airport runs from northeast to southwest on the widest part of the island, with the village and administrative centre of Vaiaku on the lagoon side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanumanga</span> Reef island and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Nanumanga or Nanumaga is a reef island and a district of the Oceanian island nation of Tuvalu. It has a surface area of about 3 km2 with a population of 491.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niutao</span> Reef island and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Niutao is a reef island in the northern part of Tuvalu. It is one of the nine districts (islands) of Tuvalu. It is also one of the three districts that consist of only one island — not counting the three islets inside the closed lagoon. Niutao has a population of 582.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nukufetau</span> Atoll and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983. It has a population of 597 who live on Savave islet.

<i>Sida fallax</i> Species of plant

Sida fallax, known as yellow ilima or golden mallow, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, indigenous to the Hawaiian Archipelago and other Pacific Islands. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found in drier areas in sandy soils, often near the ocean. ʻIlima is the symbol of Laloimehani and is the flower for the islands of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and Abemama, Kiribati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Tuvalu</span> Overview of and topical guide to Tuvalu

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tuvalu:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funafuti</span> Atoll and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 60% of the nation's population. The main islet, Fongafale, hosts Vaiaku, the administrative center of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Tuvalu</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Tuvalu related to climate change

Climate change is particularly threatening for the long-term habitability of the island country of Tuvalu, which has a land area of only 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) and an average elevation of less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) above sea level, with the highest point of Niulakita being about 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level. Potential threats to the country due to climate change include rising sea levels, increasingly severe tropical cyclones, high temperatures, and drought. King tides can combine with storm surges and the rising sea level to inundate the low lying atolls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulaka</span> Crop grown in Tuvalu

Pulaka, Cyrtosperma merkusii, or swamp taro, is a crop grown mainly in Tuvalu and an important source of carbohydrates for the area's inhabitants. It is a "swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." The same plant is known as pulaka in Niue, babai in Kiribati, puraka in Cook Islands, pula’a in Samoa, via, via kana or via kau in Fiji, pulaka in Tokelau, simiden in Chuuk, swam taro in Papua New Guinea, and navia in Vanuatu.

<i>Cyrtosperma merkusii</i> Species of flowering plant

Cyrtosperma merkusii or giant swamp taro, is a crop grown throughout Oceania and into South and Southeast Asia. It is a riverine and "swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." There are no demonstrably wild populations today, but it is believed to be native to Indonesia. It is known as puraka in Cook Islands, lak in Yap, babai in Kiribati, iaraj in the Marshall Islands, brak in Palau, babaʻ in the Marianas Islands, pula’a in Samoa, via kana, Pulaka in Lau, Lovo in Fiji, pulaka in Tokelau and Tuvalu, mwahng in Pohnpei, pasruk in Kosrae, simiden in Chuuk, swam taro in Papua New Guinea, navia in Vanuatu and palawan in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Tuvalu drought</span> Natural disaster in Tuvalu

The 2011 Tuvalu drought was a period of severe drought afflicting Tuvalu, a South Pacific island country of approximately 10,500 people, in the latter half of 2011. A state of emergency was declared on September 28, 2011; with rationing of available fresh-water. The La Niña event that caused the drought ended in April–May 2012. By August 2012 the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Conditions indicated that the tropical Pacific Ocean was on the brink of an El Niño event.

The Funafuti Conservation Area is a marine conservation area covering 33 square kilometers of reef, lagoon and motu (islets) on the western side of Funafuti atoll in Tuvalu. The marine environment of the conservation area includes reef, lagoon, channel and ocean; and are home to many species of fish, corals, algae and invertebrates. The islets are nesting sites for the green sea turtle and Fualopa hosts a breeding colony of black noddy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvaluan cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Tuvalu

The cuisine of Tuvalu, a state in the Central Pacific (Oceania), is based on the staple of coconut and the many species of fish found in the ocean and the lagoons of the atolls of Tuvalu. Pulaka,, or swamp taro, is an important source of carbohydrates. Rice now forms an important part of the diet. Coconut is used in different forms with coconut water, coconut milk and the flesh of the coconut being used to flavour dishes. Various desserts made on the islands include coconut and coconut milk, instead of animal milk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral reefs of Tuvalu</span> List of coral reefs in Tuvalu

The coral reefs of Tuvalu consist of three reef islands and six atolls, containing approximately 710 km2 (270 sq mi) of reef platforms. The islands of the Tuvalu archipelago are spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180°, west of the International Date Line. The islands of Tuvalu are volcanic in origin. On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon, and may include natural reef channels. The reef islands have a different structure to the atolls, and are described as reef platforms as they are smaller tabular reef platforms that do not have a salt-water lagoon, although they may have a completely closed rim of dry land, with the remnants of a lagoon that has no direct connection to the open sea or that may be drying up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Tuvalu</span> Protected areas in Tuvalu

Protected areas of Tuvalu consist of protected areas located within the central Pacific country of Tuvalu and its territorial waters. One such area is the Funafuti Conservation Area, which is a marine protected area on the western reef area of Funafuti atoll.

References

  1. ↑ Koch, Gerd (1990). The material culture of Tuvalu. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. p. 46. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  2. ↑ FCG ANZDEC Ltd (7 August 2020). Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Nanumaga and Nanumea (Report). The Pacific Community. p. 64. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Tuvalu could lose root crop". Radio New Zealand. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Leaflet No. 1 - Revised 1992 - Taro". Food and Agriculture Organization. 1992. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  5. ↑ Randy Thaman; Feagaiga Penivao; Faoliu Teakau; Semese Alefaio; Lamese Saamu; Moe Saitala; Mataio Tekinene; Mile Fonua (2017). "Report on the 2016 Funafuti Community-Based Ridge-To-Reef (R2R)" (PDF). Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Conservation Status of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) In Tuvalu. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Tuvalu Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity". Government of Tuvalu. 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. 1 2 Hedley, Charles (1896). "General account of the Atoll of Funafuti" (PDF). Australian Museum Memoir. 3 (2): 60–63.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hedley (1896), p. 40–41.
  9. ↑ Peter Bennetts and Tony Wheeler (2001). Time & Tide: The Islands of Tuvalu. Lonely Planet. ISBN   978-1-86450-342-5.
  10. ↑ "A Brief History of Tuvalu: Christianity and European Traders". Tuvaluislands.com. 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ Doug Munro, The Lives and Times of Resident Traders In Tuvalu: An Exercise in History from Below, (1987) 10(2) Pacific Studies 73
  12. ↑ Resture, Jane (2010). "Tuvalu History - 'The Davis Diaries' (H.M.S. Royalist, 1892 visit to Ellice Islands under Captain Davis)" . Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  13. ↑ Koch (1990), p. 46.
  14. ↑ Koch (1990), p. 73–85
  15. ↑ Webb, Dr Arthur (March 2007). "Tuvalu Technical Report: Assessment of Salinity of Groundwater in Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma Chamissonis) Pulaka Pits in Tuvalu" (PDF). Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission, EU EDF8-SOPAC Project Report 75: Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 Kennedy, Donald Gilbert (1953). "Land tenure in the Ellice Islands". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 62 (4): 348–358.
  17. ↑ "Conflict of Old And New In Ellice Islands". XXV(5) Pacific Islands Monthly. 1 December 1954. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 FCG ANZDEC Ltd (7 August 2020). Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Nanumaga and Nanumea (Report). The Pacific Community. p. 76. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 FCG ANZDEC Ltd (7 October 2020). Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Funafuti (Report). The Pacific Community. p. 57. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  20. ↑ Thaman, Randolph (October 2016). "The Flora of Tuvalu: Lakau Mo Mouku o Tuvalu". Atoll Research Bulletin (611): xii-129. doi: 10.5479/si.0077-5630.611 . S2CID   89181901.
  21. ↑ Telavi, Melei (1983). "Tuvalu - A History". Institute of Pacific Studies and Extension Services, University of the South Pacific/Tuvalu Ministry of Social Services. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ↑ Resture, Setapu Asenati (March 2010). "Te Maama Pala: Continuity and change in coping with Tuberculosis in Tuvalu: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Arts in History" (PDF). University of Auckland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  23. ↑ Panapa, Tufoua (2012). "Ethnographic Research on Meanings and Practices of Health in Tuvalu: A Community Report" (PDF). Report to the Tuvaluan Ministries of Health and Education: Ph D Candidate Centre for Development Studies - “Transnational Pacific Health through the Lens of Tuberculosis” Research Group. Department of Anthropology, The University of Auckland, N.Z. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  24. ↑ Taylor, Alan (15 August 2018). "A Visit to Tuvalu, Surrounded by the Rising Pacific". The Atlantic. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.