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Posts Tagged ‘pacific’
Nancy J. Pollock talks of the sustainability of the Kava Trade
Sustainability of trade in kava (Piper methysticum), which was severely compromised by a 2002 ban on exports from Pacific Islands to European pharmaceutical companies, has reached a new phase. Exporters vigorously fought the ban, imposed as a result of claims that kava pills, sold as herbal remedies for reducing anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression, were toxic to the liver of individuals who took them. Concerted reaction by Pacific interests such as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat led to the formation of the International Kava Executive Committee, which sought ways to get the ban lifted. A 2007 World Health Organization report found that the process of manufacturing the pills was more likely to be toxic to some pill takers than the kavalactones drunk in traditional beverages; quality control and changing the manufacturing process could allow exports of kava to Europe to resume.
To access the article:
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/contemporary_pacific/summary/v021/21.2.pollock.html
Crops for the Future in the Pacific
Thirty participants from 15 Pacific island countries and territories met in Nadi, Fiji 21-22 September to discuss a strategy for the development of underutilized crops in the Pacific. The meeting was co-organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC), Crops for the Future (CFF), Bioversity International, the Asia-Pacific Association of Advanced Research Institutions (APAARI) and the Papua New Guinea National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI-PNG).
The aim of the meeting was to address issues of a more effective utilization of crop diversity to manage climate change and to increase local food production whilst at the same time ensuring effective conservation of plant genetic resources in the Pacific. Whilst underutilized plants have been recognized as having potential to address food security and malnutrition by alleviating an over-reliance on a few main staple crops and imported processed food, lack of information and documentation on underutilized species in the Pacific, lack of a priority list of underutilized species for the Pacific region, lack of policy support from various government agencies and in general poor awareness at all levels about the value and potential of underutilized species were stated as impeding any meaningful progress in the utilization of these crops.
The following species or crop groups were highlighted by the participants for further attention: Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit), Musa sp. (Fe’i bananas, plantains), Xanthosoma sp. /Alocasia sp. (lesser aroids), Pandanus sp., Cyrtosperma chamissonis (giant swamp taro), Abelmoschus manihot (bele), Saccharum edule (pitpit), Canarium ovatum (galip nut), Inocarpus fagifer (Polynesian chestnut), Pometia pinnata (tava). An outline strategy was developed, comprising of the elements 1. Generation and collection of knowledge/research; 2. Communication and dissemination; 3. Policy advocacy; 4. Market development; 5. Partnerships and 6. Capacity building and institutional strengthening.
For further information, please contact Hannah Jaenicke or Mary Taylor.
Plant Genetic Resources in the Pacific
During September 2009 a suite of meetings and events will take place in Fiji, related to plant genetic resources:
21-22 September: “Crops for the Future in the Pacific”. This consultation meeting aims to explore the potential of under-utilized species as crops for the future in the Pacific region and highlight the areas/gaps that would benefit from further action. The outcomes from this seminar will feed into the next phase of the Pacific PGR network (PAPGREN) project.
23-24 September: ITPGRFA meeting. This meeting is a follow up to the 3rd Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) meeting in Tunis, Tunisia (June 2009). At this 3rd Session meeting the Pacific officially placed the collections held in trust by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees into the Multilateral System of the Treaty. At the two day workshop in Fiji participants will cover the following issues related to ratification and implementation of the Treaty, namely (a) using the SMTA (b) how to fulfill your obligations under the Treaty (c) issues related to accession to the Treaty (d) international and regional cooperation in the implementation of the Treaty
25 September: Opening of the new Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) in Suva.
26 September – 2 October: PAPGREN meeting and training. This is the annual meeting of the Pacific Plant Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN) during which PAPGREN members will present their country activities for the last year. The role that diversity plays in climate change, nutrition and trade will be discussed as these are key issues in the Pacific. Three days of this week long meeting will be spent conducting training in genebank management to include morphological and molecular characterization.
The above meetings are co-organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC), the Asia-Pacific Association for Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) and Crops for the Future. For more information contact Mary Taylor.
Ethnobotany of Pohnpei
Ethnobotany of Pohnpei examines the relationship between plants, people, and traditional culture on Pohnpei, one of the four island members of the Federated States of Micronesia. Traditional culture is still very strong on Pohnpei and is biodiversity-dependent, relying on both its pristine habitats and managed landscapes; native and introduced plants and animals; and extraordinary marine life. This book is the result of a decade of research by a team of local people and international specialists carried out under the direction of the Mwoalen Wahu Ileilehn Pohnpei (Pohnpei Council of Traditional Leaders). It discusses the uses of the native and introduced plant species that have sustained human life on the island and its outlying atolls for generations, including Piper methysticum (locally known as sakau and recognized throughout the Pacific as kava), which is essential in defining cultural identity for Pohnpeians. The work also focuses on ethnomedicine, the traditional medical system used to address health conditions, and its associated beliefs.
Published in association with The New York Botanical Garden March 2009
ISBN 978-0-8248-3293-3 / $28.00 (PAPER)
Here the University of Hawaii Press link to the book’s webpage: www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
Here the link to a notice on the University of Hawaii Press blog: uhpress.wordpress.com
Call for adapting to climate change in PNG
From: PAPGREN blogPapua New Guinea requires a multi-pronged strategy to adapt to climate change and mitigate its impacts on agriculture and food security in the country. NARI Director-General Dr Raghunath Ghodake says PNG must look after its own interests against the backup of global uncertainty and financial recession now that the world is going through global climate change along with food shortages and the worldwide economic crisis.
New regional programme supports adaptation to climate change
Wednesday, 4 February 2009, Secretariat of the Pacific CommunityA new regional project will help three Pacific island countries, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, cope with the effects of climate change.
The Euro 4.2 million project is being funded by GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) and will be based at SPC’s (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) Land Resources Division in Suva. For some time now, SPC has been systematically integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies into its policy, technical and advisory services. Read more »