Pohnpei Work Highlighted in Regional Banana and Plant Genetic Resources Meetings

By Dr. Lois Englberger

Adelino Lorens, Chief of Agriculture of the Office of Economic Affairs and Chairman of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei (IFCP) and Dr. Lois Englberger of IFCP represented the Federated States of Micronesia at the regional Pacific Banana Strategy and Pacific Agriculture Plant Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN) meetings, held in Suva, Fiji, from 9-10 and 12-16 November, as coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Other participants included representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Bioversity International in the Asia Pacific and Oceania and France were also represented.

Pohnpei work on conserving and promoting diversity of island food crops was highlighted. The conservation of giant swamp taro (mwahng) at the Pilot Farm in Pohnlangas, Pohnpei, was named as a particularly important collection with its 69 accessions, as it appears that this is the largest such anywhere.

There was also great interest in IFCP's awareness work on promoting island foods and inclusion of nutrition topics in agriculture work. Mr. Lorens pointed out that the Pohnpei posters on varieties of banana, giant swamp taro, breadfruit and pandanus have been an important part of the awareness program. He presented photos of the FSM postal stamps highlighting Karat, the State Banana of Pohnpei and other Micronesian bananas, including Utin Iap, Utimwas, Mangat and Ihpali, as well as the GOING YELLOW video, and the Traditional Food for Health project, as one of the 12 case studies in a global health project, in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment.

Dr. Englberger provided an overview of the work on analysis of many local foods, which was initiated due to the emerging vitamin A deficiency problem in FSM. She explained that many yellow-fleshed varieties have now been identified to be carotenoid-rich and can help alleviate vitamin A deficiency and other nutritionally-related problems in Pohnpei, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, all which have emerged along with the trend towards consumption of imported foods and changing lifestyles (including decreased physical activity).

She also presented some of the lessons learned in the Pohnpei awareness program:

1. The five benefits of local food (food security, health, economic, environment, and cultural) need to be repeated and repeated!
2. Focus on the youth as they are the future.
3. We are not banning imports but we are utilizing our own local foods, which are available to us!
4. A campaign needs a slogan….so LET'S GO LOCAL!!
5. Follow a community, research-based, and inter-agency approach!
6. Go to all levels, from the youth and communities to the leaders.
7. Use a whole range of media and methods!
8. Acknowledge our partners! Use color, humor and make it fun!
9. Keep messages short, interesting and correct!
10. Do what we preach!! Serve local foods and drinks at our meetings and workshops and at home and work remember to go local…and take care of our gardens and grow our own food crops as much as possible, encouraging our families to also GO LOCAL!!

Due to the interest by participants in the nutrition topics, the SPC Media Team did a radio interview with Dr. Englberger and Mr. Lorens, which will later be broadcast throughout the Pacific on SPC's Pacific Way radio program.

IFCP would like to thank the SPC Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) of the Land Resource Division, Bioversity International and NZ Aid sponsored Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network and all the organizers and supporters for involvement in this exciting and productive meeting. Warm thanks are also extended to Mr. Tevita Kete, SPC CePaCT, for assistance in writing this article.