Agroforestry in the South Pacific region — an overview

Abstract

The developing countries of the Pacific Region consist of 27 countries and territories with a total nd area of 542 000 km² and over 5 million inhabitants. Though highly variable in physical characteristics and land-use pattern, these countries, in general, give a higher priority for production of export crops over other agricultural crops, so that they are net importers of food. Natural forests of the region are luxuriant and floristically rich, but the level of their commercial exploitation is low. Swidden cultivation is the mainstay of subsistence livelihood, but with the increase in population, the system is now causing severe environmental and land-use problems.

The major agroforestry systems and practices in the region include various forms of combination of tree crops such as coffee, coconut and cacao with nitrogen fixing trees such as Casuarina, Gliricidia and Leucaena, and food crops (mostly tubers) such as cassava, taro, sweet potato and yams. Additionally, some improvements to swidden (shifting) cultivation are also being tried in several places, the most common being the u use of Casuarina oligodon before abandoning the swidden as in PNG highlands, and intercropping food crops in tree crop stands.

Land tenure system in most of the countries is the traditional clan of extended family control over land. This can have either positive or negative influence on the adoption of agroforestry practices depending on the extent and duration of ‘tenancy’ tenure enjoyed by the assignees of land.

Several governments of the region are now promoting the agroforestry approach. In hilly areas with poor access, farmers are forced to produce most of their basic necessities locally. On the other hand, the lack of roads and communication facilities can pose a problem in marketing any surplus products they have.

The immediate opportunity in agroforestry in the region lies in making better use of the unexplored potential of a large number of locally available trees and agricultural crops. Intercropping in tree crop stands and the taungya system seem to propromising m methods for the Pacific region.