The impacts of climate change on agriculture the focus of the PAC’s visit to Australia

Another successful meeting of ACIAR’s Policy Advisory Council (PAC) was held in Australia last week, with a strong focus on the strategic issues related to climate change, specifically its impact on agriculture in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Members of the Policy Advisory Council outside ACIAR House in Canberra. Photo: ACIAR

Increasing vegetable production in Central Province for Port Moresby Markets

Vegetables are an integral part of the diet of people in Papua New Guinea (PNG). For thousands of years, subsistence gardening has produced a wide range of edible indigenous plants, and more recently vegetables introduced by Europeans.

ACIAR welcomes the 2016 John Dillon Fellows to Canberra

This week ACIAR welcomed ten John Dillon Fellows to Canberra as part of a six-week leadership development program. During their two weeks in Canberra the fellows will spend time at ACIAR and visit the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and the Australian National University. They will meet also with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, at Parliament House and be presented with their certificates.

The John Dillon Fellows participating in a research management workshop at ACIAR House. Photo: ACIAR

Empowering women, changing lives: ACIAR celebrates International Women’s Day with the launch of the next issue of Partners magazine

Today ACIAR launched its International Women’s Day edition of Partners magazine during a morning tea to mark this important day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

ACIAR's Dr Jayne Curnow, Research Program Manager for Agricultural Systems Management, launches Partners magazine at a morning tea to celebrate International Women's Day. Photo: ACIAR

This edition of Partners, which includes forewords by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, and the High Commissioner for Pakistan, Ms Naela Chohan, celebrates the key role women play in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries, and also recognises the importance of economically empowering women and girls around the world so they may become leaders, influencers and agents of change.

John Dillon visits Wiradjuri Preschool to share Maria books

While recently visiting Australia, Ms Freda Wantum, ACIAR John Dillon Fellow from Papua New Guinea and Canberra’s own Dr Barbara Pamphilon, project leader of the ‘liklik bisnis thinking’ women’s project in PNG visited the Wiradjuri Preschool Centre at the University of Canberra.

The visit was just one of the many activities that took place as part of the John Dillon fellowship tour of Canberra in March and was a chance to share the ‘Maria’s Family’ book series with a group of Australian kids.

Freda reading to the pre-school students. Source: Andy Heaney

Launching of the Maria Family Books by Foreign Minister Hon. Julie Bishop in Goroka 18 December 2014

Minister Bishop at BbP library about to read 'Maria's family goes to market'. Photo Eva Kuson/DFAT

It was a blissfully cool and clear day as the sun came out from behind the clouds amidst the pine tree tops. Dr Lalen Simeon and I were delighted to be part of the team that travelled up to Goroka to meet the Foreign Affairs Minister; Hon. Julie Bishop, for the launching of the “Maria’s Family” books at Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) Library, at the University of Goroka campus.

Researchers rally round to save the 'Tree of Life' from sudden death

ACIAR's Dr Richard Markham describes researchers' efforts to conquer a mysterious disease destroying coconut trees in Papua New Guinea (PNG)...

The coconut has been called the 'Tree of Life' in recognition of the many products and services that it provides to support the lives and livelihoods of coastal and island people around the Tropics.  Traditionally, people have drunk the ‘water’ and eaten the flesh from coconuts as part of their staple diet; they have used the fronds to thatch their huts and the ‘wood’ for construction and utensils. Since time immemorial, groves of palms have protected coasts against erosion and shaded other crops and livestock against the tropical sun. Now, those iconic silhouettes of palms against a blue sky are being reduced to bare poles by an unfamiliar disease – Bogia coconut syndrome.

Trouble in paradise - trees at various stages of decline from Bogia coconut syndrome

Although copra and coconut oil, facing competition from other, cheaper-to-produce edible oils, are no longer the main source of wealth in the Pacific countries, in PNG almost one-third of households, some 1.5 million people, still depend on coconuts for a significant part of their food and income. There was thus a ripple of concern when rumours surfaced, several years ago, of a mystery disease killing coconut palms – and reportedly other crops – in a remote site in Bogia district on the north coast of PNG’s mainland, part-way between Madang and the border with Indonesian West Papua. Initial samples sent for molecular analysis indicated that a phytoplasma (a parasitic bacterium) similar to that causing Coconut lethal yellowing in Africa and the Caribbean was associated with the disease; however, the disease did not appear to be spreading, so there the matter rested for a while.

Trees of Life reduced to bare poles from Bogia coconut syndrome

More recently, in 2009-2010, an outbreak of the disease at Furan village, just outside the busy city of Madang, attracted a great deal more attention, with the fear that trade might now spread the disease rapidly along the coast and through the islands. The national quarantine authority, NAQIA, imposed a ban on the movement of agricultural commodities out of the area, and researchers from the Oil Palm Research Association (OPRA) and the Cocoa Coconut Institute Limited (CCIL), with support from ACIAR, launched a scoping study to investigate the cause of the disease.

Although reports of the disease affecting a range of staple food crops proved to be an exaggeration, the phytoplasma was found in Sago and Betel nut palms (with similar yellowing symptoms) – both of which are economically important species in PNG. Meanwhile, another research team found a similar phytoplasma in bananas (but occurring over a much wider area than the Bogia coconut syndrome outbreak). The phytoplasma has also been found in several sap-sucking insect species but the tests were not sensitive enough to show whether these had been merely feeding on infected palms or whether they were capable of actively spreading the disease.

Intense debate on how to save the coconut genebank

Last week, researchers from Australia (Charles Sturt University and University of Queensland) and PNG (CCIL, OPRA, NAQIA and the National Agricultural Research Institute – NARI) got together in Madang to launch a larger project, to delve more deeply into the mysteries of the disease.

They will need to prove that it really is the phytoplasma that is killing the palms, establish how it differs (if at all) from the organism killing bananas, and find out how the phytoplasma is spread. Once this knowledge is in place, it should be possible to work out more targeted measures to limit the spread of the disease and manage it within the outbreak areas.

The researchers also started to wrestle with an additional ‘crisis within a crisis’: the international coconut genebank for the South Pacific lies within the quarantine area and so can no longer serve its function of preserving and distributing the genetic resources of coconut, for PNG and the region. Researchers from CCIL and NARI are testing the palms to see whether the collection itself is still free of the disease. If it proves to be so, NAQIA will lift the quarantine restrictions enough for coconuts to be moved out of the danger area to a quarantine island, where the germinating seedlings will be tested again and, if still ‘clean’ can be used to establish a new genebank.

ACIAR and the Global Crop Diversity Trust are standing by to provide technical support and offer alternative solutions if necessary.

By Dr Richard Markham, manager of ACIAR's Horticulture and Pacific Crops research programs

More information:

For more information, refer to the final report of ACIAR's scoping study PC/2011/056 Identifying potential vectors of 'Bogia Coconut Syndrome' in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, which will be published soon on the ACIAR website.

Commemorating World Oceans Day – not just clowning around

Thane Militz of James Cook University must have one of the prettiest subjects in the world to study for his PhD: clownfish (of ‘Finding Nemo’ fame) from the crystal-clear tropical waters of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Spectacular clownfish in Papua New Guinea

His thesis is on enhancing culture techniques for marine ornamental fishes to sustainably supply the aquarium trade. It forms part of a larger ACIAR project on mariculture development in New Ireland Province within PNG.

Kau kau is a key to improving livelihoods in Papua New Guinea

ACIAR Graduate Officer Rebecca McBride recently travelled to Lae, on the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG), to visit two ACIAR projects that are directly and indirectly looking at sweetpotato production, processing and marketing.

Sweetpotato, or 'kau kau' as it is called locally, is a key staple in PNG. It makes up 43% of the total dietary intake there. Although annual production is estimated at 3 million tonnes, only 2% of this is sold in markets. The rest is used for household consumption or fed to livestock.

Sweetpotato at the markets. They are commonly sold in piles at a set price.
Piles at the same price can vary significantly in quantity and quality.
(photos: D.Irving and C.Chang)

Glimmer of hope amid cocoa devastation in PNG

Mrs Odelia Virua Taman (photo: A. Gavin, DFAT)

Mrs Odelia Virua Taman is a progressive cocoa grower in East New Britain who is reaping the rewards of controlling cocoa pod borer (CPB), which has devastated much of Papua New Guinea’s valuable crop.

Celebrating International Women's Day 2014

ACIAR works with women smallholder farmers across a wide range of countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and countries in south-eastern Africa. Our research aims to make agriculture more equitable for these women, to enable them to make money to send their children to school, improve housing and provide basic family necessities. The research particularly seeks to understand the constraints and opportunities faced by smallholder women farmers and to improve their knowledge and capacity. 

The emphasis on women is especially strong in PNG. Research covers a range of commodities, including staple crops grown for domestic markets (e.g. sweetpotato) and crops for potential export (e.g. coffee, oil palm and cocoa). A key area of focus is teaching women business acumen (‘liklik bisnis’), including financial literacy and management, how to match market supply with demand, and how to access credit.

Who says forestry is men’s domain?

While reviewing the forestry component of ACIAR’s Pacific Agribusiness Research and Development Initiative (PARDI) program in the Pacific recently, I was acutely aware of the substantial contributions that women make to forestry research and the development of related business enterprises.

(L-R) Prof Helen Wallace, Elektra Grant and Votausi
Mackenzie-Reur with a jar of the new tamarind  chutney

This research has been very well led by Professor Helen Wallace of the University of the Sunshine Coast. Helen had previously led an ACIAR project researching improved processing of canarium nuts in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Under the current PARDI program, Helen leads two forestry projects: one researching enhanced processing and markets for canarium nuts in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and the other developing processing and markets for tamarind products in Vanuatu. As with other PARDI research, this work has a strong focus on markets with grassroots benefits to smallholder producers.

A mysterious furry fruit in PNG

On a recent trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG), ACIAR’s Forestry research manager Mr Tony Bartlett came across a very unusual fruit in the forest... What is it, and what research is ACIAR supporting related to it? Read on to find out!

What is this strange furry fruit?!

The mysterious furry fruit

Tip-toe through the (African) tulips

Dr Richard Markham, ACIAR’s Pacific Crops research program manager, recently attended a planning workshop in Fiji on managing weeds in the Pacific islands. Participants debated the conundrum of how to deal with a species, such as the African tulip tree, that is valued by some and loathed by others...

Fiji's northern coast is dominated by introduced plant species -
some are vital economic species and some are weeds

Visitors to Fiji and other Pacific islands often admire the 'beautiful, open landscapes’ of the northern and western sides of the larger islands. Protected here from the rain-bearing trade winds, rain forest gives way to grassy hills, and orderly farms of cereals, legumes and sugarcane. Ecologically minded folk, however, realise that this landscape is created by human intervention and dominated by exotic species (introduced from other parts of the world), including crops and the weeds that arrived with them. The original forest has gone and nobody knows how many species of indigenous plants and insects disappeared with it.

Success stories of socioeconomic research in Papua New Guinea

A recent workshop in Papua New Guinea (PNG) brought Australian and PNG project personnel together to learn from current and recent ACIAR socioeconomic work. Dr Caroline Lemerle, ACIAR’s Agricultural Systems Management research program manager, describes some of the successes of this work...

IN THE FIELD - Charcoal production in Papua New Guinea

Tony Bartlett, ACIAR’s Forestry Research Program Manager, recently travelled to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to see how our research has helped establish community groups that produce and sell charcoal...

About  85% of households in PNG still use fuelwood for cooking, with the average use being six times more than most countries in the Asia-Pacific region. So, fuelwood is an integral part of PNG’s domestic economy. There is a clear opportunity for smallholder farmers (like Tom pictured below) to make money from growing and selling fuelwood from their own tree plantations.

Farmer Tom (left) with researcher Dr Ian Nuberg
in Tom's fuelwood tree patch

Ponds for prosperity in Papua New Guinea

There’s more to constructing a pond than just digging a hole and filling it with water—just ask Francis Gako, who has been helping out with an ACIAR project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) aiming to improve smallholders’ fish production for food security and income generation. 

Tilapia farming in PNG can improve food security and generate income
(Photo: F. Gako)

There are more than 10,000 small-scale fish farms in PNG, and interest in aquaculture is growing fast. The PNG government has recognised the important role of fish in food security, particularly in inland areas. However, despite the peoples’ interest in aquaculture, current production levels are low when compared with other South-East Asian systems.

A vibrant Papua New Guinea – bold thinking can make it possible

Last year ACIAR’s Partners Magazine ran a special edition on Papua New Guinea (PNG) and our program of research helping smallholder farmers to overcome poverty. An underlying theme was that of optimism, from the scientists and farmers, that agriculture could help create a brighter future for many.

Last week the ANZ Bank released its latest ANZ insight series report, Bold Thinking: Imagining PNG in the Asia Century. The report examines key opportunities for PNG in mining and agriculture to “drive forward a vision of a vibrant, dynamic PNG”.

Protecting against parasites in the modern world

The world is becoming more and more connected, both physically and technologically. Prolific travel and trade within and between countries and continents allows disease-causing organisms like parasites to hitch a ride almost anywhere. Parasitic diseases can be devastating to the animals they infest, and to the people who rely on those animals for their livelihoods. ACIAR-supported research looks at ways to improve the identification and control parasitic diseases to help stop their spread.

Healthy livestock provide food and income opportunities

Socioeconomic research in PNG is changing lives

PNG smallholder farmer

Last month, ACIAR’s Agricultural Systems Management program manager, Dr Caroline Lemerle brought together the many researchers involved in socioeconomic aspects of agricultural research in Papua New Guinea (PNG). At the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) Headquarters in Lae, 40 researchers represented 8 ACIAR projects, past and present. Over two days, participants discussed their projects, the constraints they faced, the outputs they achieved and the lessons learned.

The projects covered a range of commodities, including vegetables, coffee, floriculture, coffee and oil palm, across a range of geographies such as Western Highlands, Central Province and New Britain. Over the two days participants compared constraints faced in East New Britain with those in the Highlands, and the lessons learned in coffee and oil palm with those in sweetpotato and vegetable crops.