Matching seeds to needs in times of climate change

Dr Ehsan Dulloo (left) of Bioversity International and NARI director general Dr Raghunath Ghodake at NARI Headquarters in Lae on Monday

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI

Local varieties of taro and sweet potato (kaukau) that are well-adapted to the predicted future climates will be matched to target areas in PNG, says a visiting specialist in agricultural biodiversity and conservation.
Dr Ehsan Dulloo, a senior scientist from Bioversity International in Italy, said climate change was imposing an unprecedented threat to livelihoods and food security with great impacts over time and across locations and PNG needed to match seeds to the needs of farmers for climate change adaptation.
He said this in Lae early on Monday during an inception workshop and launch of a new project on agricultural biodiversity in PNG.
The project, titled ‘Matching Seeds to Needs: using locally available varieties for adapting to climate change and improving the livelihoods of the poor farmers in PNG, ’will be undertaken in the country in partnership with NARI over the next three years.
It is funded by Bioversity International-UK to the value of US$300,000.
The other major partners are the Fresh Produce Development Agency, PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGWiADF), and the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees.
NARI director general Dr Raghunath Ghodake thanked Bioversity International and welcomed the new development.
He said the impacts of climate change on agriculture were real and this was true with genetic resources for food and agriculture and the project was important for the country.
Under the project, the regions in PNG under greatest threat from climate change will be identified, and results from global climate models will be used to predict the future climates in these regions.
Based on these climate models, varieties of PNG’s two most important staple crops (kaukau and taro) that are well-adapted to the predicted future climates will be matched to these target areas. Seeds of these adapted varieties will be made available to farmers through community-based seed multiplication and delivery systems.
With seeds adapted to their needs, resource-poor communities will be able to sustain agricultural production despite changes in climate conditions and avoid falling deeper into poverty.
Kaukau and taro were chosen because they are among PNG’s most important staple crops: kaukau alone accounts for 66% of total staple crop production in the country.
NARI will provide planting materials, associated information and personnel in the field.
The institute will also be responsible for identifying the most-useful varieties which can ensure that farmers can sustain and even increase production in the future despite changing climatic conditions.
The Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees will maintain elite lines selected through this project from national collections and make available planting material and information to breeders, researchers and farmers in PNG and other countries.
Technical contributions, including training, will be provided through complementary funding from the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a multinational organisation.
The PNGWiADF will play a key role in ensuring the participation of women farmers in germplasm selection and dissemination, assisted by private industries in PNG such as FPDA and Allele Fresh Produce.
The overall impact of the project will be that local communities in PNG and their food production systems will successfully adapt to changes in climate, maintaining or even improving their food security and improving their livelihoods to reduce poverty.
The Lae workshop was held at NARI headquarters and was attended by representatives of project partners, University of Technology, Lae district and farmers from Morobe, Eastern Highlands and Central provinces.
Its goal was to launch the project, inform shareholders of its aim, develop and agree on the detailed work plan of the project, and assign roles and responsibilities of the participants.