ATOLL PERMACULTURE

WAY FORWARD FOR FOOD PRODUCTION

A presentation from the Solomon Islands

By

Jasper M. Bonie,

PACC DEMONSTRATION TEAM LEADER

outline Atoll Permaculture Hybrid Solar

ATOLL PERMACULTURE The food security demonstration will be a multi-layered system of fruit and nut trees, vegetables and root crops and is described under 4.4.2.1. (PACC SI MTR, 2013). The PACC-Solomon Island demonstration Manager’s report describes the system as “a farming system that is permanent, self mulching, self sustaining and self regenerating, and that it can provide a good source of food to the community. The system is systemically desirable (truly relevant) and culturally feasible (meaningful). We would also like to create a system that will demand less time and has low maintenance cost. We can imagine a forest of food where food can be collected when required”

PRODUCTS OF ATOLL PERMACULTURE 2012 Tree crops

Breadfruit tree Artocarpus altilis Golden apple Spondias cyathera

Alite nut tree Terminalia catappa

Polynesian chestnut tree Inocarpus fagiferus

Fruits

Breadfruit Local avocado

Banana Banana

Roots .

Taro harvest

Farmers harvest sweet taro A farmer harvesting stem taro

Sweet taro Sweet taro

Vegetables

Slippery cabbage Pawpaw

Gourd Pumpkin

• A hybrid solar drier, based in Honiara, designed to prepare and dry

food which will then be shipped to the Ontong Java communities,

can be stored for up to a year before consumption

• Trials and demonstration being carried out to government related

ministries, donor agencies, NGO’s and Civil Society Organizations

(CSO’s)

PACC SI HYBRID SOLAR DRIER

Severe soil nutrient deficiency

Lack of water for agriculture

Need for salt tolerant crop planting materials

Need for salt tolerant legume cover crops both vine and tree legume plants

Need for forest species to develop woodlots to enhance biodiversity and livelihoods Need to better understand the concepts of ‘Atoll Permaculture’ and how it works and the benefits .

Challenges Even though farmers are content with what they are doing they are not without problems: