In late 2021, I asked to my Master and Friend, the late Mr Uron Neil Salum to write the preface of our "Coconut Risk Management and Mitigation Manual for the Pacific Region". We were pressed for publication deadlines, and Uron was very kind and efficient in responding quickly. I believe that this text is one of the last, if not the last, wrote by him in an international scientific document. Uron develloped in this preface three main ideas, that can be seen as a part of his heritage:
- The major risk is not to find efficient planting material
- Planters could learn how to produce hybrids and other types of improved varieties in their own plantations.
- There is still room for the creation of one or more coconut Ecomuseums...
"This manual is the result of a long and important work of compilation and editing, initiated in 2018 under the aegis of The Pacific Community (SPC). This international development organization is owned and governed by its 26 country and territory members. SPC primarily provides technical and scientific advice, and acts as a conduit for funding of development projects from donor agencies. SPC regional development issues include climate change, disaster risk management, fisheries, food security, education, gender equality, human rights, non-communicable diseases, agriculture, forestry and land use, water resources, and youth employment.
The design of the manual was overseen by the Land Resources Division (LRD) of SPC, as part of the project 'Coconut Industry Development for the Pacific' (CIDP), a joint initiative of the Pacific Community (SPC), European Union ( EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). LRD's core business is to improve the food and nutritional security of the Pacific Community through the sustainable management and development of land, agriculture and forestry resources.
In the framework of this project, The French Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) led and assisted with the design of improved seed production systems and developed a risk analysis for the coconut value chain.
The 40 risks presented in this document cover a wide diversity of themes and recommendations. They are organized in eight sections which explore the following themes: climate change and hazards; pests and diseases; planting material; agricultural practices; organizational and policy issues; post-harvest and processing; economics and marketing, and socio-cultural habits. Each risk is first briefly described; then its occurrence and severity are examined, and the issues associated with its mitigation and adaptation are discussed. Finally, actions to undertake are proposed, and a short bibliography gives key information sources.
Each individual risk assessment is authored by two to five contributors. After the Global Strategy for the Conservation and Use of Coconut Genetic Resources published by the COGENT network in 2018, this manual is the scientific work on the coconut palm which brings together the largest number of contributors, i.e., fifty-two specialists originating mainly from the Pacific region, but also from other continents.
In many countries of the Pacific region, it emerges from numerous discussions with stakeholders that, currently, the major risk is not to find efficient planting material. Sometimes farmers are simply not aware of the existence of improved varieties; or these seednuts are not available, or their availability is too low; waiting lists for seednuts of improved varieties sometimes exceed several years; or the cost of those seednuts remains too high for the farmers' budget. Scientists and policy makers must therefore work on this topic as a priority, without ruling out the possibility of training planters to produce better seeds themselves.
Through concepts like Polymotu, planters could learn how to produce hybrids and other types of improved varieties in their own plantations. In addition to government seed-producing structures, there are opportunities for seed production in profitable private enterprises, as already practiced in India for a long time. The public is beginning to appreciate and better value the magnificent genetic diversity of the coconut palm. In Hawaii and French Polynesia, some stakeholders are currently selling seedlings of rare coconut varieties at nearly USD 100 per unit.
In each producing country, there is still room for the creation of one or more coconut Ecomuseums, which would make the coconut palm and its products better known. According to the concept developed by R. Bourdeix, these Eco museums could house a mini-collection of dwarf coconut palms, helping to conserve the diversity of the species. these museums could combine galleries of ancient, artisanal and artistic objects, sales of seednuts and tendernuts to drink, a store and a restaurant dedicated to all kinds of coconut products.
Since the 2000s, the coconut palm sector has been expanding rapidly. However, we believe that this is still only the beginning, and that the economic valuation of the coconut palm and its products will increase considerably over the coming decades.
Mr Uron Neil Salum,
Former Executive Director and founder of the International Coconut Community, established under UN-ESCAP & Current Strategic Adviser of the Coconut Industry in Papua New Guinea.
To see the Full Risk Manual, please click on the image:
