Context
This project is building on the previous DARWIN project. Coconut and its genetic diversity provide significant nutrition (vitamins, minerals, fibre, energy) and multi-million dollars income for more than 8 million Asia-Pacific households, (> 4 million females), yet there is scant support for conserving its endangered genetic resources. In many Pacific islands, diversity is seriously threatened by climate change, potential sea-level rise and soil salinization, as well as other challenges such as pests and diseases. Broader coconut diversity is needed to supply ambitious replanting programmes aiming to replenish coconut palm populations seriously depleted by typhoons, rhinoceros beetle infestations and palm senility.
Objectives
The overall project goal is for Pacific farmers to use and conserve a wider range of more resilient coconut varieties leading to increased productivity and on-farm incomes, increased availability of diverse nutrient-rich food, reduced adverse impacts to the environment and enhanced resilience to production shocks. Most importantly, key coconut biodiversity for food security will be safeguarded for the future.
Activities
Capacity building
Outputs
Over the course of the project, the following coconut genetic resources packages and tools have been developed/ further co-developed and successfully transferred:
- A germplasm information management system developed as part of the three-country genebank curation and management.
- An already validated guidelines for collecting, characterizing and sharing coconut germplasm has been refined and established as the ongoing basis for prospecting, collecting, characterizing and evaluating coconut germplasm.
- An updated controlled hand-pollination protocol has been more widely shared and staff trained.
- Research on techniques pertinent to in vitro coconut conservation such as embryo culture, somatic embryogenesis and cryopreservation co-developed/ supported.
- Complementary mapping of Coconut production areas under climate change threat
Partners
- Papua New Guinea: Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK)
- Fiji: The Crop research Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways (MOAW)
- Samoa: The Crops division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF)
- France: Département des systèmes biologiques (BIOS), UMR AGAP, Centre International pour la Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD)
- Indonesia: Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT)
Scientific coordination:
- Dr. Carmel Pilotti, Associate Scientist for Coconut Genetic Resources, SPC.
- Vincent Johnson, interim coordinator, COGENT.
Communication/media contact: Ms Dominique Vinckenbosch, Communications Officer - Genetic Resources Pillar/Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees, Land Resources Division, SPC | [email protected]
Funding
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Project Duration: 14/12/2020 - 14/09/2024
Donor: FAO
Countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa