Dil-Ngebuked is a non-profit community-based women?s organization that is comprised of younger
women professionals of Ngebuked hamlet, Ngaraard State. Many of them have mesei or taro farms and share an interest in growing their own food. These proponents are attempting to restore mesei and increase crop yields in their village farms. They have been challenged by unfavorable conditions such as water shortage and unhealthy crops. In preparation for this proposal, technical partners from Palau Community Action Agency (PCAA), Bureau of Agriculture (BOA), and Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) conducted an initial site visit in October 2019 to assess the mesei conditions. Their overall observations concluded that the lack of water flow is due to dense sedimentation buildup in the original water system beginning from the upstream watersheds on through the smaller waterways that extend to the mesei.
In the last ten years, women from Ngebuked hamlet in Ngaraard State have observed a significant decline in taro farming, which has decreased food security for the community and hindered supplemental income generation for women and their families. Community anecdotes about land degradation from changing weather patterns, such as increased surface temperatures and intense rainfall, as well as impacts of human activities such as infrastructure development and overharvesting of terrestrial resources has had negative impacts on mesei health and crop yields. The hot temperatures and intensity of rain combined
are perceived as the primary cause of dense sedimentation buildup in mesei. Their observations seem to
be consistent with the Palau?s 2019 State of the Environment Report.
The main problem that the community is experiencing is that there has been a decline in taro cultivation
in the hamlet taro fields due to blocked water ways and persistent sediment buildup. Along with other
changing social factors, this has resulted in an alarming loss of traditional knowledge around taro
cultivation and overall agro-ecology as well as an alarming decline in consumption of taro. Taro cultivation
is an integral part of Palauan culture, particularly for a matrilineal society such as ours, whereby taro
cultivation often determines the status and wealth of Palauan females. If we lose the traditional
knowledge and practice of taro cultivation, it would also represent a loss in a deeply rooted cultural
tradition that defines our matrilineal society. Furthermore, the decrease in consumption of taro and other
traditional foods has created an alarming dependence on processed imported food products that have
been attributed to the state of emergency that Palau has faced with regard to the rise in NCDs.
In addition to land degradation, the population movement from Ngaraard to Koror State as the business
center as well as shifts in population behavior from subsistence practices to a cash economy has resulted
in a decline in collective management of communal land and seascapes. Limited human resources and
harsh farm conditions have forced many women to abandon their taro farms because they can no longer
easily maintain waterways and keep up with the changing environment.
The following are the Project?s key objectives:
A. Effectively improve traditional water system in Ngebuked taro farms to restore healthy taro
farming conditions.
B. Effectively address and resolve other agriculture challenges related to taro farming in Ngebuked
to help increase crop yields.
C. Promote the benefits of and encourage taro farming in local communities outside of Ngebuked.