Kayangel State is the northern-most atoll located approximately 54 miles from the main island of Koror in the Republic of Palau. In 2013, the tiny atoll was completely destroyed by Super Typhoon Haiyan, leaving it completely bare of any vegetation. The aftermath left the 20 traditional mesei or taro farms on the island damaged by saltwater and filled with large debris. The women of Kayangel have spent the last several years restoring their homes and individual taro patches. Today, they are in a position to attend to the two kall beluu mesei, which were traditionally shared taro fields located at the northern and southern parts of the atoll.

Due to Kayangel?s remoteness and distance from Koror, these mesei were significant for food security and historically, Mechab (south) and Ngetkuar (north) were collectively maintained. According to the taro farmers today, both mesei are overgrown, have been damaged by saltwater intrusion from King Tides, and still contain debris from Typhoon Haiyan. Restoration of these communal mesei requires tremendous labor and resources. The current COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more critical for recovery of these mesei to ensure food sovereignty and overall community resilience.

While Kayangel women today continue the tradition of taro farming, rapid social changes, such as relocation to Koror for employment and education, have resulted in a decline in traditional knowledge around taro cultivation and overall agro-ecology. Additionally, the shift in consumption of taro and other traditional foods has created a dependence on processed imported food products that have been attributed to the alarming rise in NCDs across Palau. This project is therefore concerned with revival of culturally significant taro fields by a collective effort from the whole community.