Palau women cultivate success from the taro patch to the policy table
SPC’s POETCom has worked with the Palau Organic Growers Association, Pacific Guarantee System (PGS) groups, Palau’s Small Business Development Centre, and the Palau Bureau of Agriculture and Chamber of Commerce to draft a Palau National Organic Policy. National Organic Policies are vital to building high integrity organic sectors, assure consumer confidence in organic labelling and create public-private partnerships. The national organic policy drafting process brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including women leaders and women’s groups transitioning to organics, to the policy table, in turn enhancing women’s public leadership in agriculture. Once passed into legislation, the National Organic Policy will increase national focus on the agriculture sector, food security, access to healthy food, and the value of agricultural products. In Palau, “a mesei a delal a telid” means “the taro patch is the mother of our life.” Palau’s matriarchal and matrilineal culture holds traditional importance in the cultivating of their taro patches and farms. Women are the primary growers in Palauan society with subsistence agriculture and fishing being the second largest contributor to GDP after tourism. Though this traditional knowledge goes back generations, socio-economic changes in the country are leading to a disinterest in farming and a move toward other livelihood opportunities. This growing disinterest limits opportunities for mothers to pass on traditional knowledge and farming methods to their daughters. Women have traditionally held positions of power and respect in Palau communities. Unlike patriarchal countries, however, women’s high positions and power is not reflected in other spheres in the country, such as government leadership and businesses. A 2018 Scoping Missions Report found that women in Palau work hard to meet cultural and community obligations as well as family care responsibilities. Though they make up nearly half of the labour force, they are significantly less likely to run businesses. Ms Flavia Ciribello, Gender and Value Chains Adviser for the Pacific Ethical and Organic Trade Community (POETCom) says that, “While men are traditionally involved in fishing activities, women are considered the primary growers. Leveraging on women’s roles as guardians of traditional agricultural practices, the POETCom project Building Prosperity for Women Producers, Processors and Women-Owned Business through Organic Value Chains (BPWP) supports women’s associations to transition to organic agricultural practices while addressing key issues along organic value chains and helping them engage in both the policy and public space.”Organic agriculture is a key contributor to sustaining Pacific cultures and communities and, in Palau’s case, it plays a role in maintaining and passing on women’s traditional knowledge and farming practices. BPWP is implemented by POETCom, a project of the Pacific Community’s Land Resources Division supported by the Australian Government. BPWP is a project implemented by SPC’s POETCom, which is part of the Land Resources Division (LRD). BPWP works with individuals, families, producers and vendors, as well as with organic governance structures, to promote gender equality and achieve the overall goal of women’s access to improved and sustainable livelihoods through participation in organic value chains. BPWP believes that when women have better access and sustainable livelihoods, it creates opportunities for […]
