Reviving Traditional Croplands to Improve Community Climate Resilience

Abstract

Small islands such as Palau are highly vulnerable to Climate Change. Rising tides and extreme weather events are two climate effects that are negatively impacting Palauan communities. These effects coupled with changing demographics and urban development, have resulted in watershed degradation and declines in agriculture and coastal fisheries productivity. Given Palau’s dependence on the health of its ecosystems to its economic and social objectives it is essential that Palau address these vulnerabilities, if its communities are to become resilient in the face of a changing climate. To resolve these challenges, Palau is looking to its past to inform the development of solutions that can be applied now and into the future. One solution is to adapt successful traditional soil conservation practices utilized in taro farming to modern farming and storm water management practices. The benefits of implementation of these agro-ecological farming principles in farming and as guidelines for development include increased food, environmental and economic security which are the cornerstones of resilient communities.