With the rapidly growing global concern on food security in the midst of climate change, people all over the world are looking into the possibility of growing food in their own backyards.

Solving the problem of food, especially here in the CNMI, requires the fortification of the island’s agricultural systems. Agroforestry is one way.

It may sound offputtingly scientific to most people but, as Solly Takai explains it, agroforestry is about building a food forest rather than just growing one crop in a monoculture system.

“It pretty much allows you to grow a diversity of crop species, where you are creating this environment where everything is working together to benefit each other,” said Takai, who is an extension agent at the Agricultural Production program of the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension, & Education Services.

This means growing different kinds of fruit trees, root crops, vegetables, crops for lumber, native plants, medicinals, and other plant species all in one plot of land. In the CNMI, this could be breadfruit and banana trees, sweet potato, taro, tapioca, root crops, among others.

Which is why NMC-CREES is pushing for agroforestry on the islands. Not only does it enhance food production so that people on the island will have food to eat, but it also keeps the soil moist and help conserve the land’s resources.

“We want to address food and nutritional security. We also want to build more resilient growing systems, and agroforestry is one of them. We are working with our Nutrition and Health program on this important multi-faceted endeavor,” Takai said, adding that they are trying to promote a more restorative farming on the islands.

“Subsistence means you and I can grow it in our backyard, and we can take care of it. It really depends on how much time that we put into it. The factors that come to play is the management and the environment of the agroforest,” he added.

For people who want to grow an agroforest in their yards, Takai advises them to come to the upcoming workshop on agroforestry and to call CREES for assistance. Maintenance and management should also be put into consideration.

“Proper planning is key,” Takai said. “We are here to promote agriculture,” Takai said. “We’ve seen many, many storms come and go and what we hope to see is more people growing more food, whether it be at their farm, their homestead, or even in their backyard…to address the food security issue that we have on the islands.”

To learn more about agroforestry and/or to register for the workshop, contact Takai at 234-3276.

Making agriculture productive in a time of climate change

One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. With global population expected to increase to 2.2 billion by 2050, the world’s farmers would have to grow about 70% more food than what is now being produced.

Yet farmers also have to contend with the impacts of climate change, such as reduced arable lands, floods, wildfires, and reduced availability of freshwater.

That would require finding ways to adapt to a changing environment, especially among islanders, who are already faced with limited available land areas, according to Division of Agriculture director Jack Ogumoro.

“There is just so many things that are happening as a result of climate change, and some, if not most, will directly impact us,” Ogumoro said. “The best we can do is to find ways to adapt to our environment.”

One of these adaptation methods is the use of high tunnels in farming.

High tunnels are structures, usually covered with a layer of plastic and use solar heat, that are used by farmers to extend their crops’ growing season.

“The high tunnel is just another tool to allow farmers to plant crops that are seasonal,” Ogumoro said. “As a result, the plants, which are seasonal and grow at only certain time of the year, can be grown [for a] longer [period]. They can extend their [production period], they can survive, they can continue to produce and that’s because of the tunnel.”

For instance, with the high tunnel, if a farmer has a crop that only grows during the dry season, that plant can continue to grow even when the rainy season comes. The time the plant can continue to produce gets extended.

Right now, the Division of Agriculture has seven high tunnels, two of which have yet to be handed over to Rota and Tinian. The DA team is planning to go to both islands next month to set up the high tunnels.

The high tunnels are funded through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, a federal program under the Agricultural Marketing Services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It is our obligation to ensure that we reduce [activities] that contribute to climate change,” Ogumoro said. “We are now experiencing the frequency of typhoons here as a result of climate change. Folks in other parts of the world have been using this [high tunnel]. We are trying them out to experiment whether this is a good solution for our community here in the CNMI.”

As the CNMI government ratchets up efforts to prepare everyone for the economic stresses of the novel coronavirus outbreak, some members of the community are rallying to bring back the focus on farming with the launch of the Susupe Community Garden last Saturday.

The forces behind this effort—the Board of Parole, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research and Extension Education Services, Saipan Mayor’s Office, Miss Earth NMI, and Rep. Tina Sablan (Ind-Saipan)—came together to help create the first community garden project in the CNMI.

“This is really good timing,” Sablan said. “As everybody knows, we’re coming up on some very challenging economic times. All our families are going to be affected and this is a really good chance for us to go back to our roots, encouraging people to grow their own food in the community garden and in their homes.”

DLNR taught many children from the village on the proper way to plant seeds. One of the children, Kyra, said they are helping to protect the environment and to plant and have food.

Aside from being an avenue to raise food for residents in the area, the community garden is also intended to be the pilot project that would entice people, the youth included, to start doing more backyard gardening in their own homes.

Empowering farmers

“I want to bring back our farmers,” said Norma B. Carayoan, who works at the DLNR’s Division of Agriculture-Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, providing outreach, education, and training for farmers to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops on the island.

“We’re looking at critical things happening right now, and bringing back the farm life is the number one thing because right now, we don’t even know where we stand with the freight or shipping of our produce from the [United] States, so we got to look into farming,” Caraoyan added.

Since fiscal year 2019, the Division of Agriculture, through its five-member advisory panel, has been sub-granting over $300,000 to eligible applicants interested to farm, harvest, and market their specialty crops within the CNMI. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.

Projects eligible for funding are community gardening, adopt-a-farm project, student farmer projects, “back to our roots,” school gardening, and data collection and marketing. In the past, projects on high tunnels, backyard gardening, school gardens, and hydroponics have been funded.

Carayoan has been outreaching the program at the Nutrition Assistance Program office, and is currently working on a project with the man’amko. Those who are also interested may call 256-3318 or 256-3319, or visit the Agriculture office in Kagman.

Promoting a safe and healthy community

Through Board of Parole chair Ramon B. Camacho, parolees are given the opportunity to get reintegrated to the society and to give back to the community through the community garden project.

One of the parolees, Ray King, expressed appreciation for having been given the opportunity to establish a place for the community to start their own agricultural garden.

“The place that we have there [in Susupe] is the beginning station for the community to get the sprout and to develop their own garden…so instead of going to the market to buy vegetables and fruits, they have their own store in the backyard. It’s a nice way to start to give back to the community,” King said.

Camacho stressed that the community garden is a perfect area for the people to get together, work together, converse, and build a bond that could help people go through hard times.

“Here on the island, we have two major resources, water and land. We have to make use of it. Now that we have this impact, if there is no air, water transportation to bring the commodities, what are we going to put on the dining table? With no tourists coming in, [we need to] make sure that we still survive. Let’s start building relationships with our neighbors,” he added.

Agroforestry and stewardship

“Agroforestry is sustainable,” NMC-CREES extension agent Arnold Route stressed.

With news of people panic buying for food and goods around the world due to the coronavirus scare, some residents are realizing that there should be less dependency on external factors, and that food sustainability within the island is key.

Emphasizing food security, Route cited the other advantages of agroforestry: that it can be done in small areas such as homestead lots, it provides organic matter and nutrients, it provides soil with moisture, and it provides for wildlife habitat, with birds even helping with propagation.

DLNR Forest Stewardship program manager Pedro Tudela appealed to the community to protect and take care of the plants. Those who want to start a backyard garden can get the plants for free at CNMI Forestry.

“Come up to CNMI Forestry if you are interested. There is no money to pay, it is free. Everything is free,” Tudela said. “Gardening is the work of a lifetime. You never finish. I hope that while so many people are out there smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.”