The Ausrrolion Development Studies Centre Norionol Universiry Monograph no.11 The adaptation of traditional agriculture The Development Studies Centre has been set up within the Australian National University to help foster and co-ordinate development studies within the University and with other Institutions. The work of the Centre is guided by an Executive Committee under the chairmanship of the Vice Chancellor. The Deputy Chairman is the Director of the Research School of Pacific Studies. The other members of the Committee are: Professor H.W. Arndt Dr W. Kasper Dr C. Barlow Professor D.A. Low Professor J.C. Caldwell (Chairman) Mr E.C. Chapman Dr T.G. McGee Dr R.K. Darroch Dr R.C. Manning Dr C.T. Edwards Dr R.J. May Mr E.K. Fisk Mr l.S. Mitchell Professor J. Fox Dr S.S. Richardson Mr J. L. Gold ring Dr L. T. Ruzicka Professor D.M. Griffin Dr R.T. Shand Mr D.O. Hay Professor T.H. Silcock Mr J. Ingram Dr R.M. Sundrum Professor B. L.C. Johnson Professor Wang Gungwu Dr G.W. Jones (Dep. Chairman) Professor R.G. Ward Development Studies Centre Monograph no.11 The adaptation of traditional agriculture: soc1oeconom1c• • problems of · urbanization ·EK Fisk, editor Series editor RIShand TheAustralian NationalUniversity Canberra me E.K. Fisk and the several authors 1978 © The work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication entry The adaptation of traditional agriculture. (Australian National University, Canberra. Development Studies Centre. Monograph; no. 11 ). ISBN 0 909150 58 3 1. Underdeveloped areas - Agriculture - Addresses, essays, lectures. 2. Agriculture, Primitive - Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Fisk, Ernest Kelvin, ed. 630' .9' 1724 Printed and manufactured in Australia by The Australian National University Summary This book examines the problems f otm.d in adapting traditional systems of agricultural production to the needs of urban markets. Particular emphasis is given to root crops , and for this reason some emphasis is also given to the Pacific region , where the problem being examined is still relatively fresh. The twenty chapters thus include contributions from a number of Pacific countries , but there are also maj or contribut ions from specialists from other parts of the world where such problems are of importance, and from people who are world authorities on some special aspects of the problem. The book arises from a week-long conference held at Honiara, Solomon Islands, in November 1977 and brings together the experience and ideas of a number of the world's leading workers in this field. v Contents SECTION A Introduction and theme paper Chapter 1 Introduct ion E.K. Fisk 3 Chapter 2 Adapting traditional agricultural systems to serve urban food markets E.K. Fisk 11 SECTION B Pacific case studies Chapter 3 Custom and money : integration or breakdown in Melanesian systems of food production Joel Bonnemaison 25 Chapter 4 Indigenous agriculture in the Solomon Islands G.J. Eele 46 Chapter 5 Food shortages in Western Samoa: towards a solut ion Sam Lellllg Wai 72 Chapter 6 Problems in stimulating outer islands saltfish production for the urban market in Tarawa , Gilbert Islands Roger Lawrence 93 Chapter 7 Adapting traditional agricultural systems to serve urban food markets: the Niue experience M. Tafatu 111 vii viii. Chapter 8 Co-operative yam gardens : an adaptation of a traditional agricultural system to serve the needs of the developing Tongan market economy R. R. Thaman 116 SECTION C Studies raising special issues Chapter 9 Some ideological considerations relating to tropical root crop production D.G. Coursey 131 Chapter 10 Progressing with the past: environ­ mentally sustainable modifications to traditional agricultural systems W. C. Clarke 142 Chapter 11 Organizing production and producing organization : the sociology of traditional agriculture Peter B. Huber 158 Chapter 12 The Kwai of Malaita: old values and new discontents R.M. Keesing 180 SECTION D Studies of other regions of the world Chapter 13 Root crops and their utilization in West Africa D.G. Coursey 199 Chapter 14 Options for Latin American colllltries in the development of integrated cassawa production programs John K. Lynam 213 ix Chapter 15 Focussing farming systems research on smallholder agriculture : experience from West Africa J.C. Flinn 257 Chapter 16 Some reflections on traditional Indian agriculture Nitish R. De 277 SECTION E Studies with more economic emphasis Chapter 17 A note on balance of payments consider­ ations in expanding traditional agriculture Kym Anderson 299 Chapter 18 The production , marketing and consumption of root crops in Fiji S. Chandra 303 Chapter 19 Grower response to connnercial crop production: a theoretical approach with practical policy implications A. Bollard 324 SECTION F Major emerging issues Chapter 20 Traditional agriculture and urbanization : policy and practice E.K. Fisk 345 x SECTION G The structure of rural supply to the Honiara market M.A. Bathgate (This section , owing to its length, has been published separately as Development Studies Centre Occasional Paper No 11 . ) Re ferences 379 Contributors and Participants 397 Section A Introduction and theme paper Chap ter 1 Introduction E.K.Fisk This book arises from a conference held in Honiara, Solomon Islands , in November 1977. 1 The topic of the conference was 'The Adaptation of Traditional Systems of Agricultural Production to serve the Needs of a Developing Market Economy' . Particular emphasis was given to root crops , and to problems of their production to supply urban markets in developing countries of the Third World. In this context, the term 'Traditional Systems of Agricultural Production ' was taken to include all aspects of the organ­ ization of production from the tilling of the soil and the allocation of land and labour resources to the distribution , processing, transport and marketing of the product, and its eventual preparation and consumption. There was some emphasis in the conference on the Pacific region , where the problem being examined is still relatively fresh , and where there remain substantial rural populations whose agricultural production systems have as yet been only modestly affected by commercialization . There were partici­ pants from most of the Pacific countries where these conditions prevail , and many of these were professional people concerned in practice with the problems of this adaptat ion in the context of the social , economic, political and agronomic conditions of their own countries . However , the conference was by no means confined to the experience of the Pacific region , and a special effort was made to secure the attendance of specialists from many other 1 This conference was organized by the Development Studies Centre of the Australian National University with substantial financial assistance and en couragement from the British Commonwealth Secretariat , the Agricultural Development Council In c. , and the Australian Development As sistance Bureau . 3 4 parts of the world , in order to benefit from experience gained in other regions where similar types of problems have been encountered, and where various adaptive processes have been attempted. The book comprises , in addition to this introduction , the main papers presented at the conference , together with two papers written by participants subsequently to fill a specific gap in the coverage of the subj ect , plus a final chapter which presents some ideas an d conclusions arising out of the conference . The origins of this particular conference date back to early 1972 , when I presented a paper entitled 'Adapting traditional agricultural systems to serve urban food markets'2 to the biennial Conference of Directors of Agriculture conducted by the South Pacific Commission in Lae , Papua New Guinea. That paper question ed the relative neglect of the highly productive indigenous root crop production systems in mo st agricultural development programs . This theme struck a chord of response from a number of the Pacific regional delegates , and suggestions were made by the Directors of Agriculture of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa and Niue , that it would be profitable to arrange a wider discussion of these particular issues at a high level conference devoted solely to that obj ective . The Honiara conference , and this book, are the result . Not all the persons invited to the conference were able to come . Notable, and particularly felt , were the ab sence of the Director of Agriculture of Western Samoa, Tauiliili Ouili, and that of the District Commissioner Northern Fij i, Ratu Epeli Kanaimawi, who were both active original proposers of the conference . Another serious disappointment was the absence of Dr H.N. Ntephe of the Nigerian Tuber and Root Crops Board, whose government was unable to release him at the last moment. A list of the participants is at the end of the book as Appendix A. The papers presented at the conference have been arranged effect a seventh here in six sections , to which is added in section which is being published separately by the Development Studies Centre . The arrangement is as follows : 2 Third Regional Conference of Directors of Agriculture , Livestock Production and Fish£ries , South Pacific Commission , Noumea, 1974, pp . 63-4 . 5 Section A. Introduction and theme paper Section B. Pacific case studies Section c. Studies raising special issues Section D. Studies of other regions of the world Section E. Studies with more economic emphasis Section F. Maj or emerging issues and separately Section G. A long paper by Dr Murray Bathgate entitled The Structure of Rural Supp ly to the Honiara Market in the Solomon Is lands. This arrangement was reached only with considerable difficulty and after much shuffling. In fact most of the papers bridge more than one section and as a result the arrangement is somewhat artificial .