So—————————— tere individual /6 acre pepper direction and agents. A pilot ction for local way at Ponape > far. A total of lished rice was yam, sweet ruit, pandanus, imber of other d mainly for the remaining potential and ich island place 1 the various Palau District, Hace of breadbreadfruit and ‘y land taro mportant food fam culture is fing a social 1 as serving Large yams, veral hundred 's old, play a :moniallife of prepared for planting yams and the fsame for all districts. Before any vines are carefully trained up live tree coconut replanting work is started in arbors. any’ island or municipality, the district Fagriculturist or his agent conducts an Although agricultural efficiency is agricultural survey to determine the very low compared to that of highly developed areas, it compares favorably with similar developing countries. The introduction of cacao to high islands for intercropping with coconuts, bananas, and breadfruit will increase by 50% the income per acre of land. New hybrid cacao types have been introduced to Ponape and Truk Atoll and so far show outstanding yield performance. The Ycondition of the coconut groves. Then a planting priority schedule is estabslished for each district based on agri- ‘cultural surveys. Selected seednuts tir the local area are supplied, sthough in some cases seednuts are fSimported from other districts. The f long-range coconutplanting program is §Saimed at thinning and bushing, §replacing senile and debilitated palms, highest yielding rand planting new areas. Available trees and those most resistant to disease will be selected and the seeds distributed to indigenous farmers for planting. The overall cacao program is indigenous labor and desire, trained @agricultural personnel, and material ‘incentives serve to motivate such a } F program. based on assisting local farmers in & promoting cacao production rather The Agricultural Division is urging than on promotion of large Zimprovement of transportation and Government or privately owned copra storage by demonstrating better demonstration farms. types of small boats and better wareIn order housing design for use in outlying to build Micronesia’s Fareas, reputation of producing high quality ¥ and premium-priced cacao, central & One Micronesian completed work fermentaries and processing plants #ptoward a master’s degree in general have been established in areas of fagriculture and two received their B.S. concentrated cacao production. Each degrees in agriculture. Three other central fermentary has one or more .Micronesians are studying for degrees mechanical rotary cacao driers. Ponape Fin agricultural subjects at universities has two rotary driers installed; Truk, fin the Philippines and United States. one. ikBs «. practices are it subsistence uit, pandanus, $ are planted tion, Taro is the soil has use of fallen sompost. Dry The coconut, the most important ® Agricultural Experimentation 1 economic crop in the Territory, has In 1964, the Agriculture Division the highest priority for development. pbegan a black pepper project in A Territory-wide, long-range coconut Ponape to establish 400 pepper replanting program is in its eighth year pBardens of [00 vines each by 1970. of operation. The program has been EThis goal will be achieved before the augmented by the assistance of 40 yend of fiscal year 1969. Each pepper Pe ace Corps Volunteers who ne spi : : have been i:gardener receives an interest-free loan Part VI-—-Economic Advancement (Fiscal Year 1968 The rice project at Ponape continues. Twenty-five acres of new paddy land are under cultivation making a total of 50 acres. A rice technician from the Philippines continues as project supervisor. Six groups of Ponapeans are clearing land and building paddy fields for growing rice in four municipalities. Two Ponapeans who were sent to Taiwan for a 6month on-the-job training program in rice culture last year are providing additional technical and extension coverage to the farmers. Improvement of existing subsist- ence crops is being achieved through selection and propagation of higher yielding, disease-resistant varieties, and by demonstration and training in better cultivation and fertilization practice. American and Micronesian extension workers handle the extension service program of the Agriculture Division. Food Supply Some areas of the Territory do not have a well-balanced food supply, but rarely do serious shortages of food occur except when major disasters, such as typhoons, strike. The Administration and local governments send relief supplies after a disaster until sufficient food is available from local 61 a . Saeo Oy —— hape ona small fof 40,000 coconut seedlings planted. in Ponape, where holes are specially ‘The program’s main elements are the of $200 to use for purchase of fern posts for plant supports and fertilizer. He will begin paying back his loan after his pepper garden comes into production. Each year the Government retains a portion of his crop until the entire loan is liquidated. Local farmers on Ponape have established 350 (100-vine) pepper gardens. About 5,000 pounds of black and white pepper have been processed from the Ponape demonstrational planting and private farms. i™ of cacao beans 3lack pepper is assigned to the various atolls. During ithe year about 1,000 acres of groves Ewere thinned and bushed and upwards “ko sible minimum land row crop agriculture is practiced to some extent in Palau and the Marianas. In the other districts very little ground cultivation is done except ” 10 may become onape and Truk