Lines of pineapples run along cocoa trees, while pepper is grown in and around mango orchards.
These crops as well as fruit trees are marked with coloured paper on a cardboard model of a farm.
Working with farm models is how Francois Japiot and his team at the Chambre d’ Agriculture de Nouvelle-Caledonie (CANC) promote the merits of agroforestry in New Caledonia.
This is the message they have been preaching as they work with two farmer organisations on the country’s east coast.
“Here in New Caledonia, there are two systems of agriculture,” explained Japiot.
“One you have tribes that do agroforestry, and two you have large commercial farming.
“We at CANC focus on small farms in our line of work, promoting agroforestry, which is farming with trees, crops, livestock, mixing all of this together.
“What you will find that here in New Caledonia agroforestry is not only for small farmers but even big cattle ranches, owners see the need to plant more tress in and around their ranches.”
Agroforestry has a long history in the Pacific, so CANC is only promoting a line of agriculture that indigenous tribes in the French territory are very much familiar with.
It works particularly well for vanilla farmers, as trees grown in their farms provided much needed support for vanilla vines.
Vanilla farmers rely a lot too on bees for pollination, another reason why agroforestry is a natural fit because of the presence of flowering trees.
Besides this is also good for biodiversity.
Said Japiot: “Our projects have a bias towards youths, because we believe they are the future of agriculture in our country.
“That’s why we do demo farms, showing our young farmers how small farms work, how many kilo grammes of harvest can be produced by how many acres of land.
“We work therefore with farmer organisations on the east coast to select young farmers, including young women to run demo farms.
“How we do it is to identify 5 young farmers who advice and support of agricultural extension services officials, as well as the two agricultural colleges and one rural training college.
And whilst the COVID-19 pandemic had put a
are then invited to bring 10 more young farmers, and working with our other project partners, we build their network.”
In addition to demo farms, CANC has been organising trainings on how to design agroforestry systems.
Done in the form of workshops, participants work in groups to identify types of trees they need in their farms, be they shade trees, fruit trees, flowering trees
and so on.
By the time the workshop concludes, participants go home with an agroforestry plan for their farms, with each plan based on biodiversity and an organic
approach to agriculture.
“In the workshop, we ask questions like ‘what do you want to grow in your farm? Coffee? Cocoa? Taro? Yam?
“Then we work on a plan for each farm.
“Training also covers the types of seeds, nursery equipment (basic equipment, for example like fences to keep out wild boar, or using organic fertiliser), as
well as working with the region’s network of farmers.”
As part of its outreach on agroforestry in New Caledonia, the Chambre d’ Agriculture de Nouvelle-Caledonie has developed a manual on agroforestry.
Written in French, Japiot says the plan is to translate the book into English as well.
Among its many features, the manual lists 200 places and regions that are suitable for agroforestry in the territory.
It also contains a database on trees and crops that are best suited for agroforestry.
“Our survey is telling us that we also need to start coaching farmers about the new information regarding agroforestry, as well as on farming practices like building a nursery.
“To get a good production out of their farms, they will need a good plan and a good seedling bank, or nursery.”
Japiot and his team at CANC will be the first to tell you that they cannot do all this important work
alone.
Working with the agencies of the national government is therefore crucial, including calling on the dent on their work programme on agroforestry in the country’s east coast, CANC plans to resume with vigour once the all clear is given.