Australia funds trials of macuna bean on Taveuni

17 August 2010

On-farm trials have begun, with Australian government funding, to introduce macuna bean cultivation on Taveuni. The macuna bean is already being used in Central America to assist farmers to adopt sustainable agriculture.

Farms using the “magic” macuna bean have been able to increase production without the aid of chemical fertilisers, weed killers or pesticides. It has been reported that within a year, the macuna bean is able to ‘fix’ 150 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare and by cutting the cover crop and allowing the leaf materials to compost naturally it can provide the farmer with up to 35 tonnes of “green manure” per hectare.

The trials on Taveuni are in response to declining soil fertility across the island. This has been indentified as one of the challenges for rehabilitating the local dalo industry in the aftermath of Cyclone Tomas.

Taveuni is a key area for dalo production and currently produces 80% of all exported Tausala dalo, with receipts of up to $14 million a year.

The research project is being carried out by the Fiji Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) with the technical assistance of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

“These trials will provide hard data on the results of the application of macuna bean to different soil types on the island and how it can be used in conjunction with other soil fertility treatments such as bio-brew to get the best results for the farmers in Taveuni,” said Mr Malcolm Bossley, AusAID Program Manager for Economic Growth & Rural Development.

The Officer in Charge of the Government Research Centre in Taveuni, Mr Rohit Lal, said the latest Australian government assistance was additional to the agriculture inputs that were provided to help commercial dalo farmers in Taveuni to replant their land following Cyclone Tomas.

“Through these macuna bean trials we hope to address the long-term sustainability of the industry,” Mr Lal said. “From what we have seen, the macuna bean produces a substantial amount of organic matter per hectare and by cutting a single stem the foliage will die. The leaf material then composts naturally allowing healthy soil to be created. It really is a magic bean.”

Funding for the macuna bean research trials on Taveuni is part of the wider agriculture rehabilitation support provided by the Australian Government following Tropical Cyclone Tomas.

The funding support totals FJ$290,000.

ENDS