Priority Achievement

Tissue Culture

SPC in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture have an understanding to import Tissue Culture of mostly crops that are non-vulnerable to climate change. The idea was to promote food security issues

Include in the Importing of these Tissue Culture are Potato, Cassava, Giant Taro and “Dalo ni Tana”, Pulaka and Banana Culture. It was targeted the interested farmers that want to raise these types of variety in their farm/garden. The tissue culture has been in the care of a senior official of the Department, Mr. Fialua Monise

When at first, the first tissue culture arrive into the country contains only Banana culture on the first phase of the Banana Project. Currently, the officer in charge is still awaiting a respond from his request to extend the project timeframe. At the moment, National Adaptation Program of Action project in Tuvalu (NAPA) seems to be interested in this tissue culture project which makes them import more tissue culture with different varieties from SPC. Meanwhile, SPC send the tissue culture and an officer to demonstrate the tissue extraction from culture to polythene bags before transplanting into beds

There is a surprise from a farmer who lodge a report about a banana corm he extracted from a friend. He replanted this corm and to his surprise, the corm was split into two. He was curious about what happened where he reported it to Agriculture Extension Official for awareness. He suggest further that he will get two yield on a time of harvest if this banana tree successfully grown into a mature tree

Considering food security issues, this Tissue Culture program might promote good food security secureness and can assist locals in times of drought and cyclone seasons. The program also have many blessing from the locals as it seem to help promote their livelihoods