-Palauan proverb
Kukau holds a central place in Palau’s history, culture, and identity, tracing back to ancient times. The traditional practice of cultivating taro in wetlands is a unique and rich aspect of Palauan heritage, underpinned by extensive traditional knowledge and skills. Palau primarily grows three types of taro—Colocasia, Cyrtosperma, and Xanthosoma—with Colocasia boasting about 100 varieties today. Despite its historical and cultural importance, taro’s prominence in the daily diet is waning, replaced increasingly by rice and cassava. Revered in legends, proverbs, and customs, taro is deeply intertwined with Palauan identity, embodying values of diligence, responsibility, and community.
There are multiple kukau production systems. Mesei, or cultivated taro fields, refers to growing and cultivating kukau (Colocasia esculenta), or purple taro. Taro fields are tilled which requires turning the soil, putting in mulching materials, covering the soil, and planting. Harvesting taro corm involves cutting the taro corm from the stem and scraping dirt and roots from the corm.
Planting season follows lunar cycles or ocean tides.
Weed Control: Manual weeding is done by using a hoe or scythe. The weeds are removed in between plants and between rows. Weeds near the base of the plants are hand-pulled. Once the leaf canopy closes, weeding is no longer done.
Fertilization: One month after planting, a handful of compost or manure and a handful of inorganic fertilizer (10-30-10) are placed about 7 cm around the base of each plant and then covered with soil.
Pest and Disease Control: There are four main pests to kukau: cluster caterpillar, taro hornworm, melon aphid, and taro leafhopper.
There are two main diseases: Taro Corm Rot and Taro Leaf Blight. There are multiple methods of control for Taro Corm Rot, including application of lime to increase soil pH and application of chicken manure to support the health of the microorganismal ecosystem. Night-time temperatures of 20-22 C and 100 % relative humidity with light rains or dew in the morning increase the severity of the Taro Leaf Blight fungus.
For centuries Palauans have been living in harmony with nature. Their daily lives are intertwined with the land and the sea and oral histories reveal the core Palauan value of respect ‘omengull’ that has built resilient communities over time, with kukau cultivation systems as part of sustainable watershed systems which serve as natural filtering systems for streams, mangroves, and estuaries resulting in healthy ecosystems, both on land and in the near-shore environment.
Agricultural production contributes to only about 2% of Palau’s GDP (as of 2021). Palau’s agriculture can be categorized into three types:
As urban employment opportunities are increasingly available to younger generations, there are fewer people, and particularly women, practicing traditional farming. Another barrier reported by suppliers and buyers is the lack of a central marketplace. There is demand for an organic certification, which could increase the economic value of Palau’s products and open up the potential for export. The first group of women-owned taro farms was certified under the Pacific Organic Standard in 2022.
Palau has 81 taro varieties. See Taro Production in Palau in the Resources section for comprehensive descriptions.
Climate change refers to significant, long-term shifts in global weather patterns and temperatures, primarily driven by increased concentrations of ‘greenhouse gases’ like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These changes result from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. These greenhouse gases trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere resulting in the rise of global average temperature, melting polar ice, sea-level rise, and more frequent extreme weather events, all of which pose substantial risks to ecosystems and human societies.
In the context of Palau, these global changes manifest as higher temperatures, stronger typhoons, coral reef loss, and coastal flooding, presenting significant challenges to Palau’s economy, environment, and communities. For information on climate variability, observed changes, and projected impacts in the Pacific region, please visit the Pacific Climate Change Monitor. For a country-specific look at the impacts of climate change across sectors in Palau, please visit the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA) for Palau.
Root crops are generally limited by disease and pets which are expected to increase activity with the predicted rise in temperature. Many traditional taro patches are also in low-lying areas vulnerable to saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise, as most traditional varieties of taro are not saltwater resistant). Several taro patches on Babeldaob are currently affected by this, especially during high tides. Salt water in taro patches can result in crop loss as high as 75-100%. In previous studies, 13 local and 6 introduced varieties were evaluated for salt tolerance in Ngimis, Ngatpang, Ollei, and Ngarchelong. The varieties Kirang, Dirrubong and Dungersuul were found to be salt tolerant (Del Rosario et al. 2015). Efforts to preserve taro varieties and to conduct research to determine which varietals are salt-tolerant are led by institutions like Palau Community College’s Cooperative Research & Extension, which maintains 68 varieties. For more detailed information about the impacts of climate change on kukau, please visit Taro Production in Palau.
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
The MAFE GEF 6 Website hosts Palau's Agricultural Plans and Policies, a page on Best Practices, and external status reports, among other resources.
Agricultural Mapping Report of Palau: A Review of the Agricultural Sector and Related Conditions, Palau Organic Growers Association (2021)
Mesei: Taro Field Landscapes in Palau, Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg and Julita Tellei (2014)
Mesei: Restoration Development, Management of Ngarchelong Taro Fields and Landscapes, Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg, Julita Tellei, Meked Besebes-Rdiall, and Motil Timarong-Kewii (2015)
Taro Production in Palau, Aurora G. Del Rosario, Nelson M. Esguerra, and Thomas Taro (2015)
Agricultural Sector Diagnostic Assessment: Final Report, World Bank (2023)
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