Green light for Galip nut research
Prior to the current pandemic Agnes Sumareke, a forestry and Remote GIS Sensing specialist based at the Forest Research Institute in Lae, had developed plans to conduct research that would advance the development of the emerging Galip nut Industry. When COVID-19 forced lock-downs it looked as if the project would be suspended indefinitely.
Mendi born Agnes Sumareke has worked in forestry science in Papua New Guinea for over sixteen years. Two thirds of her country is covered by forests, 97% of which are held under custom landownership. For a woman passionate about the environment and helping her community, agroforestry provides a welcome opportunity to uplift livelihoods at the same time as protecting the natural environment.
The potential of new technologies to improve natural resource management caused Agnes to focus in on GIS and Remote Sensing in her role as Research Officer at the Papua New Guinea Research Forest Institute (PNGFRI). There she specialises in developing techniques to rehabilitate degraded and deforested areas. At the same time Agnes is involved in forest tree surveying and mapping, biomass and carbon stock calculation.
In early 2020 Agnes had just returned to PNG after taking part in the prestigious Meryl Williams Fellowship leadership program and was on the lookout for new career development opportunities. As part of this exploration, Agnes developed ideas for a Galip nut resource survey using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques, which would support existing investments in Galip nut research.
The Galip nut has a smooth, milky flavour that is transformed once dried and roasted. Indigenous to PNG and harvested in the wild, the nut has the potential to become a significant agroforestry commodity, sustaining livelihoods across the Pacific with positive environmental, social and economic impacts. Supporting the effort to commercialise it tied in perfectly to the values-based approach to leadership that Agnes had discovered during the Meryl Williams Fellowship.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, opportunities to fund new projects seemed bleak and it looked as though Agnes would have to abandon her new research plans.
Then in April 2020 the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) announced an Alumni Research Support Facility supporting ACIAR Alumni to quickly respond to vulnerabilities in agricultural systems exposed by the pandemic. In total 40 grants of up to $20,000 AUD were awarded and Agnes was amongst the successful applicants.
Thanks to ACIAR’s quick response funding, the project is now going ahead and Agnes will collaborate with Dr. Craig Nitschke, Associate Professor in Forest and Landscape Dynamics at University of Melbourne. Agnes explained:
“Basically, my project is about spatially assessing the distribution and abundance of Galip nut trees using the GIS and remote sensing techniques. I will be modelling out presence of Galip nut across forested landscapes and quantifying the density and supply of Galip nut in the Lowlands of PNG.
Currently, local farmers are very interested in domesticating Galip trees to increase food security and generate income. Galip produces high quality, edible, nutritious nuts that have a great potential for marketing which will enable the local farmers and communities to improve their livelihoods. Galip nuts are already processed and sold in some supermarkets in East New Britain and Port Moresby.
This study will support the ACIAR and IFAD’S effort to commercialise Galip nut. It is important to assess and take stock of its availability as it will be considered as preparatory research for future external shocks like COVID-19. The output of this research will provide much-needed spatial information in the form of thematic maps on distribution, abundance, growing stock and biomass of Galip. Further field surveys conducted by IFAD/NARI in the near future can be used to improve the models and generate more useful information on the age, health conditions, crown diameter and other forest parameters.
Beside modelling, I will also be producing land use classification maps. These maps are important for future land use planning and management. Collaborating institutions or others can use these maps for future research projects. For instance, PNGFRI will utilize these maps to identify suitable sites for establishing rehabilitation trials and seed orchards for Galip nut germ plasm improvement projects.”
Congratulations Agnes, we look forward to an update on the research results -and hopefully a sample of the Galip nut!
Information about ACIAR’s work improving rural livelihoods through family-focused community reforestation and agroforesty in PNG can be found here.