In my last two blog posts, post #1 introduced early developments in Papua New Guinea's oil palm industry and then pointing to its significant outcome today in terms of increasing population in the Land Settlement Schemes (LSS) oil palm blocks. Post #2 - "Coping With Overcrowding Under The Palms" - described how farming families responded to this change and other associated socio-economic factors by shifting their patterns of production and livelihood.
These shifting patterns or production strategies have both advantages and disadvantages to the farming families and communities. One advantage (and is more likely the only advantage) is that the new strategies tend to relieve multi-household families from intense pressure when it comes to remunerating harvests and upkeep labour and sharing of oil palm earnings. The disadvantages, however, are diverse and add to further constraints to economic productivity, social stability and disturbances to the surrounding eco-system.
That is, to some extent, they tend to influence unsustainable farming practices, of which some contribute to disturbances of the surrounding natural environment, while others act as further disincentives to proper social and economic development under the palms.
The ISOP Farmer Trainings that I undertook in July till December, 2013, was a very interactive approach for me and my small team. We collected helpful feedback from participants revealing bad choices they made.
This short post will uncover one major environmental issue and associated unsustainable practices with corresponding impact.
These shifting patterns or production strategies have both advantages and disadvantages to the farming families and communities. One advantage (and is more likely the only advantage) is that the new strategies tend to relieve multi-household families from intense pressure when it comes to remunerating harvests and upkeep labour and sharing of oil palm earnings. The disadvantages, however, are diverse and add to further constraints to economic productivity, social stability and disturbances to the surrounding eco-system.
That is, to some extent, they tend to influence unsustainable farming practices, of which some contribute to disturbances of the surrounding natural environment, while others act as further disincentives to proper social and economic development under the palms.
The ISOP Farmer Trainings that I undertook in July till December, 2013, was a very interactive approach for me and my small team. We collected helpful feedback from participants revealing bad choices they made.
This short post will uncover one major environmental issue and associated unsustainable practices with corresponding impact.
Poor Buffer Zone Maintenance
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| Buffer Zone Specification. Source: PNG Logging Code of Practice. |
Where the block is close to a permanent creek or stream, costal shoreline, lake or swamp, a buffer zone of undisturbed natural vegetation must be established and maintained along the waterside. These buffer zones are to ensure that the soil along the waterside remain undisturbed and stable to minimise the risk of erosion. These undisturbed buffer zones also act as a trap to contain surface run off of sediments before entering the water body.
As LSS smallholder families grow, likewise the number of households on the block. The traditional "wok-bung" sharing system is slowly being replaced with the "makim-mun" and "brukim-blok" production strategies. Though the reason for adopting the two latter strategies are a means of minimizing inter-household tensions, smallholder blocks practicing these strategies show considerably poor buffer zone management.
Why is this so?
It should be noted that when the early migrants first settled the schemes, "wok-bung" was the norm. Harvest and upkeep work, sharing of earnings as well as good buffer management was well maintained because the block had one household head. Multi-household blocks, however, have multiple managers or in some cases, none at all. And if they practise "makim-mun" or "brukim-blok", the work of maintaining the block is not properly co-ordinated. This affects the management of buffers as well since the pressures of overcrowding compounded with low income per capita force farmers to convert available pieces of land into oil palm plantings.
How Does Poor Buffer Management Contribute To Disturbances Of Water-Systems?
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| Buffer zone converted to oil palm. This leads to 'Sedimentation', 'Eutrophication' and 'Erosion'. The result of overcrowding. |
Clearance of new planting sites, preparation of soil prior to planting or replanting, the application of agro-chemicals such as fertilizer and herbicides (including pesticides) all have significant impacts on the quality of surface waters. Four types of impacts on surface water can be distinguished;
1. Sedimentation
2. Eutrophication
3. Toxic Contamination
4. Smallholder Activities
2. Eutrophication
3. Toxic Contamination
4. Smallholder Activities
Types Of Impact On Surface Water
EROSION
Intense rainfall can mobilise large amount of sediments from exposed soil surface that find their way into nearby creeks and streams. Unless effective measures are taken (such as green mulching), erosion is most likely to occur.
EUTROPHICATION
Excessive nutrients in lake or body of water, usually caused by run offs of nutrients, animal waste, fertilizer or sewage from the land, causes dense growth of plant life. The decomposition of plants depletes the oxygen supply of the water leading to death of animal life.
TOXIC CONTAMINATION
The excessive use of fertilizer (in excess of prescribed dosage and rate of application) and the application of chemicals during wet weather can increase the amount of chemicals entering surface water through surface run offs into creeks and water ways. This process is maximized when farmers apply fertilizers during periods of rain. The risk of toxic contamination of surface waters can also arise from inappropriate or careless storage and disposal of pesticides and pesticide containers.
SMALLHOLDER ACTIVITIES
Smallholders themselves can have negative impacts on water supply. This can be through inappropriate sitting of toilets, use of laundry soap and bleach while washing clothes, also through the inappropriate washing of containers containing hazardous chemicals. Further, the potential public health risk is severe as the faecal coliforms can survive a considerable length of time in soil and water.
When the LSSs was established, rivers and creeks play an important part in marking out block bounderies. The rear end of the property is left for household gardening and sometimes acts as a buffer zone for the river or creek.
However, blocks situated near creeks and rivers would more likely disturb the water's quality, especially if these blocks are densely populated and fall into the category of "makim-mun" or "brukim-blok" practices.
Most of these water-ways are still used by farming families because most cannot afford to build water wells or even purchase water tanks. Hence, the likely impact on future generations would be a grave concern.
What then would be one solution?
Government extension (OPIC), the milling company (NBPOL) and NGOs are coming up with solutions - partial or complete - to specific constraints in smallholder palm oil sustainable production. Solutions are situation-specific, arising out of particular biophysical, tenurial, market and policy conditions.
Government extension (OPIC), the milling company (NBPOL) and NGOs are coming up with solutions - partial or complete - to specific constraints in smallholder palm oil sustainable production. Solutions are situation-specific, arising out of particular biophysical, tenurial, market and policy conditions.
Empowering Young Farmers
For my team of advocates, we have reason to believe that third generation LSS farmers are becoming influential in almost all decisions concerning the management of the family block. They are also vulnerable to adopt ill-informed beliefs that shape negative decisions.
The ELCPNG Palm Youth for Eco-Justice through SPSN-supported "Integrated Sustainable Oil Palm (ISOP) Farmer Trainings" aims to target these youth and empower them with the knowledge to know what it means to become good stewards of God's creation whilst going about their oil palm business. Essentially, what is the biblical connection in this responsibility.
In my next blog post, I highlight the trainings my team and I undertook since July 2013, our learning experiences and the challenges we look forward to in 2014 and beyond.
We would like to thank SPSN (Strongim Pipol, Strongim Nesen) for the necessary financial support to produce the "Financial Literacy" handbook; and OPIC (Oil Palm Industry Corporation) for using their equipments and logistics. Their support has opened a venue for ELCPNG Palm Youth to expose the need for sustainability.
We would like to thank SPSN (Strongim Pipol, Strongim Nesen) for the necessary financial support to produce the "Financial Literacy" handbook; and OPIC (Oil Palm Industry Corporation) for using their equipments and logistics. Their support has opened a venue for ELCPNG Palm Youth to expose the need for sustainability.
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