YAP, FSM. Dr. Murukesan Krishnapillai, Researcher/Extension Specialist, Cooperative Research and Extension.
Yap celebrated its 49th Annual Yap Day from March 1-3, 2017. Yap Day is undoubtedly the most important celebration to acquaint everyone with the Yapese cultural milieu. It is a time of for endless enjoyments: learning about Yapese culture, history, society, and heritage on the ‘island of stone money,’ savoring local food, and acquiring traditional craft souvenirs. The most prevalent form of celebration during the Yap Day Festival is dance. This is also an occasion to highlight education activities and local development programs.
As part of its ongoing research, outreach and extension education, Yap CRE showcased various climate smart food production systems and low-cost urban garden models to impart knowledge about the importance of nutritious vegetables. This was a booth about food and nutrition security, explicitly addressing climate resilient development through adaptation efforts at the community level that reduce vulnerability by securing nutrition under a changing climate. A variety of nutritious fruit and leafy vegetables from CRE demonstration gardens and program clients, including USAID’s Pacific-American Climate Fund project on Climate Adaptive Agriculture and Resilience beneficiaries, were on display and sale. One of the vertical urban garden models – a salad wall – attracted special attention from visitors.
This collective effort of CRE staff, agriculture interns, work-study students, and CAAR project beneficiaries received wide acclaim from visiting dignitaries including the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, U.S. Ambassador, Japanese Ambassador, delegation from the Republic of Palau, and other officials, who were delighted to see a rich display of vegetables. Our booth on climate-smart food production systems was a novelty during this year’s Yap Day.
