New grant for Tonga,
pp. 50-52 · Read in the full issue
Solomons, farm research
A grant of about $350,000 has been made to the University of New England by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), a statutory authority established by the Australian Government to promote research on the agricultural problems of deve loping countries.
The grant will enable re search workers headed by Associate Professor Brian Hardaker and Euan Fleming, of the UNE’s department of agri culture economics and business managment, to investigate opportunities for development of small-holder agriculture in Tonga and the Solomons.
The project is to start in mid-1984 and will finish to wards the end of 1986.
This will allow the resear chers the time to carry out an intensive study of the agricul ture of each country for at least 12 months and thus to collect
data over a full seasonal cycle.
Most of the on-site work will be undertaken by specially appointed research staff who will be assisted by local people in both Tonga and the Solo mons.
Professor Hardaker said that as well as employing other short-term consultants, he and Mr Fleming hoped to use the services of an anthropologist whose role would be to assess the acceptability of different technologies which may be in troduced into the existing Ton gan and Solomons socio-eco nomic framework.
ACIAR will simultaneously fund a project parallel to that directed by the UNE to allow Dr Satish Chandra of the Austra lian National University to re view the available improved agricultural technologies in the South Pacific. His conclusions will be useful to the UNE workers in suggesting improve-
merits to the existing farming systems.
Both Mr Fleming and Profes sor Hardaker already know the South Pacific region well. Mr Fleming spent two years teaching in the agriculture facul ty of the University of the South Pacific in Western Samoa and has worked in other South Pacific countries, as has Profes sor Hardaker who, over the last 15 years, has made several working visits to Tonga.
Flip-flop op.
in Ponape
Ponape, in Micronesia, has opened a factory to make what most people call flip-flops, New Zealanders call jandals, Austra lians call thongs, and Japanese call zoris. Production seems to have gone well with 15,000 pairs made in the first month, according to Anson Chong, director of Ponape’s Economic Development Authority.
Sales have been good. The locally-made zoris are cheaper than imported brands. How ever, a slight problem deve loped with the larger sizes. ’’Heavier people tended to wear down the sole faster, so we have had to order tougher material. ”
The factory was established
to replace imports and thus save foreign exchange, but Ponape is looking towards ex ports to other FSM states and then Pacific countries as soon as local demand has been satis fied.
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Rheem Australia Ltd., has won a three-year contract for the supply of solar water heaters to the government of Papua New Guinea. The previous contract, also helcl ky Rheem against stiff international competition, was valued at almost $500,000.
Under the terms of the con tract Rheem will supply solar water heaters to government organisations and Rheem offi cials believe demand will ex ceed predicted levels because of the government’s increasing commitment to solar water heating as a cost-saver in ener gy use.
The contract was awarded to Steamships Trading, Ltd., Rheem distributors for PNG.
The company s solar water heater features a copper collec tor panel with a selective sur face developed by the Austra lian C.5.1.R.0. This surface pre vents heat loss from the collector panels
Euan Fleming (left) and Brian Hardaker study a Solomon Islands map in preparation for their work on the ACIAR farm research project.