SUSTAINABLE
FAMILY LIVELIHOOD IN PALAU
Pacific
Regional Equitable and
Sustainable
Human Development Programme
Suva,
Fiji
October
1995
Sustainable Family Livelihood in
Palau
Promoting Informal employment and Sustainable Livelihood, more popularly known by its lyrical acronym IESL, has placed Palau’s traditional food producers on center stage and refocused, in the process, the developmental concerns of policymakers, local government officials, as well as private sector entities, NGOs and community groups.
IESL
is the core rural development strategy of the Palau Sustainable Human
Development Programme launched in early 1995 by the Government, through the
Rural Working Group and PCAA. The UNDP
Pacific Regional Equitable and Sustainable Human Development Programme (ESHDP)
provides technical and funding assistance to the vigorous advocacy and
promotion of IESL in Palau.
Through
well-sustained information, training, action planning and actual field
demonstration activities, IESL promotion has resulted in the current
broad-based and formal recognition o the vital role of local community groups
and individual households in food production, and in activities to conserve,
protect and enhance the environment.
IESL
advocacy now includes efforts to motivate the youth in food production both for
home consumption and to add to the family income.
IESL
activities in Palau can be categorized as follows:
v Small-scale
food production activities carried out as subsistence or traditional means of
livelihood for home consumption and/or clan-based traditional activities
(feasts, “house parties,” etc.) done mostly by women’s groups and individual,
unorganized subsistence fisher folks;
v Marketing
of surplus food produce and, minimally, other items (handicraft, spear guns,
etc.);
v Provision
of services (food catering; farm clearing, etc.).
Specific
activities carried out as unlicensed or unorganized commercial operations
include the selling of betel nuts; raising pigs; gathering coconuts; collecting
and selling seafoods; production of coconut oil; weaving (bags, mats, hats,
hand fans, grass skirts, kebui case); selling smoked fish; and wood carving
(“story boards”). A recent study
estimates the value of the betel nut trade in excess of $9 million a year.
Trained intensively by ESHDP, national
trainers conducted state-level workshops to enable the 15 rural States and
Koror to evolve their respective action plans on IESL. Major findings from these workshops have
further highlighted the importance of IESL to Palau’s economy and way of life:
v The
women’s group and local fishermen themselves have estimated that the total
annual food production from small-scale operations amounts to USD5.2 million.
v Of this
production, USD4.1 million or 79% find their way to market outlets; USD597,146
(11%) are consumed by the family; and USD508,629 (10%) are contributed to
traditional feasting and other activities.
v A total
of 2971 persons are involved, 1305 or 44% of whom are women. The young people engaged in IESL activities
number 303; the elderly, 291; and individual households, 161 with a total of
805 members.
v Crop
production is done home-based; hence the women need not sacrifice child rearing
to procuring food or earning cash income.
The following major trends will further enhance the importance of IESL to Palau’s economy and way of life:
v While
imports have drastically increased ($22 million in 1991; $41 million, 1992; and
$45 million, 1993), there has been an equally marked decrease in exports ($46
million in 1992; $32 million, 1993).
v Balance
of payments deficit likely occur as Compact funds decrease. Food imports amount to $100,000 a month or
more than $1 million a year. In 1990,
the country imported 750 tons of rice valued at $380,036 and 37.5 tons of
vegetables valued at $42,524.
Productivity in the informal sector will have to increase to complement
efforts to substantially replace food imports.
v Unskilled
unemployment amongst Palauan youth is anticipated to increase. Their involvement in IESL activities can
arrest the trend.
Policy
guidelines are needed to allow consistent and comprehensive support to existing
IESL activities as well as to encourage other sectors, particularly the youth,
to participate in food production activities.
Specific
policies need to ensure that:
v Women,
youth and other sectors have equitable access to land, sea and other resources,
as well as to market information and outlets;
v Credit
assistance is available to finance start-up and/or incremental capital
requirements for initialing and maintaining livelihood projects;
v Practical,
feasible and marketable technologies are disseminated to as many people as
possible to promote entrepreneurship and self-help;
v Non-formal
training on practical skills is provided to the management of micro-enterprises
and small business;
v Extension
services are consistently carried out for both technical and administrative
support for the continuing development of livelihood projects in the
communities;
v Institution-building
programmes are initiated to strengthen linkages between and amongst client
groups and service delivery organizations through fund-sourcing, “brokering,”
resource identification and mobilization, community organization and people
empowerment;
v Basic
service delivery programmes are in place such as health services, basic
education and infrastructure development (e.g. market, relocation to home
villages, etc.).
To
secure policy support to IESL, a high-level meeting was conducted on 6 March
1996 in Koror. A total of 70
participants from practically all sectors attended the meeting. The views expressed during the activity
indicated broad-based support to IESL promotion in Palau.
In
addressing the meeting, Vice President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. said the executive
branch is fully committed to IESL. He
expressed support to the suggestion that IESL promotion be included in the
Palau Master Development Plan.
Minister
of Health Masao Ueda said that he supports the proposal for the inclusion of
IESL in the Master Plan. He suggested
that a specific office be identified that will carry out the following tasks in
support of IESL: training; sourcing funds to expand or initiate activities; and
provide expertise if required by food producers.
Senator
Johnny Reklai noted that each state was in the process of preparing action
plans in support of IESL. He said these
plans deserve support from both the national and state governments.
Senator
Daiziro Nakamura recommended that IESL be included in the school
curriculum. He said he would support
legislation to promote IESL amongst the people.
Governor
Tadashi Sakuma of Ngaraard observed that IESL is a modern term for something
handed down form Palau’s ancestors. He
said it is about time the gift is used wisely by Palauans.
Governor
John Skebong of Ngaremlengui said Palauans now have to be taught how to eat
local foods. They prefer canned foods
which are expensive and may not be good for health.
Governor
Rudimch Titiml of Ngerchelong stressed that individual food producers need
support from the Agriculture department, particularly in training. Fisherfolks need to be assisted, too. He said IESL is a good strategy for family
development. They can keep young people
away from bars.
Governor
Charles Obichang of Airai recounted the monumental efforts exerted by the
Sisbangeau and Ngarayaml women’s organizations in promoting and actually
carrying out IESL activities.
Director
Maria Rehuher of the Bureau of Human Resources Development said the provision
of skills is important both for formal and non-formal employment. She said training people, particularly the
youth, requires support from policymakers.
Otoichi Besebes of
the Palau national Development Bank said that IESL needs to be included in the
Master Plan on account of its importance to Palau’s economy and way of
life. He informed that audience that
the bank has a window for giving out loans to women food producers in the rural
areas.
Sandra
Pierantozzi, President of the Palau Chamber of Commerce, commented that IESL is
the “iwesel’ or “bone of our life.” She
said support from the government and other sources are needed to be able to
expand IESL activities.
Jeff
Liew, coordinator of the UNDP-UNOPS Pacific Regional Equitable and sustainable
Human Development Programme (ESHDP), for his part said that through the
intensive 34 days of training, the trainers and programme staff have been made
aware that IESL is very much embedded in the Palauan way of life.
“It
touches on the family system, the ability to meet customary obligations,
providing an increasingly vital source of income, and it is concerned with ways
of protecting the natural resources, of preserving traditional knowledge and
practices which are rapidly being lost,” he noted. “It is about providing a sense of direction for the many young
women and men of Palau.”
Overwhelming Grassroots Support
In
promoting IESL in Palau, the programme has tapped apparently on the wellspring
of national identity and pride. At each
State, once the concept was understood, workshop participants would be
immediately one in saying that indeed IESL is something which has taken root in
the practices and values of the local communities.
In most States, IESL was perceived more as a way of life constantly eroded by foreign influences. There was overwhelming endorsement and support for IESL because it responded to a deeply felt need reaffirm traditional values and mobilize collective action towards sustainable family livelihood.
In
Melkeok, the Palauan translation of IESL (Mekekerei e lureor losisbellel a
keruul el mora delengchokl) was revised; the word keruul was changed to
kekewii. Keruul connotes production of
goods to meet cash needs enough to meet family requirements, while kekewii
means greater production towards self-sufficiency and surplus through the
cooperation of the people. Social
cohesiveness was given emphasis.
IESL
promotion is currently done through inter-agency arrangements, such as the
Rural Working Group, the inter-agency team of national trainers, the
state-level core groups on IESL and the multisectoral programmes carried out by
PCAA. As the planning, implementation
and monitoring of IESL activities become more institutionalized, shown by
formal linkages of community groups with natinal and state agencies, as well as
with relevant NGOs and commercial entities, there is perceived to be an urgent
need that programmed coordination be located at the appropriate level. This issue prompt and cohesive response to
IESL initiatives at grassroots level.
The
state action plans on IESL will require a broad range of services and technical
assistance from various sectors (agriculture, fisheries, education, women and
youth affairs, local government, etc.).
Hence, another crucial issue will be the inclusion of IESL support
activities in the plans and programmes of the concerned sectors.
It
has been repeatedly pointed out during the state-level action planning
workshops that the youth need to be drawn into the mainstream of local
community life through participation in home-based food production
activities. This will require formulation
of a comprehensive youth programme with IESL as core undertaking for all youth
groups in the various states.
The
provision of microcredit and/or revolving loan fund facility and the
establishment of a Koror-based central market for IESL produce have been the
two most popular demands from the community groups involved in IESL. These two proposals need to be studied as to
their feasibility and operational details worked out. Some OEK members have expressed support to these ideas.