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Systèmes agraires et économie du cocotier au Vanuatu : historique et perspectives

Jean-Pierre Labouisse
p. 11-18

Abstracts

At the end of the 19th century in the New Hebrides archipelago, coconut cultivation geared towards copra production was developed on colonial estates, then from the 1930s onwards by Melanesian smallholders, who saw it as a means of gaining a foothold in the trading economy. The expansion of coconut plantings transformed farming systems, led to changes in the plants cultivated, disrupted traditional land use practices, and resulted in monetarization and increased food dependency on imported products among rural populations. The recent drop in copra prices is severely affecting the economy of a small nation like Vanuatu, which is still highly dependent upon exports of this commodity. The production methods and low income derived from a declining commercial crop no longer meet the needs of stakeholders in the coconut commodity chain, and can no longer take up the challenge faced in the coming decades with the increasing requirements of a fast growing population. The country therefore needs to rethink its development strategy, by reconverting its farming systems and seeking new outlets for its coconut-based products. The author discusses the possibility of introducing food crops in old coconut plantations, and the decentralized production of copra oil for use as a biofuel.

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References

Bibliographical reference

Jean-Pierre Labouisse, “Systèmes agraires et économie du cocotier au Vanuatu : historique et perspectives”Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 118 | 2004, 11-18.

Electronic reference

Jean-Pierre Labouisse, “Systèmes agraires et économie du cocotier au Vanuatu : historique et perspectives”Journal de la Société des Océanistes [Online], 118 | Année 2004-1, Online since 01 June 2007, connection on 28 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/jso/69; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/jso.69

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About the author

Jean-Pierre Labouisse

CIRAD, c/oVanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre, P.O. Box 231, Santo, Vanuatu, jean-pierre.labouisse@cirad.fr

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Copyright

CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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