BIO STRATEGIES

Pape'ete, French Polynesia

An Overview Of Our Solution

Biodiversity is the key of a well-balanced agro-systems, Pacific Island Communities for millenniums have honorably fed their families and more, in implementing productive diversified environments, the concept is internationally now called : (diversified) agroforestry but it should be named “eco-cultural systems” as it has never been a matter of plants and animals only, but community managements based on accurate observations, harmonization, self education, etc. Agroecology is a well known part of eco-cultural farming, this term “Agroecology” is nowadays the convenient term of farming systems which works with and for Nature & Culture.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Corporation

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Oceans/Coasts

Population impacted

Depending of level of impact, several thousands

Size of agricultural area

5 hectares owned and much more for lands of operative clients

Production quantity

36 000 Kilos per year for Eden Parc (own farm)

People employed

4 people in partnership (not employed)

Describe your solution

The agro-ecology who is practiced by Bio Strategies takes care & is even based on ethical considerations. This aspect is progressing in global organic standards thanks to the Pacific Community. Bio Strategies intends to highlight the example of Pacific islands organic farmers who consider cultural & technical aspects as an integrated whole. Beyond organic rules, agro-ecology implemented by Bio Strategies also takes in account sustainable energy management, education, healthy preventive lifestyle. The company is particularly focused on addressing unprecedented erosion of biodiversity, fertility and cultural heritages which jeopardize human life. Our consulting and training works always considers preparing farmers and family gardeners to mitigate and face climate change and mainly by promoting well adapted agro-biodiversity (even according to micro-climates, soils, environments, culture, economical potentials, etc.). We organize agro-systems as nature has always done: settling trees (mainly fruit & nut trees) and integrating diversified crops. Actually, Agroforestry is the pillar of Agroecology. Our achievements have seen tangible and concrete blooming of native biodiversity just organizing agro-systems as above described where indigenous biodiversity is attracted and boosted making the agro-system more productive, sustainable and well-balanced. Appropriate structuring of an agro-system is key, we obtain excellent results

Describe your implementation

Bio Strategies specific activities addressing identified challenges: Considering cultural parameters in counselling, studies, trainings Promoting & implementing diversified organic agro-forestry systems which integrate adapted fruit trees that include appropriate other crops and / or livestock. Favoring specific nourishing fruit trees instead of cereals or pulses (tropical nuts, avocado varieties, palm trees, musa species, etc) since they are much more productive (One to several times more productive per hectare than cereals or pulses), they are very diverse, nutrient rich and more compatible with the human organism. This later consideration is of real importance since humans always wish to be the privileged element of biodiversity. Integrating tropical root crops for the same above reason (sweet potatoes, taro spp, yam spp, etc) Combining tropical vegetables since they are adapted, highly nutritious, very diverse, easy growing and mainly perennials. Encouraging planting of perennial plants reduces tillage & maintenance hence: they are crops that are easy to produce organically, do not disturb soil and environment biodiversity and instead ensure stable populations of beneficial organisms, Avoid soil erosion, pollution of watercourses, rivers, seas & oceans, so preserve aquatic biodiversity, Ground covers & mulching in organic farming contribute to avoiding carbon emission from soil leaching maintaining fertile carbon rich soils, avoiding high quantity of GHG from synthetic fertilizers, Growing trees is well known for the potential it offers for fixing carbon, Forests and healthy ecosystems have proven their ability to host the majority of the planet's biodiversity. Linking farming to enjoyable cooking and to active healthy & fruitful lifestyle. Adoption of the solutions: Benefits and advantages are so obvious, coherent and crucial. Enabling conditions: Communication for more education, training, capacity building, investment in agro-ecological land use

External connections

Partners-stakeholders in F. Polynesia (FP): Arue Municipal Council Faa’a Municipal Council Paea Municipal Council CPS (Caisse de Prévoyance Sociale : Social Welfare Fund) FASTE (a Professional Union of Physicians for Primary Prevention) Public Health Directorate Department for Prevention(DPP) Directorate for Education (DGEE) CAPL (Chamber of Agriculture and lagoon fisheries) Department for Rural Development FAPE (Federation of Associations for the Environment) Partners-stakeholders in the Pacific Islands: PoetCom (Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community) hosted by SPC (Pacific Community) New-Caledonia Chamber of Agriculture Efforts for policy and finance: Gilles Tehau Parzy, Bio Strategies CEO, has lobbied governmental authorities, as Chair of a famous association, since 2002 in order to obtain legal recognition for organic farming in F. Polynesia which was achieved in 2011 through a specific Country Law and then through its following decrees of implementation, sit as a full member of the Commission for FP Organic Agriculture, sit as a full member of the Pesticide Regulation Commission. Has been granted several times for subsidies for projects concerning organic development by French authorities for an audiovisual project about tropical plant biodiversity, by both FP and French authorities for the organization of a regional meeting in Tahiti (for PoetCom),by the FP development banks Sofidep and Socredo for the growth of Bio Strategies business.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Humanity is now at a crucial turn over about: • Its cultural values, that are unavoidable to ensure a well-balanced society since only culture consideration are able to settle serene social atmosphere and link properly agriculture with the respect of the environment. Technological solutions are just the tools for the main food challenge. • Feeding the world sustainably and qualitatively through organic, productive, sustainable and well balanced agro-systems. • Mitigating climate change and adapting human activities in order to suffer the least from it. • Managing properly the environment by integrating ingenious, sustainable, ethical and diversified agro-systems; with innovations which are based on cultural values and education about appropriate food (& energy) production-consumption, knowledge and respect for biotopes and biocenosis. • Establishing lifestyle that allows reversal of unprecedented loss of Earth biodiversity obviously due to human activities.

Describe the context in which you are operating

Bio Strategies, a branch of a well-known organic botanical orchard-garden named Eden Parc in F. Polynesia performs consulting and training activities in a context of upheavals in the F. Polynesian society where populations are forgetting their cultural and biodiversity heritage. This issue is now widely acknowledged as a priority to overcome in the country.
Actually, the biodiversity is rich and free from too many pests. Countless plant species could be used for economic resources for high value products but so little investment is currently engaged in valuing this useful biodiversity. It would though maintain people in rural areas settling agro-ecological farming systems that are able to offer hosting to a wide range of the native biodiversity, also enabling trained rural human resource to overcome climate change, NCDs and pests. In this context Bio Strategies is mainly working with several Community Councils of F. Polynesia in order to create oasis which are able to demonstrate efficiency and productivity of agro-ecological systems even in overpopulated semi-urban areas. Openness of these orchard-gardens to rural populations as well for school field classes allows sustainable capacity building in the field of productive agro-techniques harmonized through well balanced and biodiversity rich agro-systems.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Gilles Tehau Parzy is the founder of Eden parc on Huahine (Leeward Islands – F. Polynesia) a famous botanical orchard-garden which has gathered all palatable tropical plants and fruit trees of the planet. • This agro-system has been organized according to accurate parameters in order to almost make it a self-maintained park. • During clearing and planting, valuable plants have been respected and the park has been spontaneously integrated by nearly all the elements of the surrounding and mainly native local biodiversity. They contribute to the balance of its ecosystem through: birds, Beneficial insects, ferns, orchids, medicinal plants… • Companion plants, ground covers and nitrogen-fixing plants have been installed. They protect the soil from erosion, provide the biomass and elements necessary for fertility, sustain beneficial organisms ... • The harvests continue to be abundant and very diverse 30 years after the planting of the first fruiters. The Park remains a source of seeds and plant material of inestimable value for all Polynesia and beyond.

Language(s)

French and Tahitian

Water

Scientific studies have proven that agroforestry systems attract and retain more rain in ground water. They also mitigate flooding impact, shade and maintain river banks. Agroforestry systems with coconut trees provide the healthiest of any beverage on earth and efficiently sustain many inhabitants of Pacific atolls. Well established ground-covers retain evaporation from the soil and allow crops to be resilient during dry spells. Perennials are the most resistant plants to water stress

Food Security/Nutrition

Many tropical regions have become focused on temperate climate vegetables which needs accurate technical skills in order to grow them organically in wet tropical climate; or they require heavy investment for structures like greenhouse, inputs, etc, while the wide range of well adapted tropical vegetable suits very in agro-ecological systems and are easily grown all year round by anyone and are highly nutritional. Such vegetables & fruit trees are much more resistant to extreme weather, climate c

Economic/Sustainable Development

Many crops from the tropical food agro-biodiversity are able to be used for local food security while being stabilized and valued through processing facilities and become both food reserve for populations and high value products for export. Tropical nuts, Cocoa, Breadfruit, Coconut products, etc, are excellent examples that are easily grown in organic agro-ecological systems. Temperate countries that are mainly sustained through wheat may create more partnership with tropical countries as cereal

Climate

Agroforestry systems create concepts which are the most resistant and resilient to climate events while they strongly contribute to carbon sequestration and mitigate climate change. Trees are able to get themselves their ground water and can thrive dramatic droughts. They mitigate wind impacts on populations, buildings and farms. Agroforestry induces self-protection, beneficial synergies making reliable agro-systems able to face climate disturbance.

Sustainability

The described agro-ecological systems are organized to be financially sustainable but the transition for extension of these practices, from depressed ecosystems, need serious commitment from donors.

Return on investment

The firm activities around agroecology are continuous long term investments but have short term returns for vegetables or livestock farmed in integrated orchard while fruit trees are maturing enough to bear fruits.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

Transition to agroecology requires to launch project modules that are linked, coherent and of course replicable. The challenge is precisely to make this projects reproduced, multiplicative in almost any context on earth. We presented in this form projects that has been developed in a wet tropical context but that can be transposed in other climates. Bio Strategies has also developed such organic agro-systems in Paraguay where the climate is fairly different (continental sub-tropical). It is precisely the company goal to extend, propagate organic Eden parks that demonstrate feasibility, productivity and profitable businesses using biodiversity treasures and enhancing surrounding biodiversity. Usually funding for such module has cost to the tune of about 100 000 USD, in order the management of each sub-project can develop suitable structure on small areas like in a Pacific islands context where available land is not so vast as on continents.

Overview