Kava Botany Ethiopian Teff as an Analogy to Kava

[kastom_lif]

Rare Earth just released a video about teff, the staple grain of Ethiopia. In recent years it has been embraced as a health food in the west, with unforeseen impacts on the people of Ethiopia.


How is this relevant to kava? If kava production is monopolized, particularly if it's monopolized by foreign interests, the results could be devastating. Traditional kava cultures, biodiversity, and biosecurity could all be at risk if kava farming shifts from smallholders to huge plantations.

Dr. Lebot in Vanuatu has advocated for traditional intercropping methods and planting in the shade of mature trees. I'm paraphrasing wildly here, but he once said something along the lines of "clear cutting large areas of forest to monocrop kava puts it at risk of drought, disease and storm damage." And of course there are social and economic issues if, for example, a single large, vertically integrated operator muscles into the local farming scene.

So, there are lots of political and philosophical ideas that people say about these sorts of things. This isn't meant to be a political post, merely a video about another important crop in a different part of the world, where they just might be facing similar issues. What do you think?

 

[Alia]

Rare Earth just released a video about teff, the staple grain of Ethiopia. In recent years it has been embraced as a health food in the west, with unforeseen impacts on the people of Ethiopia.


How is this relevant to kava? If the production if kava is monopolized, particularly if it's monopolized by foreign interests, the results could be devastating. Traditional kava cultures, biodiversity, and biosecurity could all be at risk if kava farming shifts from smallholders to huge plantations.

Dr. Lebot in Vanuatu has advocated for traditional intercropping methods and planting in the shade of mature trees. I'm paraphrasing wildly here, but he once said something along the lines of "clear cutting large areas of forest to monocrop kava puts it at risk of drought, disease and storm damage." And of course there are social and economic issues if, for example, a single large, vertically integrated operator muscles into the local farming scene.

So, there are lots of political and philosophical ideas that people say about these sorts of things. This isn't meant to be a political post, merely a video about another important crop in a different part of the world, where they just might be facing similar issues. What do you think?

Once upon a time I would have totally agreed. I still agree that monopolized kava "industry" would not be good and very likely will never happen in any case.
However I have been worried lately about kava futures / kavas' future. People are needed for the long term perpetuation of this plant. Should different regions share their unique cultivars? This could help preserve them by being grown in many different places, locales. Should kava be tissue cultured? It has been. But I am not aware of any on-going effort. The advantage is you start with disease free plant material. And you get a lot of plant material. Should lots and lots of farmers be growing kava-- Yes, but as a row crop? Maybe. With good care and irrigation and a few wind-breaks. Kava cultures will remain in pockets here and there, I really do not think that would be a risk of loss. What I am advocating is larger farms, locally owned, but not just cuttings placed understory and left to grow on their own. Rather a tended farm crop--mālama pono 'ai. Value-added where Forum folks could find more "Vendors" who are also the Farmer of the kava.

 

[kastom_lif]

Mālama pono for sure. I agree 100%

 

[kasa_balavu]

Should kava be tissue cultured? It has been. But I am not aware of any on-going effort. The advantage is you start with disease free plant material. And you get a lot of plant material.

The University of the South Pacific did some tissue culturing 2 years ago as a means of growing disease free planting material for a kava company here. However, AFAIK they didn't grow large quantities of test-tube kava as is normally done with tissue culturing. Instead they grew a few and then put them in a nursery to then use the stem cuttings from those plants in the field. I can only assume that a large-scale tissue-culturing isn't possible with kava as it is with most other plants that can be propagated via tissue-culture (or at least a method for doing so hasn't been developed). This assumption is also supported by the fact that a tissue-culture laboratory that began operation recently catering to Fijian commercial farmers has been focussing on relatively low-value crops like taro and banana rather than kava (which would be more lucrative for the lab).

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Believe me, there is no shortage of teff in Ethiopia.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

It’s a grain and it take three months to grow. I had a plot of teff when I lived in Ethiopia. Farmers are getting rich from it and it grows all over the highlands. It’s culturally important, but in every other way it’s the furthest from Kava as you can get.

 

[kastom_lif]

@Kojo Douglas I guess the video was saying how opening an export market to a single company could be bad for teff prices, both domestically and abroad (but especially domestically where teff is a staple.)

You are right. Kava is already exported through families and friends. While there are some big middlemen, none of them has a monopoly, and even those guys still buy their roots from independent farmers.

 

[Alia]

The University of the South Pacific did some tissue culturing 2 years ago as a means of growing disease free planting material for a kava company here. However, AFAIK they didn't grow large quantities of test-tube kava as is normally done with tissue culturing. Instead they grew a few and then put them in a nursery to then use the stem cuttings from those plants in the field. I can only assume that a large-scale tissue-culturing isn't possible with kava as it is with most other plants that can be propagated via tissue-culture (or at least a method for doing so hasn't been developed). This assumption is also supported by the fact that a tissue-culture laboratory that began operation recently catering to Fijian commercial farmers has been focussing on relatively low-value crops like taro and banana rather than kava (which would be more lucrative for the lab).

I know tissue culture in large quantity was successful, for Hawaiian 'awa, in the late 1990's. The farm that had the work done got partially caught up in the liver issue and the owner, due to a family issue, moved to Switzerland. The new owner of that land cared not for the 'awa. I just do not know for certain that it cannot be accompliched but I am inspired to make some inquiries. The idea of disease free plants is too great.

 

[kastom_lif]

I don't know anything about tissue cultures be mi harem se they've been splitting rings in halves and even quarters to propagate kava in Vanuatu.

Biosecurity is a big deal. Certain outer islands crank out banger amouts of ʻawa not just because it's their culture - they don't have nematodes or CMV.

On big islands like Viti Levu or the Big Island, there are already diseases and pathogens to deal with. But yet those places are wonderful places to grow all kinds of kava. On the other hand, importing foreign plants to a place like Pentecost might bring all kinds of unwanted diseases.

 

[kasa_balavu]

I don't know anything about tissue cultures be mi harem se they've been splitting rings in halves and even quarters to propagate kava in Vanuatu.

Have you seen this work though? I've never seen a kava plant sprout from anywhere other than the axillary bud in the node. Damaged buds don't sprout, so I can't imagine how you could get more than one plant to grow from a single node.

 

[kastom_lif]

Probably just people making stuff up.

 

[Alia]

I don't know anything about tissue cultures be mi harem se they've been splitting rings in halves and even quarters to propagate kava in Vanuatu.

Biosecurity is a big deal. Certain outer islands crank out banger amouts of ʻawa not just because it's their culture - they don't have nematodes or CMV.

On big islands like Viti Levu or the Big Island, there are already diseases and pathogens to deal with. But yet those places are wonderful places to grow all kinds of kava. On the other hand, importing foreign plants to a place like Pentecost might bring all kinds of unwanted diseases.

Yes, now I understand what you mean. To share plant material is one thing but to send a new disease is quite another.
I am still glad Hawai'i managed to get so many "other nation" cultivars via the worlds' leading authority, so long ago.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

American farmers also grow teff for animal feed. I’ve worked with teff cooperatives in Ethiopia and the prices don’t fluctuate that much. The Ethiopian economy is quite vibrant right now, and they have laws which set a ceiling for teff exports.

 

[kasa_balavu]

I am still glad Hawai'i managed to get so many "other nation" cultivars via the worlds' leading authority, so long ago.

I kinda recall Hawaii having Borogu, Isa, and a Fijian cultivar. Could you tell me which Fijian cultivar, and are these the only ones?

 

[Alia]

I kinda recall Hawaii having Borogu, Isa, and a Fijian cultivar. Could you tell me which Fijian cultivar, and are these the only ones?

I have only heard rumors that there is a Fijian cultivar here. What I know for certain (from DNA study, oral history, possession) all the following are in Hawai'i--
Samoa-- Ava Lea;
Pohnpei, FSM-- Rahmwanger and Rahmedel* (*incredible cultivar by-the-way);
Tonga-- Hina Tonga and Akau Huli;
Papua, NG-- Isa and Iwi;
Vanuatu-- Borogu.
All were brought in long before any rules or laws in place prohibiting export of plant material.

 

[Palmetto]

I have only heard rumors that there is a Fijian cultivar here. What I know for certain (from DNA study, oral history, possession) all the following are in Hawai'i--
Samoa-- Ava Lea;
Pohnpei, FSM-- Rahmwanger and Rahmedel* (*incredible cultivar by-the-way);
Tonga-- Hina Tonga and Akau Huli;
Papua, NG-- Isa and Iwi;
Vanuatu-- Borogu.
All were brought in long before any rules or laws in place prohibiting export of plant material.

Are the problems with export from their native countries, or with US importation restrictions?

 

[kasa_balavu]

I have only heard rumors that there is a Fijian cultivar here. What I know for certain (from DNA study, oral history, possession) all the following are in Hawai'i--
Samoa-- Ava Lea;
Pohnpei, FSM-- Rahmwanger and Rahmedel* (*incredible cultivar by-the-way);
Tonga-- Hina Tonga and Akau Huli;
Papua, NG-- Isa and Iwi;
Vanuatu-- Borogu.
All were brought in long before any rules or laws in place prohibiting export of plant material.

Thanks, good info.
This is quite unfortunate for the countries from which those cultivars originate. In the long run once kava is widely grown, Pacific Islanders won't be able to compete in terms of funding, technology, and even labour cost (in the case of South East Asian or South American production). The only real differentiator would be cultivar, and if they've lost that, they simply won't have a place at the table.
It's easy to export cuttings out of the US, so any cultivar in the US is a cultivar available to the wider world.

I have only heard rumors that there is a Fijian cultivar here.

@Gourmet Hawaiian Kava do you have any Fijian cultivars?

What I know for certain (from DNA study, oral history, possession) all the following are in Hawai'i--
Samoa-- Ava Lea;
Pohnpei, FSM-- Rahmwanger and Rahmedel* (*incredible cultivar by-the-way);
Tonga-- Hina Tonga and Akau Huli;
Papua, NG-- Isa and Iwi;
Vanuatu-- Borogu.

Do you personally have those cultivars? I've heard the PNG cultivars thrive, but I'm curious about how well the other ones fare in Hawaii compared to native cultivars.

 

[Alia]

Are the problems with export from their native countries, or with US importation restrictions?

The Vanuatu Kava Act of 2002 restricts kava plant material from export.
I think Fiji now has a similar restriction on kava cuttings export.
All the outside "non-native" cultivars of kava (that I am aware of) came to UH, Lyon Arboretum in the 1980's.

 

[Alia]

Thanks, good info.
This is quite unfortunate for the countries from which those cultivars originate. In the long run once kava is widely grown, Pacific Islanders won't be able to compete in terms of funding, technology, and even labour cost (in the case of South East Asian or South American production). The only real differentiator would be cultivar, and if they've lost that, they simply won't have a place at the table.
It's easy to export cuttings out of the US, so any cultivar in the US is a cultivar available to the wider world.


@Gourmet Hawaiian Kava do you have any Fijian cultivars?


Do you personally have those cultivars? I've heard the PNG cultivars thrive, but I'm curious about how well the other ones fare in Hawaii compared to native cultivars.

Yes, I have all these cultivars except Iwi. Remarkably the 1st time I came across Isa was at the Nursery section of Star Market in Honolulu in the late 1980's!
Regarding-- "unfortunate for the countries from which those cultivars originate"
In many ways I agree with you . There is an historical angle here that is, at least, interesting for discussion-- as we know, Kava- Piper methysticum originated in Melanesia.
The many other Pacific Island nations/societies, what have you, got their kava through Trade? War? Migration? I do not know. But they got them just the same and they grew them and they created their own kava cultivars unique to their specific area. I honestly don't have a final opinion on the right or wrong of it. I lean towards each place having their own, but that is simply not the case anymore. I am certain that Pohnpei, FSM has at least 2 unique Hawaiian cultivars and Lebot has pointed out that Fiji's Honolulu and Business "are probably recent introductions" .
A good summary of the sharing, trading, of different regions cultivars of kava is on page 81 of Kava, the Pacific Elixir.
And, yes, to be sure I hope the cultivars here in Hawai'i at least stay within the Pacific regions where kava is historically grown.
Exceptions would be small quantities to a botanical garden or greenhouse for research purposes?

 

[kastom_lif]

I never knew Pohnpei had Hawaiian cultivars too. It makes sense, though, with FSM being so closely linked to the USA.

It is important to preserve every special cultivar. If someone were to start growing kava outside the Pacific, I would hope that:
1) they don't harm local kava growers in the Pacific
2) they continue to select and develop new cultivars suitable for their tastes and growing conditions. Kava diversified as a canoe plant, carefully selected by skilled growers.