The Line Islands are a “forth world outpost of a third world country”.  Though Fanning and Washington Islands are fertile with abundant rain there is very little fruit and food bearing trees.  Food shortages occur with increasing regularity as economic turmoil becomes the norm.   The British had foresaw this and  started a project in  Tarawa in the 1970’s before independence to grow food bearing trees to build better healthier food security for the people. During my time on Tarawa in 1979 I got to know the Director, Agronomist  Ken Truen and learned there were at least 30 different types of tropical fruit trees that could grow in the atoll.

Ken worked tirelessly experimenting with Oranges, Tangerines, grapefruit, Lemon, Limes, Grafting, Rambutan, Jack Fruit, Passion fruit, star Fruit, Mangosteen, Kumquat, Durian, Dragon fruit, Horned Mellon, Ugli, Sugar Apple, Guava, Snake Fruit, Soursop, Lamut, Santol, Sweet Tamarind, Rode Apple just to name a few.  Some only needed composted soil and a few trace elements.  Sadly, after independence in 1979 this project died. 

Fanning and Washington has 400,000 coconut trees, a few hundred banana trees, less than a hundred pandanus trees, papayas, noni, 5 mango trees, and a handful of lemon lime trees.  Christmas with its desert climate has even fewer. 

My project is simple,  first using trees that that are available through seed or cutting start making tree seedlings, and from the tropical research places in Hawaii import seedlings or grafts that can be propagated.  With a goal of producing a potting a few seedlings a day it would not take long to have enough trees to share with the families. They would dig a hole, compost it and we would share a tree with them.  Each family would have a chance to have bounty of fruit that would better their food security and better their heath. 

 This project betters the standard of living and heath, lessens the dependence on imported goods and creates food security for the islands.

More to come,

Chuck Corbett