Agriculture in Tuvalu, Subsistence farming practices on coral atolls, Tuvalu.
Agriculture in Tuvalu relies on subsistence farming across coral atolls, where farmers dig deep trenches down to the water table and fill them with natural fertilizers to work around poor alkaline soil. These methods support the cultivation of coconut, pulaka, taro, bananas, and breadfruit as staple crops.
From the mid-1800s onward, copra production became the economic foundation of Tuvalu as farmers turned to processing coconuts. This shift shaped the islands' economic direction for generations to come.
Ownership of pulaka pits and coconut trees remains a marker of social standing in Tuvaluan communities today, showing how deeply farming is woven into local identity. This link between land and status appears in daily routines and family decisions throughout the islands.
Visitors can observe local gardens and traditional growing methods in villages, where most of the population takes part in food production. The growing season offers the best chance to see active fields and farming routines.
Rising sea levels are infiltrating underground cultivation pits with salt water, threatening pulaka production and one of the islands' most important traditional food sources. This challenge is forcing farmers to adapt their age-old methods and explore new approaches.
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