Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Additional Plants: native plants
- Animals: bovine, poultry, goats, swine
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: herbal medicines, preventive practices
- Education and Training: technical assistance, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, focus group, on-farm/ranch research
- Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, budgets/cost and returns, value added
- Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities, public participation, community services, sustainability measures
Abstract:
Historically, many producers in the Pacific have used herbal medicines to treat livestock. However, Western Pacific producers through generations lost most of the knowledge of medicinal plants and their usage. Today, island producers generally seldom seek that knowledge on the Internet. This Professional Development Program Grant have taken a group of professionals to the Philippines to gather knowledge of medicinal plants. The information were utilized into a train -the-trainer’s program that taught island producers in the Western Pacific different indications and applications of medicinal plants not only for humans but also for animal treatments. Paravets of the Western Pacific were strengthened, empowered, and technically-equipped. This project showed the Pacific that abundant, unused, medicinal plants are promising solution for treating livestock diseases. Results from the tours were published, along with surveys and interviews of local senior producers in different islands in the Western Pacific. Workshops, group discussions, mentoring and coaching were used to share the information with the community.With the present economy getting tougher and tougher each day, producers are resorting back to basic to save. With the series of promotions and information session about herbs for the last three years, CNMI as well as other island clients are starting to inquire about available resources present in the islands. Though, it is understood that changing attitudes towards usual norms will take time.
Project objectives:
Building capacity for animal health workers such as the paravets in each island in the western region was the major goal of this project and was attained during the first two years of this project. In addition to the 21 certified paravets in the Western Pacific, Twenty (20) extension staff have attended the technology transfer training from the Philippines and we have created awareness of the project to a minimum of 200 participants in our community workshops in the islands of Chuuk, Guam, Pohnpei, /Marshall Islands , Palau, Yap, Rota and Tinian. in adopting alternative plant medicine
We have created and disseminated several publications such as the booklet or manual that will include herbal plants, its application and significance towards animal health; and a short video clip to show and create awareness for herbal plant utilization for livestock healthcare and two flyers both for Animal Diseases and its Herbal Treatment. Dissemination of this outreach materials to the other islands is forthcoming. Infact, reproduction was already made.
We are expecting that approximately 50% of the producers in each island will understand better about medicinal plants for livestock health. Increased utilization of available plant resources among Pacific Islanders will promote the development of value-added products from plants grown in the Western Pacific. The paravets and producers participating in this project will be the advocates of
alternative plant medicine for animal healthcare. Since, alternative plant medicine is considered as highly recommended, economical, and
environmentally friendly, it is clear that it will complement sustainable organic farming and improve animal health as well as human health. This project will promote further regional partnership and collaboration through the leadership and empowerment of the participants especially the local paravets.