| Abstract: |
Three main categories of taro irrigation can be recognized in the Pacific: true irrigation, swampland, and pit cultivation. True irrigation refers to diversions of water from sources to fields. Swampland cultivation techniques generally consist of the management by ditching of freshwater swamps. Pit cultivation is found mainly on atolls where pits are dug to tap the freshwater lens beneath the ground surface. True irrigation subsumes several different methods—pondfield (paddy) irrigation, simple flooding, island beds, and furrow irrigation. Labour inputs, yields, and cropping cycles of the different techniques are discussed based on research in Vanuatu and New Caledonia from 1978 to 1980 and on published sources. The need for more detailed research on traditional irrigation technologies used in the Pacific is stressed, particularly in assessment of yields and the conditions allowing sustained production.
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