Overview:
In Palau, taro is more than a staple crop — it is a symbol of culture, family, and resilience. A new initiative supported by the Asian Development Bank is helping women farmers adapt to climate change, expand taro production, and build businesses through a growing value chain that links agriculture to tourism. The program is empowering women to transform traditional farming into sustainable livelihoods while strengthening food security across the island nation.
Project Result / Case Study/Asian Development Bank
06 March 2026
https://www.adb.org/results/resilient-roots-palau-women-scale-taro-value-chain-build-businesses-food-security
Taro farming by women in Palau is under threat due to a changing climate, putting food security and cultural traditions at risk.
ADB and local partners are supporting women taro farmers to adapt and strengthen their livelihoods, providing climate-resilient seedlings, training on dryland farming, and seed grants.
A resilient taro value chain with links to the tourism sector will empower women to transition from producers to entrepreneurs and boost Palau’s economy
In Palau, the humble taro is not just a food staple – it is a cultural cornerstone. Grown mainly by women along the shoreline, taro provides daily nourishment for Palauan families and supports food security nationwide. It is also a symbol of wealth, kindship, and respect, and is traditionally exchanged during ceremonies and community gatherings.
Taro holds enormous potential to power Palau’s economy. The versatile crop can be processed into many value-added products such as chips, flour and desserts, with increasing demand from Palau’s tourism sector. With the right support, this can create opportunities for small-scale farmers to earn higher incomes, start their own enterprises, and help build to local value chains.
However, taro cultivation is under threat. Climate impacts such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion are damaging wetland taro fields. This not only jeopardizes food security but also the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, particularly women, who have long been the primary agricultural producers in matrilineal and matriarchal Palau.
There is an urgent need to support taro farming and expand its value chain – not only to support food security and preserve traditions, but also to protect and expand women’s livelihoods and dignity in the face of a changing climate and economy.
Although Palau’s traditions accrue social standing to women, many remain outside the formal economy due to unpaid care work and limited job options, and female-headed households are among the poorest in Palauan society. Violence against women is a concern in Palau, as it is across the Pacific.
Cultivating climate resilience
ADB is supporting Palau’s small-scale women taro farmers to build their resilience and livelihoods as a part of a broader initiative to protect poor and vulnerable populations across the country. The grant is funded through ADB’s Asian Development Fund, which provides grants to the poorest and most vulnerable countries in Asia and the Pacific. During 2021–2024, the fund helped 384,000 people emerge from poverty and generated around 500,000 jobs.
The project also supports the elderly, persons with disabilities, and survivors of violence against women, with cofinancing from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and from the Ireland Trust Fund for Building Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Small Island Developing States.
Under the initiative, seed grants have been provided to 20 women’s producer groups, under agreements signed with the Bureau of Agriculture. Climate-resilient seedlings are being provided to small-scale producers across the country, alongside training on low-cost, nature-based farming techniques designed to address upland water scarcity for taro cultivation.
These measures are helping women farmers to adapt to a changing climate and shift from traditional wetland taro patches to more resilient, dryland cultivation in gardens. Farmer Erin Rebluud says the support has been invaluable. “I’ve farmed taro all my life in the taro patch. Never did I imagine farming it in the garden,” she said. “It’s much easier and I’ve learned so much.”
This shift has encouraged younger women to take up taro farming, many of whom had been discouraged by labor intensive wetland methods. “Most of our members are younger women who weren’t interested in taro patch work, but after experiencing the ease of dryland farming they’re eager to continue working on their farms,” says cooperative member Doreen Ongelungel.
The new techniques have also made taro farming more accessible for older farmers, providing them with self-sufficiency. “I can’t manage the taro patch anymore, but this is perfect,” said a 78-year-old woman farmer. “My garden farm is just a walk away and I grow enough to feed myself.”
Strengthening the taro value chain
To ensure a guaranteed market and improved incomes for project-supported producers, a taro Food Processing Centre (FPC) has been established, producing a range of value-added taro products, such as chips, ice cream and taro flour. The FPC was established in partnership with the Bureau of Agriculture, with support from the Palau Visitors Authority, to integrate its products into the tourism sector.
Through the FPC, women cooperatives receive training in food processing and business, helping them move up the value chain and transition from producers to entrepreneurs.
“Our vision at the Taro FPC is clear: to create a resilient, sustainable, and integrated value chain for taro products that not only enhances local economies but also supports the livelihoods of our community members,” said Jodean Deprise Ongelibel Remengesau, former FPC manager. “We aim to meet the growing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly products both locally and globally.”
Partnership and impact
“Strong cooperation, willingness, involvement and partnerships are key to the project’s success,” says Ninebeth Carandang, Principal Social Development Specialist at ADB and the project’s team leader. “ADB and JFPR are the financiers, but without government ownership, leadership, and the women’s commitment, the project wouldn’t be this successful.”
The project’s ongoing support to Palau’s small-scale taro producers extends beyond their small plots and gardens to wider communities, strengthening women’s economic empowerment, climate resilience and food security. “This project has been a blessing,” reflected Rengulbai, a project beneficiary. “It has helped me to increase my earnings and also give back to my community by sharing extra taro with elders, the sick and those who can’t farm anymore.”
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