Agriculture in the Japanese Mandated Islands
Agriculture in the Japanese Mandated Islands. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department. 1944.
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Abstract: The crop pattern of these islands in former times was shaped entirely by local subsistence needs. Contact with Europe and with Japan, however, has introduced alterations. This has been seen to some extent in the growing of new kinds of food crops. But the more important changes have been evidenced in the development of several forms of commercial agriculture, which were designed to provide materials to fit into the economy of Japan rather than to raise the standard of living of the natives.
The Marshall Islands: The Marshall Islands retain the simplest of all the crop patterns. For local subsistence needs old -time crops, adapted to existing soil and climatic conditions, are still mainly relied upon. These include the coconut, breadfruit, taro, arrowroot, pandanus, and banana ; but newly introduced vegetable and fruit items now are also raised. The principal form of commercial agriculture introduced is the raising of coconuts for copra production.
The Caroline Islands: In the Carolines, before the advent of Europeans, the staple food crops were breadfruit, coconut, and taro. These were supplemented by bananas, pandanus, arrowroot, yams and sweet potatoes, and in some places by wild oranges, limes, and sugarcane. The relative importance of the different products varied on different islands, coconuts and taro usually assuming first place on coral atolls, and breadfruit on volcanic islands. This general pattern still forms the background of the native agriculture, but there have been new developments in commercial agriculture. Manioc, grown for starch, has become important on Ponape and Palau ; truck gardening has been developed in the Ponape, Palau, and Yap districts ; and a pineapple industry has been established in Palau. The production of copra also has been expanded.
The Marianas Islands: Agriculture on the mandated Marianas is dominated by the commercial production of sugarcane, which occupies over 60percent of the total cultivated acreage of these islands. An appreciable acreage is also devoted to the growing of manioc ; also coconuts are grown. For local consumption, considerable quantities of vegetables, melons, and tree fruits are produced ; but rice is rare. On Guam, corn, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, and some rice form the basic foodstuffs grown for local consumption. Breadfruit is also grown extensively, but often is not utilized, the population preferring other foods. Pineapples, limes, tangerines, bananas, and papayas are the main fruits, and there is a great variety of vegetables. Copra production is the most important enterprise in commercial agriculture.
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LCCN: 46027697
