By: Laurel Marewibuel

KOROR, Palau — “Planting native trees is our natural, cultural and cost-free pharmacy,” said Jodean Remengesau, highlighting how traditional knowledge embedded in Palauan plant names reflects both food and medicinal uses.

Remengesau, director of the Palau Bureau of Agriculture, said many native and locally grown trees in Palau serve dual purposes, providing both nutrition and natural remedies — an approach she says can strengthen food security and climate resilience.

Momentum behind the initiative was on display Feb. 27 in Ngaraard, where the Remengesau Foundation organized a community tree-planting activity involving 22 elementary school students.

The foundation, established to honor former Palau president Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., led the students in planting trees at three locations across the state as part of a broader effort to promote environmental stewardship and food production.

Government bureaus supported the effort by supplying seedlings of fruit-bearing species such as Avocado tree and Soursop tree, along with compost to help the young trees thrive. The materials were provided through U.S. funding programs that support agricultural development and environmental sustainability.

Remengesau said the event demonstrated how collaboration between government agencies, nonprofit groups and communities can help build a greener future for Palau.

“These trees drive food security and demand more awareness,” she said. “It is enabling food sovereignty which we need more awareness of by planting that seed in the hearts of our young people, to care for the environment and it will care for us in return.”

Food sovereignty — the idea that communities should have greater control over how their food is produced and distributed — is increasingly important for Pacific island nations that rely heavily on imported food. Officials say expanding local agriculture and planting food-producing trees can help reduce that dependence while improving nutrition.

Remengesau said community-driven initiatives are essential to advancing those goals.

“National and state partners welcome the request of community actors to drive us to deliver and keep us accountable to our mandate,” she said. “This bottom-up approach is what is needed moving forward to strive to act on environmental stewardship.”

She added that lasting progress depends largely on families taking ownership of these efforts and integrating tree planting and local food production into everyday life.

“These efforts put onus on families to absorb ownership with pride and really plant their future by sensitizing them to the notion that access to food is within arm’s reach,” she said.

Remengesau noted that caring for fruit trees and native plants can provide long-term benefits not only for household nutrition but also for community resilience.

“With enough attention and care, the return on investment to your health and wellbeing makes families climate resilient and food secure,” she said.

Organizers hope the participation of students in the Ngaraard event will inspire a new generation to value traditional knowledge and environmental stewardship.

By connecting young people with the land and teaching them about the cultural and practical importance of native trees, advocates say the initiative aims to strengthen both Palau’s ecological health and its food security for years to come.