Dr. Theodore Radovich, an agricultural researcher, talks about organic farming with local farmers at the LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort on Monday, Sept. 25.
Dr. Theodore Radovich, an agricultural researcher, will make a presentation on Rota and Tinian this week. Contact Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Coordinator Charles Aiseam at charlesaiseam@yahoo.com for details.
DOCTOR Theodore Radovich, a visiting researcher from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, will be on Tinian and Rota this week to speak about sustainable, organic farming systems.
On Monday, Sept. 25, Radovich was a guest of the CNMI Division of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. He conducted a workshop at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort that discussed composting, biodiversity, pest management, aquaponics, soil fertility and concerns that participants had about specific problems on their farms.
Forty people registered to take part in the workshop on Saipan.
On Rota today, Tuesday, Sept. 26, Radovich will meet with the Department of Lands and Natural Resources and farmers. His Rota workshop will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 27, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Aging Office.
On Tinian, Radovich will meet with DLNR and Tinian farmers on Thursday, Sept. 28. He will conduct his workshop at the JC Café Restaurant on Friday, Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m.
For questions regarding the workshops on Rota and Tinian, contact Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Coordinator Charles Aiseam, at charlesaiseam@yahoo.com/.
Ecosystem designers
During his presentation on Saipan, Radovich said farmers are essentially “ecosystem designers” who actively manipulate the conditions on their farm to ensure their crops are healthy.
Later, speaking with Variety, Radovich said through sustainable, regenerative methods, farmers can “leave the place better” than they found it.
He said his job during the presentation was to help farmers help themselves.
“I think the best thing that we can do as researchers is provide those resources and that knowledge and that information, and make it as easy as possible for [farmers] to understand how things work,” Radovich said.
During the presentation, some participants were surprised to learn that Radovich does not oppose the use of pesticides so long as directions on the labels are strictly adhered to, and pesticides are used within moderation. He said farmers are still business people, who have a need to make a return on their investment.
“I think the most important part is try to build a system where you don’t need chemicals,” Radovich said.
He also discussed certain methods that reduce the need for synthetic or organic pesticides, such as growing flowers that attract beneficial insects.
“But if you’re using chemical tools, you can use them sustainably — you just need to use them strategically,” he said.
He also acknowledged that farming is difficult, no matter how much knowledge or tools one has.
“The other important message to take home, whether you’re talking about something natural like compost or whether you’re talking about [synthetic pesticides] — there’s no such thing as a silver bullet. One thing is not going to solve your problems,” Radovich said.
For Radovich, island farmers play an important role in food security.
“I think all of our island communities [should] strive to be as self-sufficient as possible,” he said. “In island environments, we’re very isolated. So we need to know how to produce.”
“I have a deep respect for farmers,” Radovich added. “They have to be businessmen. They have to be scientists to a certain extent. And then they also have [to perform] hard physical labor. They should be recognized as heroes.”
