Proceedings of the UNESCO - University of Tsukuba International Seminar on Traditional Technology for Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Asian-Pacific Region, held in Tsukuba Science City, Japan, 11-14 December, 1995.
Editors: Kozo Ishizuka, D. Sc. , Shigeru Hisajima, D. Sc. , Darryl R.J. Macer, Ph.D.
There seem to be different combinations of procedures and ideas to balance the production of industrial products and global environment, and to achieve sustainable development of human society. One of the examples may come from sago palm based communities in southeast Asia, Oceania and Pacific islands.
Sago palm (Metroxylon spp.) is a palm species and belongs to the order Arecales, family Palmae, subfamily Calamoideae, tribe Calameae, subtribe Metroxylinae and genus Metroxylon. This palm is a huge hapaxantic (once-flowering) and soboliferous (tillering) tropical palm. Generally, sago palms are classified into two species, M. sagus Rottb. and M. rumphii Mart., based on morphological characters, namely, non-spiny and spiny types.
Sago palm plants grow in different countries of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Pacific islands. The palm occurs between 10 South and 10 North latitudes and up to an elevation of 700 m or 1,000 m. This palm is one of the dominant species occurring in tropical peat swamp rain forests. This species can also grow in dry land. The palm contains a large amount of starch in its trunk and its productivity was calculated to be 4 times that of paddy rice. Sago palm is considered to be a useful crop to cope with predicted food shortage in the 21st century as a source of carbohydrates. The palm can also be used in different ways as a multi-purpose species or agroforestry material. Sago palm is tolerant to low pH, high Al, Fe and Mn in the soil as well as heavy impervious clays. Sago palm can grow well in peat swamps unlike other crops. However, sago palm is not a well-established crop but a kind of semi-wild species. People in the region used to use sago starch for many years. Sago palm should be exploited for agriculture or industrial purposes since now.
In Sarawak, sago palm is the only crop that is capable of giving sustainable economic return on peat swamps. It was reported that sago palm is one of the highest yielding crops in the world.
Starch is a major renewable resources beside cellulose from plant kingdom. Starch is prepared from different sources such as maize seeds, tapioca roots, potato tubers, and sago trunk. Starch from sago palm and different sources can be used in different ways. Starch is converted to high fructose syrup by glucoamylase system. Starch is also converted to different substances, such as alcohol, citric acid, itaconic acid, and glutamic acid. Starch is used as a major ingredient in different food industries. Starch in home cooking is common. Starch is chemically modified and modified starches are used in different ways, such as ingredients in dry cells. Starch is used as an ingredient of medicinal pills. Starch is used as adhesive agents for plywoods, paper industries, textile industries for example. So, it can be said that starch is a multiple purpose resource.
Sago palm is a major species of a tropical lowland swamp forests, peat swamp forests. Sago palm plants assimilate carbon dioxide all year round. Traditionally people in the region used to use sago starch from sago palm plants around their houses and in sago forests.
Respective sago clump consists of several trunks and suckers. When the tallest trunk is harvested, the second trunk and suckers grow more. Therefore, continuously or at intervals trunks can be harvested and clumps remains in the forests. For many years, people in the region used to use sago palm and starch for their lives. According to this system, peat swamp, where limited crop species can grow, is converted to production field. As carbon dioxide, a cause of the green house effect is assimilated all year round, sago forests work as a sink of carbon dioxide as other tropical rain forests, providing better atmosphere to human being in the globe.
If we can revive traditional sago utilization or modify traditional sago utilization, we may find an alternative way to contribute global environmental conservation and sustainable development of the region and/or the globe.
Sago palm plantation started in Sarawak. Manufacturing sago starch at industrial scale from sago palm plants in the plantation may provide an alternative way in order to create crop fields from tropical peat swamp forests instead of extinction of tropical forests and/or any of present crop fields. The plantation may result in large production of starch for the global industries, development of economy in the region and the globe, change in human society, change in ecosystem and other things. It also looks like sago palm plantations may play an important role in the prevention of global environment against the greenhouse effect.
However, generally speaking, simple development of anything results in destroying something else. So far nobody knows the influence of sago plantation on the society, economy, ecosystem and other affected subjects in the region and in the globe. Therefore, to revive the traditional system of sago palm utilization and to extract merits from it, different researches are necessary.
In the trials, demands of innovation of technologies, development of science in the species and related ecosystem, assessment of effect of plantation development on ecosystem and human society, and different subjects will occur to achieve a proper goal. Through the exploitation of sago palm, a promising renewable carbohydrate resources to be used for global environmental conservation and sustainable development, people in these regions need multi-national cooperation.
To promote multi-national cooperation, we, the Japanese community like to accept foreign students not only researchers. In the promotion of research on sago palm, development of industry and enlightenment of sago palm are now attempted by the alliance of people from different countries, called International Sago Network. Through the network activity, some of foreign students study abroad. One of the trials is also attempted to organize a multi-national cooperative sago project through these activities. The proposal has been sent to Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS), a government sector and Osaka University, the core university cooperative to JSPS. The headquarters of the sago subproject is located in the University of Tsukuba.
Through the above activities, people in this region be able to contribute to the global community and this planet, the mother of our lives.