Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

I. The Coordinating Committee reviewed a request by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to collaborate on the ParaVeterianary Program, originally developed by a team of experts from the SPC, the ADAP Project, and the University of the South Pacific. The committee voted to establish a task force to reestablish a collaborative relationship with SPC, and create a White Paper, evaluating options for the expansion of the ParaVet program across the US Pacific. II. The Coordinating Committee discussed changes at each institution that may affect the many multi-state projects that stretch across the region: Agricultural Development in the American Pacific (ADAP), Pacific Land Grant Alliance (PLGA), SunGrant Initiative, PEACESAT, Caribbean and Pacific Consortium (CariPac), Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Research (T-STAR), Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture (CTSA), and Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian (ANNH) Projects. A. This past year, College of Micronesia, American Samoa Community College, and Northern Marianas College were allowed to submit proposals to T-STAR. In the past, these institutions were excluded from consideration. In response to the number of proposals and the quality of the proposals, the coordinating committee is working to create opportunities for grantsmanship workshops to assist ASCC, COM, and NMC in becoming more competitive within T-STAR. Mike Harrington will be conducting a grantsmanship workshop in Guam (for COM and NMC) in January 2010. B. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) has become a partner in the ANNH grant, creating more resources for agricultural education of Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. C. For the third year in a row, NMC and ASCC have been invited to participate in the CTSA board of director meeting, as guests. NMC is continuing to explore ways to bring affordable aquaculture facilities to Saipan. III. The Coordinating Committee will help to promote the Pacific Island Distance Diagnostic and Recommendation System (PIDDRS). This system allows for the submission and identification of potentially invasive species, and diseases, by digital photography. The system has been in place for 5 years and actual use statistics would suggest that this system is unnecessary, but this system has the capacity to help keep invasive species at bay, allow for the tracking of plant diseases, allow confidential samples to be quickly indentified, and provide a database of recommendations for the safe eradication of pests, invasive species, and plant disease. Promoting the product at each institution will help increase usage rates IV. The Coordinating Committee discussed items of interest to the region, to include food safety, food security, water use/water rights, and labor mobility in isolated communities. Upcoming work on these topics will be shared in the next meeting. Food safety publications from UH will be shared with the consortium.

Following the objectives of WERA1004, the ACDAP multi-state coordinating committee facilitated collaboration with colleagues by holding semiannual meetings to discuss research topics of regional concern. Also, the meetings were conducted at each of the committee members home institutions, proving all members with a better understanding of the challenges of each location, such as intermittent power failures (brown-outs and black-outs), communication challenges (internet speeds and intermittent connectivity issues), and travel logistics. Also, the committee facilitated the exchange of information by maintaining contact lists, and playing matchmaker  connecting researchers and local support staff for regional projects. The ACDAP multi-state coordinating committee facilitated the development of projects that meet regional needs by updating the Pacific Land Grant Alliance (PLGA) Strategic Plan, which focuses on the needs of small, culturally-diverse, isolated communities, and their needs for self-reliance. By sharing expertise and research findings, the ACDAP multi-state coordinating committee has increased the distance education opportunities across the Pacific region, and has led to the founding of the Cari-Pac Program. The Cari-Pac Program is a consortium of the insular areas of the Caribbean and Pacific, to promote the resident instruction with programs focused on institutional capacity and distance education. Although this program does not provide direct funding to all the institutions within ACDAP, each institution has contributed in meaningful ways to the success of the Cari-Pac program. Further, by sharing research resources and expertise, ACDAP multi-state coordinating committee has increased the capacity of NMC, ASCC, and COM, preparing them for a larger role in the regional the Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Research (T-STAR) program. The ACDAP coordinating committee has successfully promoted small-scale research opportunities in the Pacific region through pilot ADAP projects in biofuel development (a seed project for the Sun Grant initiative), and seed variety testing. Additionally, the ACDAP has paired USDA grantsmanship conferences, ADAP leadership conferences, and one-on-one grant training opportunities to successfully prepare NMC, ASCC and COM for larger opportunities. During the last year, these small-scale research projects have lead to larger-scale opportunities in the T-STAR program, which was expanded to allow the submission of proposals from NMC, ASCC, and COM. T-STAR program previously only accepted proposal from UH and UOG, only allowing NMC, ASCC, and COM to participate as collaborating institutions. These targeted research opportunities will benefit everyone in the region. Lastly, the efforts of the ACDAP coordinating committee have prepared the Pacific region to participate fully in the Sun Grant Initiative, earning UH a place as a sub-center of the Western Regional Sun Grant Program. ACDAP successfully planned and executed Pacific-wide research initiatives to provide baseline data for biofuel research. By partnering researchers in UH, UAF, and UOG with motivated extension agents across the Pacific region, the coordinating committee built relationships that benefited the entire Pacific. ADAP pilot projects in Hawaii and Guam, have led to larger projects that relied on input for all the major American Pacific islands. By involving the resources of each institution, the committee built a coalition that will impact the entire region.

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