Almost five months since the devastating eruption and tsunami in Tonga, farmers are rebuilding their crops and harvesting those that survived the event.
Heilala Vanilla plantation from above Photo: Supplied / Heilala Vanilla
The violent eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in mid-January spewed ash and gas plumed 30 kilometres into the sky, triggering a tsunami that washed away hundreds of homes.
Sonic booms from the blast were heard as far away as New Zealand and Alaska, while the tsunami waves rolled across the Pacific Ocean.
Parts of the kingdom were covered in ash after the eruption - suffocating watermelon, yam and coconut crops.
But some vanilla crops appear to have dodged the damage, and could benefit from the changes in soil conditions from the event.
Tauranga-based Heilala Vanilla has just begun to harvest its 100 acre crop in Tonga - the company has been working in the kingdom since 2002, running its own large farm and working with independent vanilla farmers.
Vanilla beans drying from Tonga Heilala Vanilla's recent harvest on its plantation in Tonga. Photo: Supplied / Heilala Vanilla
Part of its crop was blanketed in ash after the eruption, but the company's chief executive Jennifer Boggiss said as the eruption happened when the vanilla beans were newly formed on the vine, the robust and waxy beans fared well.
But had the volcano erupted a few months later during harvesting season, it could have been disastrous, she said.
"Half of our vanilla operation is in Vavaʻu, the northern islands of Tonga, and they were not affected by that ashfall.
"It was only the island of Tongatapu and 'Eua, we have a vanilla operation on 'Eua, and those farmers were impacted.
"There were a couple of vanilla farmers that had low-lying farms and they were impacted by the tsunami, but in general, most of the farmers weren't impacted by the tsunami - it was the volcanic ash."
Heilala Vanilla plantation walk through Photo: Supplied / Heilala Vanilla
Despite that, Boggiss said this year's vanilla crop appeared to be higher quality than last year's.
"We work quite closely with Plant & Food Research and they were able to get some soil samples from Tonga and test them back here," she said.
"And it's actually kind of a positive thing. I'm not a soil scientist, but from what we understand from the researchers, the impact will actually be quite positive on the soil structure for those farms that were impacted."
But some above-ground crops were not so lucky, and Boggiss said some Tongan growers cultivated more than one type of crop on their land.
"I think the thing that's been the biggest impact for the farmers, is that they obviously have other crops, not just vanilla, and it's those crops that are a bit less robust and were impacted by the volcanic ash, which obviously impacts their livelihoods."
The company had been working with the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust (MORDI) to support communities still rebuilding after the event, she said.
Heilala Vanilla plantation from above Photo: Supplied / Heilala Vanilla
Part of that would be re-establishing crops with a donated shade house.
"Their big shade house was totally destroyed in the eruption, due to volcanic ash and rocks falling through it.
"A kitset shade house, it's 1000 square metres and has just left New Zealand for Tonga.
"So MORDI will use that for planting seeds and seedlings and for vanilla cuttings, and other crops and plants, so it will help farmers to re-establish themselves."
Boggiss said long-term MORDI and the company's focus for rebuilding the Kingdom would prioritise investing in robust agriculture systems that could withstand severe weather events.
