Origin and Development of Agriculture in New Guinea, Island Melanesia, and Polynesia

Agriculture in the Pacific Islands began with early Holocene practices centered on vegetative propagation and underground storage organs, later evolving into complex systems. Kuk Swamp in Papua New Guinea's highlands offers one of the earliest records of agricultural intensification, showing mounded cultivation around 7000–6400 cal BP and wetland drainage by 4400–4000 cal BP. Unlike other regions in Near Oceania, which focused on fruit- and nut-bearing trees, Kuk’s landscape reveals a shift toward more intensive land management. By 3250–2800 cal BP, these practices spread with Lapita pottery-bearers into the western Pacific, while later Polynesian colonization (1000–750 cal BP) introduced new crops like the sweet potato, reshaping regional agriculture.

Denham, T. (2018). Origin and Development of Agriculture in New Guinea, Island Melanesia, and Polynesia. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.171