Carmel Pilotti, who grew up between reefs and gardens in Papua New Guinea, is the curator of the Pacific region’s only genebank at the Pacific Community’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) in Fiji — a role that places her at the centre of efforts to safeguard the region’s agricultural heritage as climate change and new pests threaten traditional food systems. Her work, profiled by the SPC for this newspaper’s International Women’s Day 2026 campaign, highlights both the scientific and cultural stakes of conserving crop diversity in the Pacific.
Pilotti’s path to CePaCT reflects a melding of home-grown knowledge and formal science. She recounts learning the rhythms of planting, soil care and crop rotation from family members — lessons she calls the Pacific’s “living laboratory” — before completing a PhD in botany (plant pathology-genetics) at the University of Queensland. That combination underpins her approach at CePaCT, where long-term conservation of key crops and trees is paired with promotion of underutilised species that could strengthen island food systems.
CePaCT, part of the regional SPC, houses the world’s largest taro collection and works to ensure the efficient long-term conservation of the genetic diversity of Pacific crops. Protecting that diversity, Pilotti says, is a frontline defence for Pacific families. Taro and other traditional crops are embedded in ceremonies, livelihoods and day-to-day life; maintaining genetic diversity helps communities withstand pests, emerging diseases and the intensifying impacts of climate change that can render familiar varieties vulnerable.
Beyond the technical mission of the genebank, Pilotti is outspoken about gender and representation in agriculture and science. She argues Pacific women hold deep, often under-acknowledged knowledge of land and food systems but remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. “For more women to join the agriculture sector, it is important for them to have role models in higher-level positions,” she told SPC. She also urged organisations to ensure women are present in technical, scientific and extension roles so community needs are better understood and addressed.
Pilotti’s profile comes amid a growing series of features spotlighting Pacific women in research and conservation, reinforcing a regional trend toward elevating local expertise. Others in the cluster include women who have advanced through long careers at CePaCT and figures in academia and conservation who combine traditional ecological knowledge with formal science. Together, these stories underline a broader push to align scientific practice with Pacific ways of knowing, and to open leadership pathways for women.
The SPC feature, and its inclusion in this International Women’s Day campaign, is intended to draw attention to both the human story behind seed preservation and the strategic value of genetic collections for resilience. As Pilotti frames it, safeguarding crops like taro is not only an act of plant science: it is a protection of cultural identity and a practical strategy to ensure future generations on Pacific islands can continue to plant, harvest and share the foods that have sustained their communities for centuries.
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