Kava ('awa)—Specialty Crop Profile
A traditional beverage made from the roots and stump of the kava plant is the most important kava product. This medicinal, psychoactive, and ceremonial drink is an aqueous suspension of phytochemicals called kavalactones and other components. Aerial portions of the plant should never be used in beverage preparations; consumption of photosynthetic tissues may pose a human health hazard.
Kava beverages may be produced from freshly harvested roots and stumps or from dried roots and stump powders. The traditional methods of preparing the pulp for extraction from fresh material include chewing, rock pounding, and abrading with pieces of rough coral. A robust mortar and pestle or mechanical grating (using grinders or hammer mills) are generally used to reduce dried material to a powder for extraction. Fresh drinking water, a bowl, a strainer and a cup complete the items needed for preparing the kava beverage. The kavalactones may be extracted from kava plants using organic solvents or carbon dioxide, purified and used directly or in formulations with other components. Other value-added beverages are made where kava-based fluids, powders, or extracted kavalactones are mixed with fruit juices or other liquids.
Agroforestry
Understory planting is a traditional method for cultivating kava, such as beneath or at the edge of the canopies of large trees or by or within forests. In the natural shade of a forest, kava usually has access to moisture and well drained, fertile soil, and low pest populations.
Kava stems or rooted cuttings may be planted in any area within an agroforestry setting that has free soil for the roots to explore. Abundant rainfall may be necessary if plants are extremely isolated. Dry season irrigation could also be provided by water catchment tanks or ponds.
Markets
Kava is a multi-million dollar industry worldwide. The Pacific islands are the main producers and exporters of kava. Hawai‘i imports some kava from islands such as Fiji and Tonga. Most Pacific island nations do not import kava because they grow enough for their own consumption.
In the 1990s there were more than 10,000 ha (24,700 ac) of kava in cultivation throughout the Pacific islands, mostly in agroforestry or polycropping systems.
Local markets
Local markets for kava include kava bars or markets (for consumption of freshly produced beverage), roadside vendors of freshly produced beverage, grocery stores for bottled beverage, and farmer’s markets for fresh beverage and dried products.
Young kava plants may be sold at local nurseries or garden stores. Powders and encapsulated kava can be found in most health food stores and in some herbal remedy markets or health-related industries such as massage clinics.
Export market
Kava may be exported to any country or location where its use is legal or not banned, such as anywhere in the Pacific, to Asia, Australia, North America, Central and South America, etc. The largest export market is currently the United States. For bulk shipments of kava, new, securely fastened, woven polypropylene bags, usually 16–22.7 kg (35–50 lb) dry weight, are commonly used in the Pacific for export. Each bag is labeled with the name of the exporter and the importer.
Specialty markets
The primary specialty market for kava is organic markets and health and nutrition markets. However, the location and method of cultivation in some Pacific island locations qualifies it for other specialty markets such as rainforest, bird friendly, and fair trade.
Branding possibilities include the names of unique or potent cultivars and novel processing methods for bottled beverages. Another possibility is to distinguish cultivars by their kavalactone profiles, and educate retailers and customers about the various benefits of certain profiles. The potential for Internet sales and marketing to tourists is very high.
Original source of this article
This article is excerpted by permission of the publisher from
Nelson, S.C. 2011. Kava (Piper methysticum). In: Elevitch, C.R. (ed.). Specialty Crops for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), Holualoa, Hawai‘i. © Permanent Agriculture Resources