Agriculture in Tonga

Agriculture in Tonga is largely based on the farming of yams, squash, and root crops.

Yams were considered the "'noblest crop'",[1] and were farmed primarily for the monarchs and nobility as well as the annual common feast of Inasi.

The Tongan calendar was based on the lunar cycle and the rotation of crops (the Tongan words for "year" and "crop of yams" are the same, ta'u), causing there to be 13 months in a year, approximately starting on November 6, and ending sometime between late October and early November.

The cycle begins with yams, alocasia, and plantains- which are left to grow from eight to nine months to two to three years before they are harvested and have the next crops planted in their place.

[citation needed] Although Tonga lacks connectivity between its islands and advanced agricultural technologies,[4] it retains its status as a prominent producer of crops for East Asian and Oceanian countries.