Sili is a village on the south side of
Savai'i island in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
. Sili is situated inland, unlike most villages in Samoa which are settlements by the sea. The village lies within the electoral constituency of
Palauli
Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 9,300. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i. The capital is Vailoa which is also referred to as Vailoa i Palauli (Vailoa in Palauli district).
...
1. The population is 1071.
The people of Sili rely on
subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no s ...
for their livelihood. Due to its location away from the coast, fishing has minimal impact on the village economy. The Sili river, like most natural resources and land in Samoa, is situated on traditional land owned by the village. The river has cultural and historical significance for the people. Traditional knowledge and conservation is a key factor in village governance. Organic farming is used for all crops and the use of pesticides and chemicals are banned.
In recent years, Sili rejected a scheme by the government of Samoa to build a
hydroelectric plant on village land
due to environmental and cultural factors. The hydro project had received backing from the
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offi ...
(ADB) which had been assisting the Samoan government and its Electric Power Corporation (EPC) ''to make high priority investment in renewable energy project''. The ADB had given the government US$0.3million towards the hydro project in 2003. Village chiefs (''matai'') claimed the scheme would pollute their water and ruin the environment.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Palauli