Host country

Papua New Guinea

 

Cooperating Country

Philippines

 

Highlights

SSC introduces new technologies in Papua New Guinea

 

Commencement Date

2004

 

Background

• One of the largest nations in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country with great geographical, cultural and linguistic diversity.
• PNG consists of a mainland (85% of the land mass), which is the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and some 600 smaller islands. Despite its wealth of natural resources and exports of gold, copper, oil and timber, most of PNG's people still survive by subsistence agriculture. 80% of people live in rural and often inaccessible areas.
• In 2004 the Government of Papua New Guinea, the Government of Philippines and the FAO, signed a South-South cooperation (SSC) agreement.
• This 2 year programme was designed to complement the efforts of a pilot SPFS conducted from 1996 to 2000 in 2 districts of the Morobe province (Markham and Huon) as part of FAO's global approach towards food security.

Goals

Provide technical assistance to strengthen the implementation of water control systems and crop intensification, livestock and aquaculture development and post harvest processing.

 

Activities

• The Government of the Philippines sent 5 experts and 6 field technicians to PNG, provided financial assistance and minor agricultural equipment. Five technology demonstration sites were established, focusing on the development of low cost water control structures and crop intensification, benefiting 153 households.
• Diversion dams were constructed in 3 villages.
• Irrigated rice production and improved cultural management practices in field crops and horticultural crop were introduced.
• A seed production demonstration project was established to produce good quality seeds for distribution to the farmers and to show the proper techniques in producing and selecting seeds for planting.
• To help farmers move into semi-commercial crop production, draft animals were introduced and 6 animals were successfully trained to pull sleds, logs and simple farm implements.
• Rural development officers received training on soil and water sampling, while farmers were involved in field demonstrations on the practices to be followed to improve and sustain productivity. Officers and farmers received extension material and technology guides.

Results

• This South-South Cooperation Programme proved to be very successful; farmers accepted and adopted the new technologies.
• Farm families improved their production output, income and living standard through the better use of soil and water resources.