In the Sepik region, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme is helping rural families rehabilitate their ageing, pest-damaged cocoa trees. As productivity improves, the extra income is helping pay for their children’s higher education and breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and isolation. 

Three Sepik products are moving closer to becoming Papua New Guinea's first Geographical Indications. Misim Vanilla, Torricelli Vanilla and Yuat River Cocoa have had their specifications reviewed and validated, a step nearer to formal registration. 

Rural cocoa farmers in East Sepik no longer need to walk around town checking buyer after buyer to compare prices. FAO, through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme and the Cocoa Board of PNG, has set up two outdoor digital screens, in Wewak and Maprik, that post daily buying prices in one place. 

In Wosera-Gawi, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme has helped turn one district officer's field experience into a lasting local system. Beyond the Programme's direct support, Angela Gossiba and the community advocates she trained are helping farming families plan together, manage cash-crop income, and invest in family and community priorities.  

Nancy Fale's family grew vanilla for nearly 30 years, through a boom that lifted them and a collapse that pushed many farmers away from the crop. Now, with support from the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, she is rebuilding the business and bringing other women in East Sepik with her. 

Sepik farmers and commodity producers have learned about a dedicated loan product as part of efforts to help them plan for business continuity beyond direct EU-STREIT PNG Programme support. 

With practical training in fish handling, better equipment and improved storage, one coastal fishing group in West Sepik is catching more, reducing losses and using its income to support family needs and sustainable business.