The Bridge That Cocoa Farmers Built: A Model of Rural Resilience in the Sepik, Papua New Guinea

Wewak, Papua New Guinea – A remote community in the Greater Sepik region of Papua New Guinea has demonstrated a clear example of what becomes possible when local initiative is met with supportive partnership.

With support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, Hambini village, with about 9,000 people in Drekikier, East Sepik Province, has recently replaced an old, damaged and impassable log bridge with a permanent bridge made of steel, concrete and timber.

Seeing the first lot of vehicles crossing the bridge was a very emotional moment for this cocoa and vanilla farming community. Some villagers, including leaders, were visibly in tears. “A heavy burden has been lifted,” says Mr Ben Butehe, the chairman of Hambini Village Development Group, who could not hold back tears when the first vehicle drove across the bridge, adding, “our children should not suffer the way we did.”

In the months leading up to this moment, life in Hambini had become very difficult. A log-bridge, built in 2021 to access extension services, was damaged in January 2024 due to heavy rain, repeated flooding and natural deterioration. This resulted in the crossing becoming unsafe and impassable.

For the last 22 months, women had to carry loads of cocoa beans and fresh garden produce and walk downhill and then climb uphill to the highway, which takes about five hours. On the roadside, they then had to wait for some more hours to get a public transport vehicle to the nearest Maprik town.

Delay in accessing health services beyond the basic care available at their village health post, especially for pregnant mothers, was also a major worry. It was difficult to bring in building materials for ongoing community development initiatives. The cut-off reduced school accessibility for children as well when the creek flooded. In general, this disconnection created a sense of isolation which affected the overall wellbeing of the community.

In response, people in the Hambini community decided to solve the problem together. They agreed on a simple plan and listed the resources they had. They tirelessly volunteered free labour and provided construction materials like timber. Women and youth helped to carry local construction material, including sand, stone and gravel, from the nearest Amuk River, located about a 20-minute walk from the construction site. 

“Two times in a week for two months we work on the bridge. We’re happy now with our bridge,” says village elder Mr Michael Butehe. 

A 53-year-old mother of seven and grandmother of five, Roslyn, shares the support they provided. “We gave all we had to build this bridge. It brings a different kind of happiness, so I cried when I saw the first vehicles crossing the bridge and driving right into the village.”

The community gave their time and labour, but they still needed money for materials they could not find locally. To pay for non-local construction materials, the community relied on their collective savings fund, called the Village Trust Fund. The community used this fund to pay for cement and steel and to cover transport costs for the bridge.

This fund grew as farmers earned and saved more from cocoa and vanilla. Over the last four years, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme has helped farmers in Hambini improve cocoa and vanilla production, quality and post-harvest handling, and strengthen how they market their produce and access better prices. By producing and selling better quality cocoa and vanilla, farmers increased their income and were able to save more. A share of these savings was deposited into the Village Trust Fund.

To make the bridge possible, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme also supported the community in several direct ways. ILO provided technical advice to help plan and design the bridge using local resources. FAO-supplied tools for cocoa and vanilla work, such as chainsaws, spades, wheelbarrows and lifting equipment, were repurposed for the construction. The Programme partners also helped arrange logistics to lower the cost of transporting cement, steel and other materials to this remote village. 

FAO also provided training in community vision planning, group organization and basic project management. This helped the community agree on a plan, identify resources and organize the work to build the bridge.

Built with concrete foundations and abutments, steel girders and timber decking, the bridge is about 9 meters in length and 3 meters in width, sufficient for one vehicle crossing. The depth is about 5 meters from the riverbed and flood level, and it is suitable for four-wheel-drive vehicles, tractors and light cargo trucks. With proper maintenance, the expected lifespan of the bridge is about 20 years.

For the community, the bridge brings new hopes for this remote village. It will help them sustain their agribusiness activities, initiated with the support of FAO through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, and improve their economic prospects using cocoa and vanilla for a more prosperous future for their children.

Beyond the bridge, the community has also used its Village Trust Fund to improve local services. Two years ago, the community used the fund to complete the construction of a permanent-structure elementary classroom and a new aid post, bringing quality education and basic healthcare closer to their doorstep.

Children who once studied in old classrooms with poor lighting and ventilation can now learn in a safer classroom with better light and airflow. Before the aid post was established, villagers, including pregnant mothers, walked for hours to the main highway and then waited for public transport to reach basic health services in Maprik town.

• Read more here: https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/triumph-hill-transforming-papua-new-guinea%E2%80%99s-cocoa-farms 

This is an initiative of the community with unity and commitment, which are key ingredients for creating lasting change by using the support and partnership that is available. As observed by deputy chairlady of the farming group, Ms Maureen Mompi, “Supportive partnership like with EU-STREIT PNG is crucial, but the impact can multiply only when communities take ownership.” She added: “I’m very proud of the people and farmers here, including the women and youth.”

“This is the story of a community using its own strengths and the opportunity provided by the Programme to create a long-term solution,” said Ms Patu Shang, FAO’s International Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist. “They aren’t just making the best of a situation, they’re actively building a better one. This is empowerment.”

About the EU-STREIT PNG Programme

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme is the European Union’s largest grant-funded initiative under the EU Global Gateway Strategy in Papua New Guinea, implemented as a United Nations Joint Programme led by FAO in partnership with ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP. It focuses on boosting sustainable, inclusive rural development by enhancing returns and opportunities in the cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains (FAO) and by strengthening key enablers: digital inclusion (ITU and FAO), digital financial services (UNCDF), sustainable, climate-resilient transport infrastructure (ILO), and renewable-energy solutions (UNDP and FAO). The Programme directly benefits the East and West Sepik Provinces. 

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