FAO Supports Development of the First National Women and Youth in Agriculture Policy in Papua New Guinea

Wewak, Papua New Guinea – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is supporting Papua New Guinea to develop its first National Women and Youth in Agriculture Policy (NWYAP) 2025–2035. The policy aims to place women and youth at the centre of agriculture and agribusiness, strengthen the institutions that serve them, and promote fair access to land, finance, markets and agricultural services.

Four regional consultations are guiding the process in the Momase, Highlands, New Guinea Islands and Southern regions. The first consultation, held in Wewak, brought together participants from Madang, East Sepik and West Sepik provinces to review the roadmap, validate early findings, and ensure that the voices of women, youths and persons with disabilities are represented.

Stakeholders included lead farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, church-based organisations, government agencies and the private sector across key agrifood value chains, with representatives from the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock’s Policy Division and the Women in Agriculture Development Unit (WiADU). Discussions focused on barriers to inclusion and identified practical policy actions to close persistent gaps. 

Women and youth in Papua New Guinea continue to face unequal access to critical resources. Between 10 and 20 percent of women hold land rights, while 41 percent of women can access credit, compared with 71 percent of men. Women represent more than half of the agricultural workforce, yet only 12 percent of agricultural extension officers are women and their participation in agribusiness markets remains about 12 percent. 

Participants identified a set of strategic priorities to refine through upcoming consultations. These include updating laws to support women’s and youth inclusion, expanding access to affordable finance and credit, strengthening gender-responsive extension services, developing safe and functional market hubs with cold storage and processing facilities, promoting digital and climate-smart innovations to reach remote communities, and mainstreaming gender-based violence prevention and youth empowerment across DAL programmes. 

Mr Francis Daink, DAL Deputy Secretary for Policy Division, said in his opening remarks that strong stakeholder ownership and buy-in are essential for the policy. He added that the institutional structure should be designed so that DAL provides overall coordination and secretarial support to a high-level advisory body composed primarily of women and youth representatives.

From FAO’s side, Ms Patu Shang, FAO Gender & Youth Inclusion Specialist with the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, said: “We all have to work together to build the nation and move forward. This consultation is an opportunity to put our voices together and address critical challenges through the formulation of a National Women and Youth in Agriculture Policy. Without this policy, we risk losing more years of opportunities to strengthen our economy and empower our people.”

Looking ahead to delivery, Mr Ali Said Yesuf, Programme Coordinator for the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, emphasised that “the policy must focus on the underlying barriers that continue to limit women and youth from fully participating in PNG’s agricultural development, from access to land and finance to their representation in leadership and market systems. To make it work, we need strong institutional coordination and a clear framework for implementation. A robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism will also be essential to measure progress over the short, medium and long term. FAO, through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, will continue to support the Government of Papua New Guinea by sharing global best practices that are relevant to our national context, ensuring that this policy moves beyond words into measurable results.”

The policy aligns with PNG Vision 2050, the Medium-Term Development Plans and the PNG Agriculture Development Sector Plan 2030, and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals. It provides a clear roadmap for DAL and WiADU to unlock the economic potential of women and youth in the sector with institutionalization of gender and youth perspectives in agricultural planning, programming, and investment.

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.