Papua New Guinea & Pacific Island countries

Supporting over 70 per cent of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) population, village based agriculture is essential to sustaining the basic livelihood of PNG people, and the domestic trading of fresh produce is a very important source of cash income for families. Sweet-potato in particular is a significant resource for PNG families, constituting the dominant staple for over 65 per cent of the rural population. Competing land pressure, soil degradation and pests and disease, however, is having a marked impact on the production of root crops.

With forestry the third largest revenue earner and major contributor to social and economic development in PNG, there is a huge potential in the exportation of tree commodities such as timber, palm oil, coffee, cocoa and coconut products. However, such a strong potential for agribusiness in PNG also presents enormous challenges. Working in partnership with PNG, the ACIAR program has a strong focus on the sustainable management of land, forest and fisheries to improve agricultural commodities and benefit PNG both locally and internationally.

In 2010-2011, the main strategy of ACIAR’s program in PNG is to secure improvements in food supply and rural incomes for smallholder farmers. This will be primarily achieved through increased productivity and profitability of farming systems, including the development of breeding strategies, integrated pest, disease, weed and nutrient strategies and the evaluation of wider industrial opportunities for products. The ACIAR program will also examine the role and effectiveness of women’s groups in rural industries, in terms of efficiency and equity in agricultural and marketing systems.

Despite the potential for the exportation of tree commodities in PNG, the scope for improvements in productivity and income is large, with plantation capacity in many cases operating at lower than 50 per cent. Through improvements in smallholder crop skills, application of fertiliser and the management of soil fertility, the ACIAR program will help raise productivity whilst sustaining the natural resource base. ACIAR also has a cluster of projects that investigate better ways to manage pests and diseases in agrobusiness, aquaculture and agroforestry, increasing the overall production and quality of commodities in these areas.

The Pacific Island countries (PIC) include Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sustain many households in the PICs, and these sectors will provide the main source of food security in the foreseeable future. Being geographically isolated from key growth consumption markets, many smallholder farmers live in isolated rural communities that are dependent on household food production, fish and small livestock scales. Key challenges for ACIAR include transforming these systems into sustainable income-generating activities through improved productivity and marketing, to enhance food security and self-reliance and reduce poverty.

ACIAR’s program in the Pacific Islands works closely with regional organisations. ACIAR also recognizes, however, that participation in regional projects which address common problems can help to overcome the limited capacity of many countries to engage in collaborative activities. The collective goals of ACIAR in the PICs are improved food and nutritional security, integrated and sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry resources management and development, and improved market integration in agriculture, fisheries and forestry products.