Overview
The project aimed to address the need for a different approach to improving agricultural livelihoods in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, emphasising assets rather than needs.
The project consisted of two small research projects: FIS/2021/122, which examined the current economic activity and market engagement of the people in Western Province, and FIS/2021/113, which identified locally appropriate livelihood development practices for the agricultural sector.
The research found that Western Province has significant and underappreciated assets and strengths across socio-cultural, economic and ecological systems, such as artisanal agriculture and fishing, Indigenous exchange and resource governance, and sago as a staple food source. The project also identified 7 unique ecosystems in Western Province that have different physical, historical, and cultural characteristics and require place-specific programming to address their opportunities and challenges.
The project recommended that future programs in Western Province focus on province-wide human development, environmental degradation and climate change impacts, commercial primary production, and community-based climate change adaptation. It also suggested some possible future projects that could build on the province's existing assets and strengths, such as sago food security, water security, artisanal fisheries, community income guarantee, and community-based environmental remediation.
View the project pages for FIS/2021/122 and FIS/2021/113.
View the Final Report for FIS/2021/113.
