Rabaraba Trianing on Food Processing

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Title: Oro & Rabaraba Agricultural Rehabilitation Project

Partners: PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd (PNGSDP Ltd) and NARI

Funding:  K240, 000 from PNGSDP Ltd over 3 year period (2010 – 2012)

Project Status: Ending in Quarter 1, 2013

Project Background/Justification: Cyclone Guba destroyed many food gardens in Oro province and Rabaraba district in Milne Bay Province in late November, 2007. Hence, local planting materials of their common staples were lost due to the flood. There was an immediate need to supply planting materials to the affected communities after the flood had subsided to alleviate the imminent food shortages and lack of planting materials following the destruction caused by Cyclone Guba. The Project took this opportunity and introduced for further multiplication and distribution of the NARI selected and recommended crops (technologies) and Muscovy ducks to rehabilitate the affected farming communities in both Oro Province and Milne Bay Province.

 The first phase of the project was funded by the National Disaster Centre for emergency (K200, 000) and the second phase was funded by PNGSDP Ltd.

Strategic Objectives: To enhance and rehabilitate agricultural activities in the flood affected communities and enhanced food security and nutrition through provision of NARI recommended food crops, gained additional new skills and knowledge and create income generation opportunities from garden produce.

Main Outcomes/Activities:

  • Establish community based Resource Centers in Oro and Milne Bay Provinces,
  • Transfer of improved Agricultural technologies (planting materials and Muscovy ducks),
  • Provide / conduct farmer trainings and demonstration on basic vegetable production, minisett techniques of yams and taro, crop protection (PDPs and taro beetle chemical control) and simple food processing & preservation technologies, and
  • Disseminate selected printed information about the improved / selected technologies.

Major Achievements (2012)

  • NARI improved selected crops (NARI taros- 4 varieties, African yam- 1 variety, sweet potatoes – 12 varieties, cassava- 4 varieties, rice seeds (2 varieties) and white open pollinated corn seeds) successfully transferred from NARI-Laloki to Project sites in Oro Province and Milne Bay Province; multiplied, utilized and further disseminated from project sites to other community members. Over 400 Muscovy ducks distributed to Resource Centers in Oro Province and Rabaraba District (Milne Bay Province) since 2010,
  • Established 2 functional Resource Centers, Higaturu Skills Training Centre and Sariri village (out of 5 established resource centers) in Oro Province,
  •  Established 2 functional Resource Centers, Rabaraba station and Yoguba Village (out of 4 established resource centers) in Rabaraba District, Milne Bay Province,
  • Since 2010, a lot of planting materials (over 20,000 taro suckers, 3,000 sweet potato cuttings,  1,000 cassava sticks, 100kg rice seeds, 30kg of white corn seeds (open-pollinate) have been further distributed to many neighboring communities and interested individuals from the established (from both functional and non-functional) resource centers both in Oro and Rabaraba,
  • Higaturu Skills Training Centre (through the Agriculture Teacher) has established 4 other smaller resource centers in Oro Province, and has further conducted over 3 farmer trainings (in 2012),
  • Conducted 2 x trainings / demonstration on Crop protection using PDPs and Taro chemical control in June 2012 in Oro Province at Higaturu Skills Training Centre and Sariri village (Lower Musa).  A total of over 100 farmers and students attended and participated. Conducted 3 x trainings / demonstration on using PDPs and Taro beetle chemical control method at 3 project sites (Rabaraba stan, Yoguba and Bogaboga) in Rabaraba, Milne Bay Province. Over 100 farmers attended and participated,
  • Conducted 2 x trainings / demonstration on simple food processing & preservation including how to make fruit jams at the 2 resource centre sites in Oro Province (Higaturu STC & Sariri. Over 80 farmers / students attended and participated.  Conducted 3 x trainings on simple food processing and preservation including how to make fruit jams at the 3 resource centres in Rabaraba. Over 80 farmers attended and participated,
  • Disseminated over 500 NARI toktoks and printed information about the improved technologies, crop protection and food processing and preservation to project sites in Oro and Milne Bay Provinces,
  • 160 Muscovy ducks were supplied from NARI Laloki to Project sites in Oro (Higaturu STC– 40 ducks, & Sariri-20 ducks) and Rabaraba sites -100 ducks),
  • Estimated over 30,000 NARI taros alone is grown in Oro Province since 2010, and
  • Sariri community and the Higaturu STC have already earned some generous income from sales of produce (particularly taro) in 2012 by selling them at local urban markets.