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UNIC Canberra Interview
With
Programme Coordinator, Mr. Ali Said Yesuf

What is the aim of the overall programme?

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, funded by the European Union, is the largest of its kind in the Pacific region and is being implemented in Papua New Guinea's Sepik region. It aims to improve the livelihoods of people in the East and West Sepik provinces of Papua New Guinea. It focuses on:

?    Boosting the local economy: the programme helps farmers earn more income from cocoa, vanilla, and fish by increasing production and productivity, promoting processing and value addition and linking to domestic and international markets. 

?    Creating inclusive opportunities for everyone: the programme works to ensure that the economic benefits are shared fairly and reach people in rural areas, including women and youths.

?    Supporting businesses environment: the programme helps to create a better environment for businesses to thrive. It includes improving access to ICT/digital tools, financial services, marketing, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) development, enhance farm-to-market transportation, and renewable energy solutions that are environment friendly and can withstand the effects of climate change. 

Overall, it aims to improve the livelihoods of the people in the Sepik region and create a more prosperous and sustainable future through sustainable and inclusive agribusiness development. 

Who are the partners and when did it start?

It started in 2020 and is being implemented as a Ãå±±½ûµØJoint Programme. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the lead implementing agency, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are the implementing partner Ãå±±½ûµØagencies.

It also also collaborates and cooperates with several national and provincial counterparts in Papua New Guinea. These include the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Works and Highways (DoW), the Department of Commerce and Industries (DCI), the National Energy Authority (NEA), the National ICT Authority (NICTA), the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), the Cocoa Board of PNG (CCB), the Spice Industry Board of PNG (SIB), the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), and PNG Power Limited (PPL).

In addition, it works closely works with and supports farmers' groups, MSMEs, agrifood enterprises, exporters, traders, and civil society organizations (NGOs), primarily based in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, as well as research and academic institutions.

Can you describe the region where the Programme is implemented - what is the terrain like, communications and other infrastructure?

It is being implemented in the East and West Sepik Provinces, collectively known as the greater Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. This region spans over 79,246 square kilometres and includes a wide range of terrains such as grasslands, highlands, riverine, and coastal areas.

The Sepik region has an estimated population of 1,000,000. Most of the population lives in rural areas and relies on subsistence and cash crop farming. It is known for its fertile lands and vibrant farming communities.

However, poor transport infrastructure, including lack of passable roads, poor sea and river transport hinders farmers¡¯ access to markets. Additionally, limited access to financial and digital services and skills has slowed progress in the region. The rate of electrification and reliability of power supply is also low.

What about the communities within the region, their cultural diversity and customs?

Papua New Guinea is home to over 830 languages, with the Sepik River Basin being a major contributor to this linguistic diversity, hosting hundreds of languages. The people of this ecologically diverse region are deeply interconnected through intricate networks of trade and cultural exchange, facilitated by rituals, genealogies, and historical knowledge. These exchanges often involve traditional items such as food, tools, crafts, and ceremonial objects, accompanied by rituals that strengthen social bonds.

The Sepik River, the longest in Papua New Guinea, is central to life in the region. It serves as a vital artery for transportation, fishing, and daily activities, supporting diverse communities. The river's significance extends beyond its utilitarian functions, as it sustains a rich biodiversity and a unique ecosystem within the surrounding wetlands and forests.

The Sepik region is renowned for its vibrant artistic traditions. Each village often has its own distinctive style of carving, painting, and other crafts, with many villagers being artisans who create works of art.
The region adheres to a predominantly patrilineal social structure, wherein men wield considerable power in decision-making and land ownership. Gender inequality remains a pressing issue, with women often facing limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. However, education is slowly helping women and girls gain recognition and appreciation for their household responsibilities and farming contributions.
Over 90% of land is owned under customary principles, which vary among place to place. These principles typically recognize the rights of traditional users and their clan affiliations. 

Can you tell us about the individual projects, what they are, its benefits success and challenges and examples of a community or household that they have assisted?

It has two main components:

1. Supporting Sustainable Value Chain Development
This empowers farmers and value chain actors with training, capacity building, inputs, tools, equipment, and technology. The goal is to enhance productivity, including cultivation, husbandry, and harvesting, as well as post-harvesting processing of cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries. Importantly, the Programme does not promote new plantations that could lead to deforestation; support is exclusively focused on improving the existing gardens and blocks.

In cocoa, the support includes establishing budwood gardens and nurseries to boost local production of Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) pest-tolerant seedlings. The programme purchases these seedlings and distributes them free-of-charge to farmers along with requite agronomic training, helping them rehabilitate their old, pest-infested cocoa trees. Farmers also receive essential tools for seedling production and garden management. Additionally, it equips farmers with innovative solar-powered cocoa dryers for uniform drying and fermentation to improve the quality of their produce. In vanilla, the programme has set up vanilla vine treatment facilities, ensuring vines are disease- and fungus-free before transplantation into existing gardens. Farmers receive necessary tools for cultivation, husbandry, and harvesting together with training. The support also includes innovative solar dryers for producing uniformly high-quality vanilla beans.

In fisheries, it works on three lines: freshwater aquaculture, riverine, and coastal fisheries. Fisherfolks receive skill development training, essential inputs, tools, and equipment, including solar-powered freezers, boats and fishing canoes. The programme also introduces innovative, energy-efficient technology for small-scale fish smoking.
Read more on successes: 

2. Improving Efficiency of Value Chain Enablers
It supports local agri-food businesses to flourish. This includes helping farmers establish and formalize cooperatives and MSMEs, training lead farmers in group dynamics, leadership, MSME development and management, financial literacy, and skills such as planning, budgeting, bookkeeping, and cash flow management. It also equips lead farmers with ICT and digital tools for e-marketing and establishing e-marketplaces, facilitating access to international markets.

Additionally, the programme has expanded financial service access points across Sepik to help farmers access essential financial services and products. Multiple resource centers have been established in strategic locations to serve as digital hubs, providing farmers and agribusiness owners with access to digital tools and opportunities for learning, marketing products internationally, and increasing their income.

It also promotes renewable energy solutions and introduces innovative technologies to reduce carbon footprints and protect the environment. This includes solar vanilla dryers, solar vacuum-sealed packaging for vanilla, combination solar dryers for cocoa, FAO FTT technology for fish smoking and processing (reducing firewood use), solar freezers for fisheries cold chain storage, solar power generators for financial access points, solar kits for farming households, and solar PV mini-grid systems for educational and health facilities.

Additionally, it also establishes the necessary structures and facilities for aggregation, proper storage, and bulk marketing of supported products. This enables farmers to access more lucrative markets, negotiate better prices, and ensure safe storage of their products. Significant investment has also been made by the programme in rehabilitation and maintenance of rural feeder roads in the remote areas of both East and West Sepik provinces. 

It also supports lead farmers by providing opportunities to participate in international trade shows, business forums, and study tours, allowing them to interact with potential buyers and learn best practices within the country and abroad.

And of course, it works closely with government partners in reviewing existing and developing new policies and frameworks that facilitate development of the target value chains and support services. In all its efforts, the programme focuses on enhancing the inclusion and recognition of the critical roles played by women and youth.

Is a large part of the Programme training and capacity building?

Any transformative change requires new knowledge and skills, especially if it aims to be sustainable. This is true for using new inputs, tools, equipment, technology, and facilities effectively. Therefore, the programme does not provide material support, establish new facilities, or introduce innovative technologies without first building the capacity of beneficiaries and collaborating institutions. This ensures they can adopt, utilize, and maintain these resources for long-term sustainability. The knowledge gained by beneficiaries and stakeholders strengthens the "agency" of value chain actors, enabling them to continue improving even after the Programme ends its operations in the area.

Just to drill down a bit more do the projects value add not only in an economical sense but to health and well-being of the population?

Although the focus is not health, however, due to the programme spillover effect, it improves the health status through three pathways. The Fisheries Value Chain is supported by the programme to increase the supply of animal protein in the region, thereby enhancing the nutritional status of the population, particularly women and children under 5 ¨C who suffer from prevalent stunting. The programme also trains local nutrition advocates who can teach people how to improve their nutrition and diets using locally available items. Additionally, it has powered three health facilities in Sepik with solar PV mini-grid systems, thereby improving healthcare services for thousands of people. 

Evidence indicates that the increased income from sale of cocoa and vanilla is being invested in well-being improvement of communities and households particularly in housing, educational and health services.  The roads constructed and rehabilitated by the programme have also improved access to health centres and schools by significantly cutting the travel time and cost. 

What about economic empowerment of women ¨C more examples within these communities?

The women play essential roles in farming communities, from managing house and home chores to critical contribution to production, processing, distribution and marketing of agri-food products. The programme actions include two main parts:

1.    Enhance women¡¯s access to resources such as assets, financial services and products, and agricultural services. 
2.    Empower women to take leading roles in decision-making, enhancing their self-confidence and their agribusiness capabilities. 

As of now, almost 20% of leadership position in local MSME supported by the Programme are held by women. Also, a good number of model farmers and agribusiness champions empowered by the Programme are women. 

How important is digital capacity building in today¡¯s world and do you see that more and more there is a growing need for and expanded programme for the region?

Limited access to digital resources and skills has hindered progress in the region. Without digital literacy and access to ICT tools and digital resources (coupled with poor road conditions and high cost of transportation in the area), farmers are confined to their villages or nearby towns, remaining unaware of market changes, unable to find new markets, and forced to trade with middlemen, leaving them with minimal profits.

Recognizing this challenge, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme is bridging the digital divide by building the capacity of lead farmers in various aspects of ICT skills and digital literacy. This includes the effective use of smartphones, mobile applications, e-commerce, e-marketing, e-market places and other digital resources that enhance their agricultural practices, market access, and decision-making capabilities.

The programme also establishes resource centres in strategic locations across the region, serving as permanent digital gateways for farmers and agribusiness actors. By investing in this domain, the programme aims to create a ripple effect where lead farmers become agents of change within their communities. As these farmers acquire new knowledge and skills, and get reliable access to internet, ICT tools and digital resources, they can inspire and support fellow farmers on the path to digital transformation, contributing to sustainable and inclusive development in the Sepik region.

How will the Programme assist in delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals?

It is directly contributing to eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Poverty Eradication: by increasing farmers' incomes through improved agricultural practices and market access.
• Zero Hunger: by enhancing food security and nutritional status for farming families through increased income and production.
• Gender Equality: by actively promoting women's inclusion and empowerment across all levels of agricultural value chains.
• Affordable and Clean Energy: by providing solar energy solutions to households, farmers, agribusinesses, and financial providers, improving energy access and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
• Decent Work and Economic Growth: by creating jobs in transport infrastructure projects, providing skills training for youth to access better employment, and fostering sustainable economic development through support for three key value chains and local agribusinesses.
• Reduced Inequalities: by empowering farmers to receive a fair share of economic benefits along the value chain, ensuring a more equitable distribution of profits.
• Climate Action: by promoting climate-smart agriculture, rehabilitating existing gardens to avoid deforestation, and introducing renewable energy solutions and innovative technologies with lower carbon footprints.
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: By investing in improved ICT services and digital inclusion, increasing access to technology and information for the region's population.

What are your thoughts for the future of the region and your call to action?

The Greater Sepik region has a high potential in the development of agriculture sector and could be an agriculture base economy of the country. One of the major advantages of the region is its size and availability of agriculture lands which has not been fully utilised. Other advantages include its geographical location from where it can export their agro products to the northern hemisphere countries reducing time and resources. 

The EU STREIT PNG Programme has generated important lessons that would contribute to the transformation of the agriculture sector in Papua Guinea, particularly to revitalise the cocoa and vanilla value chains and increase their contribution to the GDP and foreign exchange earnings. The human and institutional capacity built, innovations promoted, infrastructure established, MSMEs strengthened, knowledge and skill acquired by communities have laid a solid foundation for socio-economic transformation of the Greater Sepik region.  

The scaling up and replication of STREIT best practices in the other provinces would significantly contribute to the achievement key targets set in the Medium-Term Development Plan (MDTP) IV and the recently launched National Agricultural Strategic Plan (NASP) 2024-2033. 

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