The EU-STREIT PNG further extends its Support to Capacitate Rural Women and Youths in Wosera and Maprik districts of East Sepik Province

Wewak, ESP – The EU-STREIT Programme in Papua New Guinea, in collaboration with the Foundation for Women in Agriculture Development (FOWIAD), moves forward with its plans to build capacity among local cocoa farmers in the Sepik Region, providing them with skills and inputs to establish and run sustainable and competitive cocoa cultivation.

With this insight, an additional 695 farmers, from six villages of Apusit, Jambitanget, Kwetgu, Mul Betlem, Patiko and Waikakim villages in North Wosera LLG, Wosera Gawi and Maprik districts of East Sepik Province, were covered by the latest step taken by Programme.

Together with FOWIAD, the EU-STREIT provides the farmers with learning opportunities, including hands-on training and field demonstrations to begin and complete rehabilitation work on their existing cocoa blocks. Each farmer was trained on chupon budding and replanting. They were equally equipped with the requisite land preparation skills for planting new seedlings. Furthermore, the Programme procured and distributed 36,544 improved clone cocoa seedlings to the farmers.

To have an effective oversight and monitoring mechanism in place, the Programme identified 23 lead farmers who would ensure that the larger group of farmers are following correct procedures and best practices.

Besides, out of the ten demonstration blocks the Programme aims to establish in the target villages, five have already been set up, and the trainings have effectively begun. The demonstration blocks serve as a learning centre for the surrounding cocoa farmers to adopt the best practices on their individual blocks.

The partnership with FOWIAD aims to train 2,000 youth, both men and women, on the development of cocoa production through distribution of cocoa clone seedlings and capacity building training such as clone cocoa budding and field management.

Focused on the inclusion of women and youths, this initiative works on transforming the agricultural sector in the eyes of the youths, making it attractive, viable and offering real and gainful self-employment opportunities for the teeming PNG youths leading to a change in attitudes and a reduction in rural exodus. This will invariably direct, educate, motivate, and inspire other youths to venture into agriculture, which holds the true key to national wealth. With particular emphasis on female youths, this partnership will also lead to more empowerment as well as agency and better participation of the female gender in family financial decision making. 

The EU-STREIT PNG, being implemented as a UN joint Programme (FAO as leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as implementing partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region, which focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through Increasing the economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains and strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-proof transport and energy infrastructure development.