DIDINET stands for ‘Didiman/Didimeri Network’ or a network for scientists and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector. It aims to network and inform the members and keep them abreast of issues of common interest. Contributions can be forwarded to the Editor (james.laraki@nari.org.pg).
In this Issue
News
- PAU to host PNG Research, Science and technology conference
- Efforts to improve livestock services
- PNG to host regional food safety meeting
- World Food Day theme announced
- Rice milling for Kira
- New appointments and enhancing opportunities for trade
- Networking agricultural information
Publications
- SPC Books (various)
- The systems thinking playbook for climate change
- Special report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change
- Virgin coconut oil processing manual
Events
- 2012 Agricultural Innovations Show
Announcements
- PNG Science, Research and Technology Conference
__________________________________________________________________
News
PAU to host PNG research, science & technology conference
(See announcement below for contact details)
PACIFIC ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY (PAU) will host the Research, Science and Technology (RST) Conference on 25th-28th June 2012.
The objective of the yearly conference is to showcase, collaborate and share ideas on research work currently being undertaken by universities in PNG. This year’s theme is “Harnessing Science and Technology for Development: Meeting the PNG 2050 Vision Targets.”
The Chairman of the 2012 RST Conference, Associate Professor Fifaia Matainaho, says PAU is excited and ready to host the 2012 RST Conference. Research is one of the key pillars in PAU’s Strategic Plan. “The 2012 RST Conference will help find a roadmap to achieve development targets for the PNG Vision 2050 through research in Science and Technology,” said Matainaho.
Meanwhile PAU was the recipient of K50, 000 from the RST Program under the Office of Higher Education (OHE) to support the running of the conference.
Executive Officer for the RST Program, Ms Lisa Larry, while presenting the cheque, said that the OHE was glad to assist PAU in funding for the 2012 RST Conference. Ms Larry said this was the first time PAU had received funding from the OHE and encouraged the PAU academia to apply for more research grants.
In thanking the OHE, PAU’s DVC Associate Professor Tracie Mafile’o said this Conference will be a highlight for the University in 2012 and PAU welcomes the partnership with OHE, other government agencies, Universities and industry to deliberate on how science and technology can cultivate positive development.
The PAU is inviting abstracts from academics, industries, research institutions and other interested parties for the 2012 RST Conference. Covering a broad range of sub-themes, including health and sustainable development, all scientists, engineers, technologists, development specialists, health personnel and educators are encouraged to participate.
Efforts to improve livestock services
Source: The National, Tuesday 17 April 2012
SPEAKING at the closing of a workshop on scoping new livestock research opportunities in PNG held at NARI headquarters last week, Director General Dr Raghunath Ghodake noted that not much has been done in terms of research and development in this sector.
“We have been really struggling in livestock research and development in the country over the last 10 – 15 years despite of its importance” Dr Ghodake said.
Dr Ghodake called on all partners of the proposed project to work together to improve livestock services in the country as it make a significant contribution to the livelihoods of rural people.
We need real partnership as a lot issues needs to be addressed in terms of livestock research and development, he added.
As indicated by the Director General, the research and development in the livestock sector has been struggle for a while. This is an indication that the current support provided are inadequate to meet the needs of smallholders.
The sector make significant contributions to the livelihoods of more than 600,000 smallholders, mainly through subsistence and small commercial production of pigs and poultry, with cattle, small ruminants and inland aquaculture playing an increasing role. However, there are number of constraints limiting the people from benefiting from these enterprises and efforts are urgently required to improving the livestock services.
We hope the proposed project will address these constraints, as the current support at national, provincial and local level are inadequate. The proposed project we hope provides an opportunity to evaluate current services (if any), design simple and more effective support network for smallholders and build capacity to ensure services can be sustainably provided to the sector.
The proposed project “improving smallholder livelihood through enabling livestock services in PNG” promises to have a major impact in the overall livestock services in the country. The workshop held last week was to gather all potential partners to refine and put together a project proposal to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural (ACIAR) for funding. This was done following a draft concept noted prepared by NARI was agreed in principle by ACIAR and requested for a full proposal be submitted for consideration.
The overall aim of the project is to build an effective basic livestock health and production service, involving the identification, surveillance and management of health and production issues and market access constraints on smallholder and commercial farms.
The project is also expected to develop specific objectives under this broad objective to prioritize primary animal health and production issues in the major smallholder and commercial livestock farms and develop an appropriate animal health and production management plan. Further research are planned in priority areas to focus on instance of major internal and external parasites of livestock on smallholder farms, reproduction and mortality issues and develop management and treatment strategies to resolve the problems.
The project is expected address key research question regarding common animal health, production and market constraints in priority livestock species. The role of improved housing, hygiene, animal management and nutrition and use of local herbal medicines on animal health and reproduction on profitability of smallholder semi-intensive and commercial livestock enterprises will also be addressed. It is also expected to look into overall management issues and capacity building needs both at farmer and institutional.
The project to be coordinated from the James Cook University in Australia will involve eight partners including; NARI, University of Technology, University of Natural Resource and Environment, National Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Authority and the Australian partners includes the University of Adelaide, Charles Stuart University, South Australian Research and Development Institute, and James Cook University. The national Department of Agriculture and Livestock and Lutheran Development Services have indicated their interest to be partners.
We hope with the strong partnership arrangement in place, some efforts towards improving livestock services will be addressed, particularly in animal health and production. Poor housing and management, inadequate nutrition, poor reproduction, high mortality of young stock and poor access to emerging urban markets are some issues that have neglected over the years and we hope the project will address them.
Past efforts may not have seriously addressed these constraints. NARI’s research effort in livestock has been focusing on feeding systems. This resulted in successful development of feeding options for poultry (broiler) and growing pigs using locally available resources. The broiler concentrate and pig silage using sweet potato have been officially released to the farming community and are being promoted for smallholders farmers to trial them. The proposed project can build on lessons learnt from these projects and other relevant projects relating to animal health and production undertaken elsewhere.
While proposed project looks promising, any useful output, we assume can be delivered from a collaborative effort from all partners. The proposed project has all relevant agencies concerned with livestock on board. We, hope the partners will establish a “real partnership” and really work together as called on by Dr Ghodake for us all to contribute towards improving livestock services in the country.
PNG to host regional food safety meeting
Source: Department of Agriculture & Livestock Public Relations
PAPUA NEW GUINEA is preparing to host a regional meeting on food safety standards in September this year. The 12th session of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Codex Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP) is scheduled to be held in Madang.
The Departments of Agriculture and Livestock and Health are the two key government departments involved in organizing the meeting with other partners which is expected to attract over 80 international and local delegates.
The meeting will be held from September 19 to 22.
The CCNASWP comprises of member countries that include Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Nauru. PNG through DAL is a member of CCNASWP, which enjoys the benefit of sharing Codex technical information between countries in these two regions. PNG is now taking its turn as regional coordinator of the CCNASWP, after Tonga.
DAL became the Codex Contact Point for PNG in 1989 and has undertaken a number of activities in partnership with relevant stakeholders giving recognition to the work of food standards and food safety standard development and capacity building. The work of food standards and Codex has become significant and important not only in safeguarding consumer health protection, but significant also in international trade harmonization between multilateral and bilateral trading partners.
One of the significant developments has been the establishment of the PNG National Codex Committee comprising of DAL, Health, National Institute of Standard and Industrial Technology (NISIT), Independent Consumer Competition Commission (ICCC), NAQIA, NCD and industries. In DAL, the Agro food safety and Codex PNG secretariat has also been established within the Science and Technology Branch. A national policy for sanitary and phyto-sanitary compliance has also been developed as part and parcel of Integrated Coordination Mechanism for the food sector.
PNG is expected to gain more international recognition in the work of Codex and food safety standards through the hosting of the regional meeting. PNG, being a member country of FAO and WHO, has global obligations and participates meaningfully in protection of consumer health, fair trade practices to address food security needs and social being, reducing of hunger and poverty. The regional meeting will also strengthen PNG’s efforts in setting better standards for its food products both for consumption and export markets.
Codex Alimentarius Commission is an international body with over 182 members, within the framework of the joint food standard programme established in 1963 under the FAO and WHO. Its purpose is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The commission also promotes coordination of food standards work undertaken by intentional governmental and non-governmental organizations.
World Food Day theme announced
Source: Department of Agriculture & Livestock Public Relations
“Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” is the theme for the 2012 World Food Day.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said this theme has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger.
FAO’s Sub-regional Representative for the Pacific Islands based in Apia, Samoa, Vili Fuavao, said that 2012 will mark the 67th anniversary of the organization’s founding, and the 32nd observance of World Food Day.
He said FAO was informing all stakeholders and the public of the official theme now so that everyone can share it with their local stakeholders and partners with a view to providing them enough lead time for planning their respective World Food Day activities. Some activities might even be initiated now as the theme is very topical and 2012 has been declared International Year of Cooperatives.
He said the World Food Week will be celebrated at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from October 15-20.
In PNG, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock has started disseminating the information on the theme and urged all stakeholders to start planning for this year’s celebrations.
Rice milling for Kira
SMALLHOLDER rice growers in the remote Kira area of the Oro province will for the first time be able to mill their own rice. This is possible after the Oro Provincial Administration stepped in to support and promote rice production to the farming community in the area with the purchase of four rice milling machines.
Like many rural areas in the country, the people in this remote area have been growing rice but could not get their produce milled as access to such facilities has been impossible. Kira, bordering Garaina in the Morobe Province is accessible by air only and it is impossible for ordinary farmers to bring their produce to Lae or Popondetta for milling.
With funding support from NADP component of the District Support Improvement Program (DSIP), the Oro Provincial Administration has seen the struggle of the people there and has decided to purchase four diesel-powered rice milling machines. The machines bought from Brian Bell in Lae will be allocated to the four LLG Wards for use by the people to mill their rice.
The acting Director of Policy and Planning, John Pai, said from Popondetta that the Oro administration has decided to lend its support to the people in this remote area after various assessments have indicated that people there have been growing rice but had difficulty with milling. It is part of administration’s vision to support local communities to be engaged in meaningful activities and promoting rice to the farming communities is one of them, Mr Pai said.
“The machines together costs about only K30,000 but their impact on the lives of the people there will enormous. It will be a great relief that at last they will be able to mill their own rice and will also motivate others”, Pai added.
The machines are being fine-tuned in Lae by technical staff of the National Agricultural Research Institute before they are flown over. Mr Pai who is coordinating this project will bring a selected number of farmers to the Agriculture Innovations Show next month for the farmers to learn more skills. This will be followed by a two weeks training on site by technical staff from NARI on the use of the machines.
Meanwhile 12 other rice milling machines have also been bought under this program and will be distributed to various LLGs and Wards in the province.
New appointment and enhancing opportunities for trade
MR SIDNEY SUMA, a Papua New Guinean national, has been selected as a Developing Country Expert from Asia (including the Pacific) in the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) for the period 2012-2013.
Mr Suma has extensive experience in the Pacific and Small Island Developing States in fields of: Biosecurity; Sanitary and Phytosanitary issues; and Trade Facilitation and Development. He is well known in the region as the former Team Leader of the Biosecurity and Trade Support Unit within the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Executive Secretary of the Pacific Plant Protection Organisation (PPPO) as well as for his work on a number of other regional trade and market access programs.
Mr Suma is currently engaged by the UNDP as a Biosecurity Adviser on a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded and the Government of Seychelles (GOS) and UNDP implemented Biosecurity Mainstreaming Project in the Seychelles.
Mr Suma will be working with the Geneva-based Permanent Delegation of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to the WTO Office and in particular with his long term colleague, Ms Robyn Ekstrom who has recently been appointed as the Trade Promotions Adviser. Ms Ekstrom has begun working closely with the private and public sectors in the Pacific targeting the EU to enhance export trade and commercial outcomes; an activity that is in many cases limited by the challenges faced by exporters in meeting international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a joint imitative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Other participating organizations include the International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The STDF is a global partnership that supports developing countries in building their capacity to implement international sanitary and phytosanitary standards, guidelines and recommendations as a means to improve the human, animal and plant health status and ability to gain and maintain access to markets.
There are two (2) Grant streams available under this Facility:-
- Project Preparation Grants – up to US$50,000 are available for project preparation grants (PPGs),
- Project Grants – Funds up to normally a maximum of US$1 million are available for project implementation. No minimum limit applies on the size of projects funded, but projects should preferably be in the range of US$250,000 to US$1 million in size.
The following type of projects will be given favourable consideration by the STDF Working Group:
a) Projects relevant to the identification, development and dissemination of good practice in SPS-related technical cooperation, including projects that develop and apply innovative and replicable approaches;
b) Projects linked to STDF work on cross-cutting topics of common interest;
c) Projects that address SPS constraints through regional approaches; and
d) Collaborative and inter-disciplinary projects focused on the interface / linkages between human, animal and plant health and trade, and benefiting from the involvement of two or more partners or other relevant organizations.
The STDF funding is available to Governments and private sector entities of current and acceding WTO member countries and regional organizations.
For further information visit STDF website: www.standardsfacility.org or contact Mr Sidney Suma- Biosecurity Adviser sidney.suma@pcusey.sc or Ms Robyn Ekstrom – Trade Promotion Adviser robyn.ekstrom@pifs-geneva.ch
Networking agricultural information system
Source: The National, Tuesday 3 April 2012
INFORMATION is needed by different categories of people, at different times and in different forms. And for agricultural research and development, it is vital to have an information system in place. For this information system to be available to as many users, networking such systems also becomes useful.
On this note, a regional partnership arrangement between the Western Pacific Island countries is being strengthened with the development of the Melanesian Agricultural Information System (MAIS). This is a regional initiative for agricultural research and development agencies in PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
MAIS is expected to become a means of information sharing between participating institutions in the three countries, and to the communities they serve. The goal of MAIS is ‘to contribute to enhance capacity of applied agricultural research and collaboration among agricultural institutions in three countries.
The specific objective of MAIS is ‘access to information for stakeholders in the agriculture research and development sector is enhanced, and communication between researchers and development workers is improved.
MAIS is being built on the foundations laid over the last 10 years by the PNG National Agricultural Information System (NAIS). NAIS which is jointly managed by the National Agricultural Research Institute and Coffee Industry Corporation with seven other organizations as partners is a vehicle for providing information access points at various locations in PNG.
MAIS is a partnership between a number of agricultural research and development agencies in the three countries and is a merger of three national agricultural information systems.
The scope of the databases is not restricted to just agriculture, but also includes information on forestry, fisheries and the environment. MAIS is a tremendous information resource for PNG and its Melanesian partners.
In PNG, the MAIS partners are the National Agricultural Research Institute, Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), Cocoa Coconut Institute, Department of Agriculture and Livestock, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, Ramu Agri-Industries and PNG Oil Palm Research Association. Counterparts in the Solomon Islands includes; the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Kastom Gaden Association, a local NGO.
The first partner organizations in PNG were NARI and the then Coffee Research Institute (now an integral part of the CIC). Funding for the development of a joint agricultural information system came from the Australian Contribution to a National Agricultural Research System project.
Many other organizations have expressed their desire to join including; the Fresh Produce Development Agency, PNG Forest Research Institute and PNG University of Technology. In Solomon Islands, the Commodities Export Marketing Authority and various NGOs have indicated their desire to become partners.
In Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Training Centre and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have expressed interest.
What’s the importance and value of MAIS? For an agricultural researcher, it is very important to be able to find information about research done in the past. That means that a researcher will try and find old research reports, journal articles and conference papers that report on past research, what was done, what was found and what is yet to be found. All research is based on the work of others. If a researcher cannot find these old reports, then it is very difficult to know where to begin and what to focus on. It’s also possible that the researcher will repeat past research, which not only wastes time but wastes resources as well.
While a research project is being carried out, the researcher will continue to look for information from others that may have undertaken similar studies. Research cannot be done in isolation. Research – successful research – is most often a collaborative activity. And if the collaborators are in other institutions or at other locations, not just in PNG but elsewhere in the world, it is even more important to maintain communication with each other. The researcher will want to see if any new knowledge has been gained, and to see what recent initiatives have taken place.
MAIS went online in December 2011, which it is only a demonstration at the moment. But a new online information system is attracting a lot of attention in PNG and rightly so. For the first time ever, agricultural researchers, students, extension officers, teachers, farmers, NGOs and the general public will have access to an online system that captures information on agricultural research and development in PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
MAIS already has a large database of references including old reports, journal articles, books, conference papers and so on. In some cases, it has digital copies of those reports, so that the researcher doesn’t have to go looking. There are over 39,000 references, and the same number of records held on stand-alone computers within the partner organizations. The information available is also relevant to the situation in PNG and its Melanesian partners.
MAIS is a ‘clearing house’, a kind of gateway to other people working on or with the same crops or livestock species with similar problems and opportunities. In the near future, the system will include information on individual researchers and their activities or interests from a range of research and development organizations. So in this way, MAIS will become a communications platform that encourages collaboration and sharing, which is what research is all about after all.
For further information contact the author (jenny.batau@nari.org.pg) or visit the demonstration site (http://web.maxus.net.au/mais%20website/index.html.)
Publications
SPC Books (Various)
The following publications have been uploaded on this link: http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=213&Itemid=10
Making Adaptation Count: Concepts and Options for Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation
Aimed at development practitioners and decision makers, this publication offers a roadmap for designing M&E systems for climate change adaptation that help fulfil core principles of aid effectiveness.
Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA)
An explanation on NAMAs in the context of current international discussions and agreements
Low-Emission Development Strategy (LEDS)
A Low-Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) is a national, high-level, comprehensive, long-term strategy, developed by domestic stakeholders, which aims at decoupling economic growth and social development from greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions growth. This brochure gives a good background on what an LEDS should be.
The systems thinking playbook for climate change: A toolkit for interactive learning
A wonderful playbook that aims to help experts, advocates and educators to be more effective in talking with groups about climate change. 22 interactive games are described to help increase the effect of workshops, speeches and conversations. For each of the 22 games, the description begins with some relevant quotes related to climate change and the game dynamics. This is followed by a ‘climate link’ section with specific information related to climate change, to be used for framing the game and considering the most effective context. Load from the link below:
Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
For your information and might be of interest a Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. This Summary for Policymakers presents key findings from the Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX). The SREX approaches the topic by assessing the scientific literature on issues that range from the relationship between climate change and extreme weather and climate events (‘climate extremes’) to the implications of these events for society and sustainable development. The assessment concerns the interaction of climatic, environmental, and human factors that can lead to impacts and disasters, options for managing the risks posed by impacts and disasters, and the important role that non-climatic factors play in determining impacts. Please do visit the following link for the report: http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/
Virgin coconut oil (VCO) processing manual for the Pacific
The European Union-funded Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade (FACT) Project has published a manual for the processing of virgin coconut oil in the Pacific, which has now been widely distributed in the region. Developed by FACT consultant Ms Divina Bawalan, the manual is a valuable reference to assist women’s groups, communities, individuals and the private sector to further improve their processing, trade and export of virgin coconut oil products. An electronic version of the manual can be downloaded at this link: http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=254
Events
2012 Agriculture Innovations Show
Celebrating NARI’s 15th Anniversary
When: Friday, 4th May 2012
Where: Sir Alkan Tololo Research Centre, Bubia – 10 Mile
Time: 9.00am – 3.00pm
Theme: Investing in Innovative Agriculture for Properity
Chief Guest: Prof. David Kavanamur – Director General, Office of Higher Education
Entry is Free. ALL WELCOME. Contact Nancy Bali for more information on Telephone 475 1444/475 1445 or by email: nancy.bali@nari.org.pg
Announcements
PNG Science, Research and Technology Conference
Pacific Adventist University (PAU) will host the Research, Science and Technology (RST) Conference on 25th-28th June 2012.
The objective of the yearly conference is to showcase, collaborate and share ideas on research work currently being undertaken by universities in PNG. This year’s theme is “Harnessing Science and Technology for Development: Meeting the PNG 2050 Vision Targets.”
The PAU is inviting abstracts from academics, industries, research institutions and other interested parties for the 2012 RST Conference. Covering a broad range of sub-themes, including health and sustainable development, all scientists, engineers technologists development specialists, health personnel and educators are encouraged to participate.
For further information email: stc2012@pau.ac.pg or call +675 328 0200.
Legal Notice
Didinet is prepared solely to serve as an information resource on appropriate news and development on agriculture in Papua New Guinea. NARI is facilitating this newsletter in good faith and is not responsible for the content of the materials as to its accuracy, may be incomplete, may contain errors or may be out of date. Also the views and opinions expressed in the articles are of the contributors and do not necessarily constitute or coincide with the opinions of NARI.
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Didiman newsletter has been reproduced here with permission of James Laraki, NARI.
