By Julie Badui-Owa – EMTV News, Lae
A two-day workshop that ended yesterday in Lae has highlighted the need to build on existing agricultural research, and to find new ways to improve production.
Key stakeholders included Trukai Rice, the Fresh Produce Development Agency and the National Agricultural Research Institute.
The discussions touched on methods of dealing with food production during adverse climate events.
Agricultural innovations are not only products; they are ideas, knowledge and technology essential for farmers.
The discussions yesterday centred on the research and development needed, as well as the large investments in technology to help growers become more efficient and profitable.
Head of the University of Technology in Lae’s Agriculture Department, Professor Abdul Halim, has been part of a program that draws on the expertise of industry experts for practical innovations.
Dr. James Barringer presented an example of another agricultural innovation that is likely to be used in PNG in a case study from Landcare Research in New Zealand.
It’s a system that maps soil types making it easy to identify fertile areas for planting. But innovations cannot happen without the right people. Neither can great relationships.
A local farmer for cocoa and coffee, Molock Terry from Tewai-Siassi District in Morobe province, said that such workshops on agricultural innovations will help motivate farmers in the remote areas of PNG as they do not see government services every day.
