Listening to Maria Linibi’s story of how the foundation she heads got gifted five acres of good agricultural land in order to start a genetic and seed bank reminds one of the Bible story of the Hebrew young man Joseph, who warned Pharaoh of an approaching famine and got appointed to mobilize an Egypt-wide response.
How could she have known that once the COVID-19 infection spreads, borders close and travel restricted, many workers will return to till the land in order to feed their families, triggering as a consequence: an acute need for seeds and planting materials?
For that is exactly what happened in Lae, the second largest city of Papua New Guinea when the pandemic made a landing in the Pacific island nation early in 2020.
As President of the PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGWiADF), Linibi had negotiated with the Department of Agriculture and Livestock months before the pandemic arrived to utilize some 5-acres of unused department land at its research and development center in Erap, outside Lae City.
This resulted in the government’s decision to allow PNGWiADF to lease the property on 6 July 2020. ‘Women’s group sign deal with DAL’ reads the headline of a story on the Post Courier newspaper.
“Neglected Department of Agriculture and Livestock resource and development centre at Erap in Morobe province is set to be revived by stakeholders.
“This was revealed during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Agriculture and agriculture partners of PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation and Grow PNG at Erap,” reported the newspaper.
Over a year since the handover, Linibi said Foundation workers have been able to stock planting materials for popular root crops like yams and cassava.
Work has also begun on the construction of depot in Erap, where harvested produce from the farm will be stored.
They are working right now in three out of the 5-acres of land the Department of Agriculture had gifted them, said Linibi.
“Because of COVID-19, a lot of our farmers are not moving around, so we are mostly concentrating on the farm; with social distancing, of course, we are concentrating on multiplying seeds,” said Linibi.
“At the same time, because of the non-movement of staff, we are also concentrating on the development of the new fresh produce depot that we have; that’s going to be the food storage component part of it.
“The Depot is going to allow farmers to sell because that is closer to the villages.”
Proximity to growers in and around Erap means those who need planting materials or seeds can turn up at the Research and Development Center to restock.
Sometimes, a barter exchange happens at Erap, where farmers will offer to work on the PNGWiADF farm in return for planting materials or seeds as payment.
“Whenever a farmer feels they need planting materials, they come to us, and we harvest what we think is suitable for them.
“Maybe ask them a few questions on what they would really want, then give them the right variety.
“That’s the link we have with the research institute in Papua New Guinea, and the Extension component of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock.”
Erap is actually a fair distance from Lae City, around 40 to 45 kilometers by road.
So to help with the cost of managing the seed and food bank at Erap, PNGWiADF grows watermelon and sweet corn to sell at the fresh food market.
Income earned goes towards the salaries of farmhands as well as fuel for Foundation vehicles.
With restrictions in movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers have not been able to fully utilise the services offered at Erap.
The PNGWiADF President said while they have been able to assist up to five farming groups so far, the future of Erap post-COVID looks promising:
“We think there is a big potential for us.
“If COVID goes, then of course we have a lot of potential supplying seeds to farmers, because most of them have lost their seeds as well.
“Even if they can plant, where are they going to sell?