Agro training at Ramu NiCo

MONITORING and evaluation of agriculture projects initiated by Ramu NiCo would be on-going initiatives.
This was stressed by Ramu NiCo director and executive vice-president Gu Yuxiang following a recent visit to selected on-farm demonstration   plots and activities in the coastal and inland pipeline areas of the Ramu NiCo project, Madang province.
The purpose of the visit organised by the company’s community affairs department of agriculture section was to showcase different agricultural activities which were being managed by Ramu NiCo.
It was also to evaluate current agricultural activities to improve the living standards and empowerment of socio-economic development within the inland and coastal pipeline areas.
CA agriculture supervisor in Madang Allan Wahwah and Aldam Bande said the visit was also an opportunity for them discuss pressing issues hindering agri-business development within the two areas with the Ramu NiCo management and to propose on-site practical solutions.
Gu visited a temporary cocoa nursery at Erima, which Ramu NiCo set up in partnership with PNG Cocoa Coconut Institute (CCI) and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), a small holder cocoa block and cocoa drier at Erima village, a multiple-crop farm, a rice farm and a carp fish inland pond   at Iguruwe village.
Training and awareness were aimed at equipping the rural farmers about improved and better farming practices which can optimise production, enhance cash returns and empower socio-economic development within the project impacted sites.
Trainings would be conducted in close consultation with agricultural development partners in the private and public sectors.
Development of training manuals was in progress through the CA agriculture section supervisor Wahwah and senior training officer.
The training manual will be in Tok Pisin mainly to improve the farmers’ understanding on the training objective and outcomes.
Wahwah said monitoring and evaluation would be encouraged.
“Monitoring is an on-going activity. It is aimed at ensuring training objective and outcomes are realised with effectiveness and efficiency,” he said.
Wahwah also pointed out that monitoring will be integrated into the Ramu NiCo department of agriculture work programme next year.
He said evaluation would be done towards the end of the year after the completion of trainings.
“Evaluation is aimed at assessing people-impact of trainings and awareness conducted in a given locality or population,” Wahwah said.