Bringing research to communities

By JAMES LARAKI
A FIELD day is an occasion when an institution, such as a school, university or an agriculture farm or station, is open to the public.
In many countries, including Australia, field days are associated with a large trade show for agricultural industry and equipment, especially large scale farming operations focusing on equipment, demonstrations and processes.
The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) adopted the field day concept to allow guests, stakeholders and visitors to see what the institute is doing, meet scientists and technical staff, visit its campus and facilities and to find out about the other activities undertaken by NARI throughout the country.
NARI stages such events at its regional centres around the country to bring together research and development organisations, extension service providers, the private sector, NGOs, women groups, businesses, schools, farmers and the rural communities to see innovations and technologies that are being developed and tested by NARI.
The institute also initiated the annual innovations show concept in 2007 to allow stakeholders to display their inventions or innovations. It provides an opportunity for stakeholders and participants to see the innovations and technologies which could promote and improve agriculture in PNG.
The annual innovations show allows stakeholders to come together to share information and exchange views.
NARI’s highlands regional centre in Tambul, Western Highlands, recently staged its third biannual field day to allow stakeholders to see what the centre is doing and how they can benefit from its activities and services. The event coincided with the 46th NARI council meeting which was also held in Tambul.
With the theme “enhancing sustainable farming for rural farmers”, the event also provided an opportunity for the people of Tambul and their visitors  to see research and development activities undertaken by NARI in the high altitude region and how they could be sourced and adopted to their benefits.
Many useful and relevant farming technologies were put on display and demonstrated to the stakeholders and the public.
Local MP and Minister for Civil Aviation Benjamin Poponawa, who was the guest speaker, was impressed with the overall event.
He said the activities on display were relevant to his electorate and urged his people to work closely with NARI to see how best they could use the available technologies and innovations to their benefit.
While acknowledging the NARI council and the senior management for choosing Tambul for its 46th meeting, Poponawa said efforts by NARI and others to develop the agriculture sector should be supported as they were important and relevant to the rural masses who depend on their land for their livelihoods.
The minister also presented K50,000 to NARI to support its activities. He said activities like the LNG project, in the recent times, had been given more emphasis and little attention on the agriculture sector, which is the backbone of PNG.
Major activities at the show included sweet potato silage making for pig feed, village broiler production, improved pasture species, wheat milling and cooking, high yielding pyrethrum clones, early maturing sweet potato varieties, potato late blight resistant CIP potato clones and preparedness on drought and other impacts associated with climate change.
NARI contact farmers in the area were also on hand to explain how they have adopted various innovations and technologies to improve their farming practices. Notable among them were pig farmer Akilo Purunu, who has been using the sweet potato silage technology to raise pigs, and Jann Dumu, who has been using NARI developed concentrates to raise her broiler chickens.
Both the silage and broiler concentrates are developed using locally available resources such as sweet potato. Both farmers were on hand to share their success stories with others and had brought in live specimen of their stock to put on display.
Representatives from DPI Enga and Western Highlands, Enga Pyrethrum Company, National Development Bank, Porgera Joint Venture, Tambul-Nebilyer district administration, Fresh Produce Development Agency, Highlands Farmers and Piggery Association, NARI council members and senior management, Laiagam district project office, farmers, school children, media and members of the public attended the event.
NARI is using various ways and means to be effective in innovation systems approach, which included agricultural innovations shows, community-based resource centres, information centres, regional research and development advisory committees, commodity committees, public and private sector partnerships, piloting and out-scaling and up-scaling models and innovations systems approach to research and development.
NARI also shares its innovations and technologies through the media, various shows and other major events, the various publications, newsletters and its website.
Similar open days are organised in all NARI regional centres around the country including the annual innovations show staged at the Sir Alkan Tololo Research Centre at Bubia outside Lae.
The institute believes that establishing research centres at strategic locations around the country, and organising events such as field days, brings agricultural research closer to communities.
This allows communities and stakeholders to take ownership and work closely with the institute to develop innovations and technologies according to their needs.
NARI believes that this innovative approach is achievable if all stakeholders work together.