Women undergo farming training

The National Agricultural Research Institute (Nari) conducted a farmer training workshop at the invitation of Kainantu Lutheran Women Fellowship Group. The training focused on improving the level of preparedness among vulnerable communities to cope with negative stress caused by climate change.

By MAURO OKRUPA
PEOPLE should take the first step to lead positive change in their own communities.
This would demonstrate to research and development agencies that our communities do value new ideas and are prepared to take the initiative needed to access them.
From Oct 14-18 last year, the National Agricultural Research Institute (Nari) conducted a farmer training workshop at the invitation of the Kainantu Lutheran Women Fellowship Group (KDLWFG) in Eastern Highlands.
Staff from our Aiyura research centre facilitated the training under the theme “Food and income security”.
This was done as part of a new project that focuses on improving the level of preparedness among vulnerable communities to cope with negative stresses caused by climate change.
The project started last year and will be implemented over the next four years by Nari in collaboration with key partners like the provincial department of primary industries (PDPIs) as well as non-government, faith and community-based organisations and framer groups around the country.
The KDLWFG has seven circuits across five districts of the province.
It involves its members in programmes that aim to build socio-economic, physical, spiritual and intellectual and gender opportunities within family units and communities, as a whole.
The group took the onus to meet all logistical requirements except training materials and light refreshments (lunch).
Ultimately, 33 women underwent the workshop and were certified as trainer of trainers.
The gesture of the group and community was very proactive.
It demonstrated that with good support, women can develop skills and knowledge which empower them to be agents of positive change in their own families and the wider community as well.
The spirit of private-public or church-State partnership was also very evident.
Nari has always embraced a wide range of partners within the public and private sectors in many of its programmes, over the years.
This engagement is special because it underlines the special regard Nari has for faith-based organisations.

Their strong bonds with local communities provide established networks that are essential for successful rollout of the institute’s research and development projects.
It is worth acknowledging at this juncture the amazing unison of resolve and commitment among the group’s members and their families, communities and congregations.
Their shared interest provided the grounding support and energy which allowed for external partners like us to respond with keen confidence.
Another defining virtue was the willingness of the women, their families and communities to share of the costs of hosting the training workshop.
These people were prepared to sacrifice their own resources, in cash and kind, because they really valued the kind of knowledge and skills they would be gaining from accomplishing it.
Themes of modules covered in the training resonated with the Kainantu women group’s aspiration to improve socio-economic, intellectual and gender equity standards for its members.
Most of them were smallholder farmers who had experienced firsthand negative impacts of the 1997 and 2015 droughts.
The training workshop therefore served their need to learn sustainable farming practices which would help them to be resilient against extreme climatic stresses in the future.
A total of 12 modules were grouped and delivered in three different presentational formats.
The first three modules captured aspects of best options for managing soil-water content, soil fertility and sweetpotato seed systems.
These sessions began with explanations about what climate change is and how its disturbances on weather patterns and environmental conditions have been increased over the years through unsustainable human activities.
Disturbances of weather and environmental conditions have in turn affected farming activities and the quality of yields produced.
Participants were then taught climate-smart practices like mulching, pests and disease management as well as various forms of organic soil fertility management they could use to sustain healthy yields for food and economic security.
Combined theoretical and practical sessions were conducted in the next five modules.
Themes captured ranged from pesticide making from using local plant species; strategies for coping at different stages of drought events; agribusiness skills for selected high value crops; and, post-harvest processing and preservation of common staples.
The final four modules were practical sessions that were mainly conducted outdoors and featured three innovative farming skill-sets.
First, the women were shown the techniques of multiplying planting materials through the production of mini-setts for taro, yam and banana.
Then they were taken through the process of making pig silage (feed) using sweet potato tubers and leaves.
Finally, they observed a demonstration of the techniques involved in the construction of a bio sand, water treatment apparatus.
At the end, the group expressed overwhelming appreciation for the privilege to undergo the food and income security farmer training workshop.
Many said that the training had opened a whole new world of knowledge and skills to them.
Sessions which interested the participants the most included how to construct a bio sand water filter; agribusiness skills involved in farming bulb onion and Irish potato; and, how to home-make pesticides using local plants.
As we venture into the New Year; every citizen should honour their responsibility to take proactive actions to initiate positive changes.
Nari is always ready to work with and support honest efforts and sacrifices of individuals and groups so that tangible differences could become a reality in their communities. So come, let us put our hands together to build a resilient future today.

• Mauro Okrupa is a research associate attached to climate change projects based at Nari’s Aiyura research centre, Eastern Highlands.