Agriculture is big business in Papua New Guinea. It provides 22% of the nation’s GDP and accounts for 26% of its exports. Farming supports around 85% of the rural population. Cocoa and coffee are the main cash crops and employ half of the workforce.
PNG is working with CABI, an international, inter-governmental, not-for-profit organization that improves people's lives worldwide, to address these challenges. The aim is to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods and boost the economy. PNG is a founding member of CABI and has already worked extensively with the organization. But now, CABI is working with the government to help PNG further strengthen its food security through the launch of the PlantwisePlus programme.
The new programme aims to help farmers lose less of what they grow to pests and diseases through the introduction of plant clinics. Plant clinics are places where farmers can take samples of their ‘sick’ crops to trained plant doctors for a diagnosis and receive advice on sustainable treatments.
Source: blog.plantwise.org