1. Building the "Life Chain" System

OISCA Rabaul Ecotech Training Center in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, is located next to the Warangoi River and is about a 30 minute drive from the capital of the Province, Kokopo. The project in East New Britain started fourteen years ago when Nengmtka Educational Foundation and the Government of East New Britain invited OISCA to begin training young people in the field of agriculture.

About ten years ago, the training farm that belonged to the Center was in serious trouble, due to heavy attacks by harmful insects. That threatened even the survival of the Center, since the counterpart organizations and people living nearby lost confidence in the project.

The Center grows crops by organic farming methods. Mr. Michikatsu Ehara, Director of the Center, experimented over the years, through trial and error, using indigenous micro-organisms as an essential element to support organic farming, and achieved his first success seven years ago. He obtained the micro-organisms, anaerobic bacteria, from the bed of a small stream near the Center.

Presently, the Center has a fully established system for recycling all materials produced from farming activities. They keep chickens, fish, pigs, buffaloes, crocodiles, and butterflies, and cultivate many types of vegetables and rice. Other crops are introduced from time to time. Different sections within the Center are interconnected. For example: feed for chickens comes from the vegetable gardens, fish ponds, and cereal fields; feed for domesticated animals are fermented with micro-organisms; chicken droppings and dung from other animals are utilized to make compost, which fertilize the fields; dead chickens are fed to the crocodiles.

2. Expanding Rice Production

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) observed these achievements and entrusted the Center to organize short-term training courses in rice cultivation for young Papua New Guineans. They organized two courses, each for a one-month period, for 36 trainees selected from six provinces designated for rice culture development.It is a pilot project, which includes the training and monitoring the performance of the trainees after training.

Through the project, a variety of rice from Taiwan was identified as most suitable for the climate in Papua New Guinea. Francis, a former trainee, is now actively working to promote rice culture in his home village in the Pomia District of East New Britain.

It usually takes one day by a boat to reach Pomia from capital Kokopo. No electricity or gas services are available there and mountains are close to the shore, so it is not easy to develop flat land. Villagers in the region have depended on cutting trees and selling the timber, copra cultivation, and fishing for their livelihoods. Francis took the initiative about three years ago to introduce upland rice, although he had technical difficulties in the beginning. However, thanks to the Francis' efforts, the villagers now harvest some seven tons of rice annually.

3. Bio Gas

Director Ehara is developing a system to make use of bio-gas at the Center. He presumes that at present no other bio-gas project is going on in the country. However, he feels that the villagers need a nature-friendly energy system. In that way, no farmers would need to buy chemical fertilizers or depend on fossil fuels. Mr. Ehara came to the conclusion that he could develop bio-mass with human and animal excreta and other organic matter to provide energy for the villagersf needs. This will help the people to avoid cutting trees for fuel. After producing energy, the remaining materials of the bio-mass system can be utilized as fertilizer and as organic disinfectants for farming. Mr. Ehara believes that the bio-mass system will be a great contribution to sustainable development in villages in Papua New Guinea. Mr. Ehara thinks that because the Papua New Guinea population is increasing, food security will be a critical issue facing the country in the future. While many stress the need for increased food production, there is at the same time a concern about environmental destruction due to ecosystems lost to expanding cropping fields. If there is a way to increase food production with a minimal expansion of cropping fields, then the environment could be saved and maximum agricultural output could be achieved.