The Papua New Guinea Women in Agriculture are lobbying for the creation of a policy to support women in the sector.
The policy will enable regular Government funding, establishment of provincial women in agriculture hubs and better coordination of donor and private sector support.
President of the PNG Women in Agriculture, Maria Linibi, said the current Government support to women is not sufficient.
“The endorsement of the Women in Agriculture Policy will mean funding from the Government.”
Upon assuming office, Prime Minister James Marape announced that the Government will place more attention on agriculture.
Linibi says this is a good thing.
“For PNG we want to push our current government because they are talking agriculture as priority one. We would like to have this (policy) done, so that provinces must have their own women in agriculture associations because they have their own issues, they have their own women networks there.
“We would like to promote through the agriculture sector that they have a desk. They are not so vibrant right now because the support is not there.”
Linibi said PNG benefits from more donor and private sector funding in agriculture that any other Pacific Island, given the high number of women involved in the sector.
The PNG Women in Agriculture currently has 53,000 members from 135 groups.
“That’s how PNG Women in Agriculture has been around for so long. We go through the process of sourcing funding for support. And then we have a lot of partnership,” she stated.
“In PNG we have support from the private sector; Trukai, Zenag, Rural Industries Council, PIFON, ACIAR, DFAT, all these people. And then we have outside partnerships like the Australian Women in Agriculture, we have the women in the Pacific with PIFON and SPC, all these people they have women networks, and we should work together and address these issues together.”
The Women in Agriculture Policy is expected to be presented to the National Executive Council following the PNG Women in Agriculture Symposium in November.
Linibi attended the Pacific Women in Agriculture Meeting, coinciding with the Pacific Week of Agriculture in Apia, Samoa, from September 30th to October 5th.