US Agency for International Development PNG, Lukautim Graun Program in partnership with Outspan PNG Limited are working to help improve production quality among women smallholder cocoa farmers.
The partnership provides training to women smallholder cocoa farmer as well as to provide first aid kits to treat minor injuries. USAID’s most recent contribution includes first aid kits worth over PGK5700 for 20 women cocoa farmers in Markham and Huon Gulf electorates in Morobe Province.
The objectives of the program aims to improve the conservation of biodiversity and equity among genders in priority terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems and support women across the value chain in PNG, from farming in rural areas to women entrepreneurs developing new businesses, to women employees and leaders in the formal sector.
Outspan PNG Limited Program Manager, Melinda Thom, said that the distribution of first aid kits is important as woman’s health is important to ensuring that the whole household is functioning. In the event that a mother, for example, falls ill due to farming activities, it affects the whole family due to other roles that the woman play in the family.
“In many scenarios when there are minor cuts, bruises or minor incidents that occur on the cocoa patch, farmers do not seek medical assistance. This can be mainly due to access to health facilities (long distance to reach, work load too much) or that farmers have too much to do that going to a medical facility at times can be seen as waste of their time,” she said.
The overall objective of LGP is to empower traditional landowners to manage their resources sustainably and empower women as full participants in PNG’s economy.