Communities along the river in Western Province can survive from cultivating garden produce and daily catch, this is according to a recent study.
The Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) conducted a Food Security Baseline Survey in South and Middle Fly regions of Western Province and showed the sustainability of agriculture and fishing for communities who live along the river.
The information paves way for sustainable management of current food sources with the introduction of maize and rice farming for possible income generation arrangements.
OTDF said from this baseline data, development partners can work closely with communities to better apply the concept of sustainable agriculture and fishing to support household livelihood.
The survey team visited communities in the Middle Fly, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete, Dudi, and Kiwaba and out of 85 villages, the team managed to visit 74 villages with 883 samples collected from a target of 1275 interviewees.
The Food Security Program expands on four key dimensions of food (nutrition) security areas, which are to strengthen food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability for healthy and sustainable livelihoods beyond mine closure.
Regional Development Team Leader, Philemon Nauhet said this information establishes the foundation for the Food Security Program, which the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) will provide technical advice and research support after the signing of the MoU.
OTDF developed the survey comprising five household survey questions on family demographics, food availability, food accessibility, food utilization, and food stability.
The survey was a success with the use of technology like tablets and smartphone apps, which made data collection efficient in real-time reducing errors and data loss.