EU STREIT Programme

The lecturer demonstrated how a smart electricity grid works.

As the students gathered around the device, the lecturer explained how the grid could simultaneously utilize wind, hydro and solar power to produce clean energy. When one energy  is turned off, the others would continue to produce power and ensure continued electricity supply. The lecturer asserted that such grids were key to expanding electricity access in Papua New Guinea, where only 20% of the population currently enjoys regular access to electricity.

Spearheaded by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), this initiative aims to enhance agribusiness development and foster economic growth by providing essential digital tools and knowledge to farmers.

The Sepik region, renowned for its fertile lands and vibrant farming communities, has faced challenges due to limited access to digital resources and skills. In response, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, under the ITU's guidance, is bridging the digital divide by empowering lead farmers with various aspects of digital literacy.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the EU Funded UN Joint STREIT Programme, women can be engaged as equal partners along all nodes of agri-food value chains.

These include, but not limited to decision-making, financial management and establishing new and running existing ventures to increase sustainably the household- and community-level economic returns and wellbeing.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under EU-STREIT PNG Programme continues its commitment to extend learning opportunities on mainstreaming gender perspective to farming communities and local stakeholders in the Sandaun Province.

Recently, the programme set up a fresh batch of trainings under the theme Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives in Agrifood Chains that covered two major rural communities of Pasi DPI station in the Vanimo Urban LLG and Waromo Village in the Bewani Wutung Onei LLG.