Building the local flock with our new partner in Papua New Guinea–PRR Foundation
We’re really grateful to be working with PRR Foundation in PNG this year. Established in 2019, PRR Foundation endeavours to become a ‘leader in inclusive innovation throughout PNG’ by improving the livelihoods of rural communities throughout Markham Valley, Morobe Province. Through sustainable and responsible development practices, PRR Foundation focuses on assisting the most vulnerable households in rural communities. Former Kyeema Foundation intern and current Master Farmer, Melissa Ralda is PRR’s CEO.
The last few months have been a busy time for PRR Foundation in Markham Valley. With the help of local students, Melissa completed a baseline survey in the local community, interviewing over 50 households. She wants to learn about the knowledge, attitudes and practices of local families around nutrition, livestock keeping and climate change. This will inform the planned community training in village chicken keeping in 2021.
On Leron farm, work has begun on the community training centre with programs due to commence in the New Year. It is hoped that ten to fifteen families will benefit from the training each month and will be provided with a starter pack of breeding stock to establish their own local chicken flocks. In the meantime, a temporary training centre has been built to cater for one-day training programs.
Left: Master Farmer and CEO of PRR Foundation Melissa Ralda checking for eggs on Leron farm with some of her beautiful local birds in the foreground.
PRR’s flock now numbers over 500 chickens from an initial starter flock of 50 chickens only 18 months ago. Melissa has now started to sell chickens to local businesses in and around Lae. New staff members have been employed and trained to assist with the village chickens and the planned community training. A local agriculture student from the vocational training school is currently assisting in data collection and analysis of the increasing village chicken flock.
Melissa also hopes to put the knowledge she gained in coral reef gardening in Fiji in 2019 to practice. A site in Salamaua, Morobe Province has been proposed and CEPA – PNG’s Conservation and Environment Protection Authority – has shown their interest in establishing this site which will significantly help in developing PRR Foundations’ first coral garden.
It’s been a busy 2020 and an even busier year ahead; we look forward to helping PRR Foundation make strides in growing the local chicken value chain in PNG in 2021.
Learn more about our food and nutrition security and livelihoods program in PNG: www.kyeemafoundation.org/explore-our-work/png/
If you’re interested in supporting the work of PRR Foundation to enable households to have a flock of chickens with a secure chicken coop in 2021, visit our donate page to learn about giving options.
