Our Work in Buka: From little things, big things grow!

Donor: Perpetual Impact Philanthropy Program
Partner: Hako Women’s Collective
Location: Buka, Bougainville

In Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, a small pilot has grown into a flourishing community-led movement.

With early support from PiCCA, we trained our first Master Farmer, a young mother named Jessica, and established a small farm as a community demonstration site. Since then, through expanded support from Perpetual Limited, the work has scaled rapidly.

Today, Jessica mentors 51 outgrowers in her village. Each is raising chickens for both home consumption and sale to households, markets, and in time, restaurants and hotels. The group is now working toward establishing a local poultry cooperative with the ambition to become the “egg basket of Bougainville.” The program is strengthening local food supply chains in a region where access to affordable protein is limited and childhood stunting remains a pressing concern.

The impact has caught the attention of decisionmakers. Bougainville’s Minister for Primary Industries, Hon. Peter Koles, recently pledged 50,000 kina to support the cooperative and expand market opportunities for smallholder poultry farmers.

This has all happened within just one year of implementation. Kyeema’s role is simple: provide the tools, training, and connections and let local leadership do the rest.

Buka village chicken training

Building Inclusive Village Chicken Value Chains in Papua New Guinea

Donor: DFAT, Australian Cooperation Program (ANCP)
Location: Central Province

PNG QR Code

Kyeema’s work with Master Farmers and outgrowers in Papua New Guinea is strengthening food security, building resilient livelihoods, and creating income opportunities particularly for women. We are scaling a successful model that places knowledge, ownership, and leadership in the hands of local communities.

The village chicken program in PNG uses a Master Farmer (MF) and Outgrower (OG) model that promotes peer-led learning and local entrepreneurship. Each Master Farmer maintains a small breeding unit and trains a network of outgrowers in chicken husbandry, feeding, housing, and business skills. Outgrowers raise chicks to market weight and sell them locally with support from their Master Farmer to access buyers and improve practices.

Importantly, this model also reduces pressure on marine ecosystems by providing an alternative source of protein and income, supporting our broader nature-based efforts to restore coral reefs and coastal habitats. It’s a harmonious approach that connects land-based livelihoods with ocean conservation, ensuring both people and ecosystems thrive.

Uncle Koivi

Uncle Koivi was one of the very first Master Farmers trained in PNG. He played a key role in establishing early breeding units, mentoring others, and supplying hardy birds to help households start their own flocks.

In recent years, Koivi faced health challenges, including a TB diagnosis that has affected his mobility. Despite this, he remains deeply committed to the program offering guidance, encouragement, and technical advice to the next generation of farmers.

PNG team
Yule Island chicken training

Leo and Agnes

On Yule Island, just off the coast of Central Province, Leo and Agnes, Kyeema’s master farming power couple are proving just how far the Master Farmer model can go.

Not long ago, they were new trainees learning how to build chicken housing, mix locally made feed, and care for healthy village flocks. Today, they are confident and capable Master Farmers with thriving flocks of their own, and a new role as mentors in their community.

In April this year, Leo and Agnes proudly hosted their first community training welcoming 22 new participants to their farm. For many, it was their first exposure to hands-on poultry training. Leo and Agnes delivered it with patience and pride, teaching others the same skills they had only recently mastered themselves.

“Now as a trainer I am excited to impart my knowledge and experience to them and see them
succeed” – Agnes

Their story speaks to the sustainability of the model: Master Farmers not only maintain their own small breeding units but become hubs of knowledge and support for others. They provide continuous access to training, advice, and healthy birds for outgrowers who want to join the program.

This peer-to-peer approach is what makes the model work. As more households express interest in joining, Leo and Agnes are there to guide them offering practical support and a pathway to food security and income that is rooted in local leadership. We are so proud of how far they have come and we look forward to their next training.

Honouring Kevin’s legacy through community-led conservation

In 2024, our coral gardening work in PNG gained momentum, with new nurseries established in Kavieng, Bootless Bay, and Tutu Beach, while our original nursery in Tubusereia continued to thrive. Regular monitoring shows promising coral growth and promising signs of marine life returning.

Much of this success was made possible by Kevin Egu, our lead coral gardener and beloved colleague. Kevin was instrumental in setting up our community reef restoration work in PNG, generously sharing his skills and passion with youth, schools, and volunteers.

In February, we were devastated to learn of Kevin’s sudden passing. A heartbreaking loss for his family and community, and our team. But his impact lives on.

His family and community have come together to honour his legacy in a truly inspiring way by establishing a new coral nursery, ‘Kef Reef’, in his memory. Many who once joined Kevin on the water are now leading this initiative, determined to continue
his work.

They’ve built frames and completed a scoping trip to identify the best location. But this is just the beginning. They’re committed to restoring, monitoring, and expanding the reef at Tubusereia village for years to come.

To support their efforts, Kyeema arranged a training, where our Program Manager travelled from Fiji to deliver hands-on guidance to equip the team with the skills needed to sustain and grow the coral restoration work ensuring Kevin’s legacy thrives.

Kevin Egu
Coral gardeners
Kef reef scoping

World Environment Day 2025

On World Environment Day 2025, Kyeema’s PNG team joined forces with local communities and partners for a day of hands-on environmental action, contributing to the global call to Beat Plastic Pollution.

In Port Moresby, we partnered with the National Capital District Commission (NCDC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Total Energies, and the Office of the Governor, Hon. Powes Parkop, to deliver a series of coordinated activities aimed at protecting PNG’s coastal and marine ecosystems.

At Ela Beach, 65 students from Sogeri Primary School participated in a coral gardening session led by trained community teams from Hanuabada and Lakwaharu. They learned about the impact of plastic pollution on reef health through an awareness talk delivered by Julie Anne Waranka, an honours student from the University of Papua New Guinea volunteering with Kyeema.

Together, the students and community teams constructed and deployed two coral nursery frames just offshore, helping to regenerate local coral reefs.

Simultaneously, mangrove planting took place at Kanudi, while tree planting was carried out along the ring road with native seedlings provided by
Total Energies. We love being part of these community events each year and especially value the opportunity to involve young people in the work we do.

Empowering the next generation with practical knowledge and environmental awareness is key to building lasting stewardship for PNG’s land and sea.

JICA and NCDC logo
World Environment Day PNG 2025 NCDC
World Environment Day 2025 PNG NCDC
World Environment Day 2025 PNG NCDC