Sustineo’s Tom Sloan and Ellis Mackenzie recently completed a successful training workshop with local researchers in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. This training was part of an ANU Climate Change Institute led project focused on “Improving Localised Climate Information Services in PNG”. This trip provided an exciting opportunity for us to work with our local partners, Anglo Pacific Research (APR) and the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), to support the improved dissemination of seasonal climate information for agricultural communities. This research initiative brings together a diverse mix of expertise on agricultural and social research, both within PNG and internationally.
While the workshop focused on survey research methods and the use of tablet-based data collections, a highlight was being able to share and discuss preliminary findings from Eastern Highlands and Morobe Province collected data from earlier in the project. Exploring the information dissemination networks that exist in different communities related to seasonal climate forecasts with APR and NARI staff was open, engaged and provided important insight into understanding the nuances of information needs and networks across PNG. We are looking forward to continuing to work with these groups as part of identifying further locally relevant insights on climate adaptation in East New Britain.
Workshops like this are the foundation of successful projects in complex environments. They provide us distinct opportunities to engage with our partners in the field, encourage capacity building, and promote integration of local knowledge within the project. It was great to have an opportunity, once again, to work again with colleagues from APR, as well as to be able to form new partnerships with staff from NARI.
This research activity is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Further Information
For more on the importance of local partners and capacity building see our blog posts here and here.
If you would like to discuss our experience or work in this space further, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with Tom at tom.sloan@sustineo.com.au. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for more posts like this!