Agriculture and food security
The Agricultural Hub and rice mill have been a long-term plan of HWC. Food security is a key issue in achieving Women's Empowerment and a major concern in Haku owing to the rapidly increasing population, limited land for growing food, soil depletion resulting from traditional farming methods and the impacts of climate change. With this in mind, in 2019 HWC: established its Agriculture Hub, including a rice mill; established the Backyard Farming project, with 100 graduates from the initial training course; and organised the inaugural Hako Agricultural Show. Click here for the reports on the projects.
Opening the agricultural hub
HWC in collaboration with PiCCA were awarded a ‘Community Friendship Grant’ from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to establish the Agriculture Hub. DFAT contributed $A35,000; PiCCA contributed $A2,300 in cash (from donations) and $A4,700 of in-kind support to the project.
Growing and milling rice
Rice is a very useful crop in Bougainville, as it produces up to three harvests a year in this climate, produces more food per square metre than traditional crops, and can be stored. The new Agriculture Hub holds a rice mill where local people can mill their home-grown rice for a small fee.
