Community food security survey team at Pukaduka 1 village, Suki Fly Gogo
The recent Food Security Baseline Survey conducted by OTDF showed communities along the river can survive from cultivating garden produce and daily fish catch.
The survey was conducted from 25 June to 6 August 2021, in the South and Middle Fly regions of Western Province.
The information paves way for sustainable management of current food sources with the introduction of maize and rice farming for possible income generation arrangements.
From this baseline data, development partners can work closely with communities to better apply the concept of sustainable agriculture and fishing to support household livelihood.
The survey team visited communities in the Middle Fly, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete, Dudi, and Kiwaba. From the target sample size of 85 villages, the team visited 74 villages with 883 samples collected from a target of 1,275 interviewees.
The Food Security Program expands on four key dimensions of food (nutrition) security areas which are to strengthen food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability for healthy and sustainable livelihoods beyond mine closure.
Team Leader Regional Development Philemon Nauhet said this information establishes the foundation for the Food Security Program which the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) will provide technical advice and research support after the signing of the MOU.
OTDF developed the survey comprising five household survey questions on family demographics, food availability, food accessibility, food utilization, and food stability.
The survey was a success with the use of technology; tablets and smartphone apps made data collection efficient in real-time reducing errors and data loss.