Taro is a key crop in Limbin, PNG, and a major part of both their local livelihoods and culture. But kastom says that men do not harvest taro, which creates significant labour for the women of the community.

However, having identified coffee production as a resilience pathway, Limbin is creating a potential livelihood source whose labour will be shared more equally between men and women.

One strong advocate of this initiative is Doreen, a Limbin resident who has been involved in agricultural assessments carried out by Live & Learn PNG and the network technical team.

Having been raised in a family with a history of coffee production – her father owns around 2000 trees – Doreen had significant input in the planning process for this pathway.

‘Coffee has potential in this region as a cash crop around our farms,’ she said. ‘I’m interested in taking part in the coffee training sessions and starting plantations on our land.’

Doreen said one major benefit of coffee growing is its inclusivity due to the lack of a cultural expectation for women to be responsible for the harvesting. It is currently often men who take on the planting and pruning of the coffee plants currently in the area.

Growing away from domestic areas, these plants are often poorly tended and difficult to reach, and the recent technical assessment found value in bringing coffee plantations closer to people’s homes. There are also plans to intercrop them with fruit trees around the taro fields, putting them in prime agricultural position and making them accessible to all.

This will help make the coffee initiative a success where previous attempts have failed, with the latest plans also being boosted by a strong focus on creating market connections for the crop.

Live & Learn PNG has connected with Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), a national coffee industry accelerator, who will assist with finding buyers and setting prices for Limbin coffee.

The locally grown coffee will be managed by establishing a cooperative, comprising men and women and working in partnership with the Ward Development Council.

This cooperative will ensure that funds are evenly distributed and that women are rewarded fairly for their contributions to coffee production.

As part of the women’s group, Doreen will be involved in the cooperative and is looking forward to continuing her family’s history as regional coffee producers.

‘If we tend these crops well, it will bring opportunity to us and Niu Ailan,’ she said. ‘I will definitely start a farm on my plot if we have a market for it.’