About Us
The South Pacific Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SPISARD) was founded in 2003 at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. It promotes sustainable agriculture and rural development through tailored extension methods, training, and technology transfer. The institute conducts research on food and cash crops, and livestock to improve farming practices, productivity and income while minimizing environmental impact. Over time, SPISARD expanded its focus to include household food security, livelihood strategies, gender issues, resource management, health, education, water supply, sanitation and more. The institute employs a model village approach for research, training, and extension, involving the target population, communities, students, and academic staff. This approach ensures real-time feedback and a participatory process, with activities conducted in model villages across various agro-ecological zones.
Our Vision
The vision of the institute is to be dynamic and innovative in providing leadership and lifelong learning in traditional and modern extension and sustainable agriculture development positively impacting on rural environment and communities in Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and South Pacific Islands.
Our Mission
The mission of SPISARD is to:
1. Collaboratively advance the development of model villages and improve the skills of the people involved in the rural development processes.
2. Create, foster and implement collaborative action and learning opportunities through demonstration projects and learning centers.
3. In addition, direct participation of farmers in the pursuit to improving their farming systems to increase productivity and income, to secure food security and nutrition, and to ensure no damage comes to the environment in due process.
Our Functions
The functions of the institute are:
- To conduct applied research in sustainable agriculture, extension training and rural development.
- To train and develop human resource needs of agriculture and community development in P.N.G., Melanesia and the Pacific Islands.
- To develop and promote appropriate farm implements.
- To develop appropriate post-harvest and food preservation technology and promote nutrition.
- To provide agriculture extension services, including technical information in suitable forms to farmers.
- To develop and transfer improved agricultural technology to the rural people (farmers).
- To develop appropriate extension methods.
- To evaluate research, extension and rural development policies.
- To provide advisory services to the government, private and rural communities.
- To preserve and promote agricultural biodiversity in crops and livestock farming.
- To popularize rice cultivation.
- To initiate aquaculture, agro-forestry and social forestry.
- To promote and harness traditional farming systems and their environmental control & land usage.
Our History
SPISARD was established in 2003, the School of Agriculture’s HoS, Professor A. Halim, Mr. P. Manus and Dr. M. Komolong have been working very hard to put in place the institute and initiate two model villages at Tumua and Situm villages in Morobe Province. In March 2004, Mr. William Nano was recruited as A/Director of SPISARD. Dr.Veonica Bue was engaged in 2005 to do her MPil and research in model villages activities with woman in Tumua village Kaiapit District, Morobe Province. Miss Betty Tiko was employed in 2008 as coordinator of SPISARD woman and youth activities. Miss Deborah Meana was recruited in 2013 to coordinate the office and start SPISARD radio program “VOICE of PNGUoT SHOOL OF AGRICULTURE TO RURAL VILLAGES OF PNG”. However, she resigned in 2014 for personal reasons. Most recently, this year, Miss Rhonda Page was recruited to continue in our office and the radio program. Presently the Director of SPISARD is William Nano.
SPISARD is in operation for twelve years since its inception in 2003. SPISARD has been conducting trainings to number of rural communities, urban settlements, and church and women groups using the most convenient approach. Its activities had captured the interest and attention of industries, research institutions, non-government organizations, schools and the farmers and unemployed men, women and youths in urban settlements. In the past nine years SPISARD has contributed meaningfully and significantly to the lives of unemployed people in rural villages and urban settlements in Papua New Guinea. SPISARD is a unique concept as it is a much broader area than just agricultural production. It includes resource management, education, health, local level governments, gender issues, issues on Aids/HIV and other relevant programs that affect people, their lives and livelihoods. I believe in due time that its relevance will be a blooming delight to its stakeholders and community people. The Institute is increasingly associated with linkages and collaboration efforts, bringing together knowledge (traditional and modern) and interests of all the stakeholders involved in development or problem solving rather than only transferring of expert solutions. It is about fostering communications, learning and the mutual search for improved lifestyle. It involves the active participation of rural villagers in sustainable resource management and enterprise development (hence enabling them to be self-reliant and putting a stop to the currently prevalent “handout mentality” which is ‘eating’ away many rural villagers and communities) and leaving them in great dilemma and leaders’ in confusion. It is about looking back over the past years’ performances and looking forward in the years to come and hence set a good course to follow. In the last ten years SPISARD has established model villages as conduit points for research and development in different agro-ecological zones.
Management and Staff
Since the establishment of SPISARD, no members have been appointed for the SPISARD Board of Management, however, certain respectable persons are being approached and we are in the process of forming a Special Board of Management (SBOM). Those who have been approached to be members of the board will compose of senior PNGUoT staff and key stakeholders in industry. The SBOM will have the responsibility for the overall direction and answerable to the Vice Chancellor of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology.
Staff
The staffs of SPISARD are employees of PNGUoT and are managed by the A/Director of SPISARD. The A/Director of SPISARD reports directly to the HoS of the School of Agriculture (PNGUoT) and all SPISARD staffs are part of the School of Agriculture.
Positions of Staff
- Director
- Research Assistant
- Secretary
These positions are currently being reviewed and are in the process of being approved by the University Management.