Papua New Guinean farmer gardeners face many challenges, some of them directly related to increasing population pressure, pushing families towards ever steeper and more ecologically sensitive land. Forest resources are diminished or degraded along with water quality and availability. Climate change contributes to drought (insect damage), frost at high altitude and flood. Our CDWAI team members work alongside villagers in Enga and in Goroka (Bena, focused on Safanaka Village). Families often shift from highly nutritious garden foods to a store diet of noodles and rice. CDWAI team model nutritious food from family gardens.

Long term approaches require a sustainable approach to encouraging land and water resource management and conservation in the context of villager needs.

Enga specific work started when NZMFAT requested Dr Askin and team work with local government to assist in workshops and follow up visits during the 2015/16 El Nino drought.