Planting Hope: How PNG’s Young Farmers Are Leading a Climate-Smart Revolution in Papua New Guinea

In the hinterlands of Morobe Province, where cocoa trees and vanilla grow beside rivers that swell and dry with the seasons, a quiet change is taking root. It isn’t led by government officials or foreign consultants—it’s led by young farmers, women entrepreneurs and peer educators determined to prove that rural Papua New Guinea can thrive in the face of climate change.

That change is embodied in the SKILLS Agro-Ecology Project, an initiative of local NGO SAVE PNG, supported by the European Union's Forestry Climate Change and Biodiversity Nexus. It's mission is deceptively simple: give rural youth, especially women and persons with disabilities, the knowledge and tools to become leaders in sustainable farming, biodiversity protection and digital innovation.

"We Don’t Just Farm - We Teach"

For Haggai, farming once felt like a dead end. “I grew up watching my parents struggle with cocoa and food gardens,” she says. “There was no money, and the climate kept changing. Sometimes the crops failed, sometimes pests destroyed everything.” That changed when she joined SKILLS as a peer educator. Trained in agroecology and leadership, Haggai now teaches other women how to diversify crops, manage soil health, and earn from cocoa and vanilla farming. “We don’t just farm—we teach. That’s how change spreads,” she says with a grin.

She is one of 100 peer educators trained under the project. Together, they have impacted over 30 communities directly, through workshops, demonstrations, and even awareness video sharing in village settings. Many of them carry mobile phones with training modules, allowing them to share lessons in communities with no internet or electricity.

"When women train other women, we all feel stronger"

For women like Magdalene, a 32-year-old youth from Morobe station, the project isn’t only about agriculture - it’s about confidence. “Before, only men spoke in meetings. Women stayed quiet, even when we worked harder in the gardens,” she recalls. “Now, after the leadership training, I stand up and talk about farming and climate. People listen.”

Nearly half of all peer educators are women, a deliberate move to break stereotypes in rural leadership. By putting women in visible teaching roles, the project is reshaping how entire villages view gender. “When women train other women, we all feel stronger,” Sara from Finschhafen District says.

Farmers with Disabilities Leading Change

In a country where disability often carries stigma, SKILLS took a bold approach: making sure at least 10 percent of educators were persons with disabilities. One of them, Ezekiel from Waritisian village of Markham District, lost his right hand after being attacked in a tribal fight but refused to be sidelined. “At first, people laughed - how can a man without a hand teach farming?” he says. “But when I showed them how to apply organic and chemical sprays in vanilla and cocoa farming, they stopped laughing.” Ezekiel now a certified trainer speaks openly about inclusion. “If I can do this, so can they. Disability is not inability.”

A Climate Classroom in the Fields

The heart of the project is Agro-ecology; a way of farming that respects forests, water, and biodiversity. Instead of clearing land, farmers are encouraged to use shade-grown cocoa, intercropping, composting, and traditional seed-saving practices. “It’s like going back to our ancestors’ ways, but with new science,” explains John, a 19-year-old farmer from Gabensis village of Bulolo District, who recently switched from burning fields to using mulch and organic fertilizers. “The soil is richer, and my cocoa pods are healthier. I want my children to inherit good land, not poverty.”

To spread this knowledge, SAVE PNG produced the EMTV broadcasted SKILLS Agro-Ecology video series on cocoa, vanilla, integrated farming, climate-smart gardening and cooperative business management. Local screenings often draw entire communities, sparking debates and storytelling sessions.

Community Roots, Lasting Change

Unlike many short-term projects, SKILLS is embedded in community structures. Churches, schools, and farmer groups serve as anchors, ensuring knowledge flows where it’s needed most. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG and ADRA provide networks of trust that make training accessible even in remote villages. By working with PNG Cocoa Board Trainers, young farmers also connect to markets—transforming training into real livelihoods. “It’s great to grow your food gardens for the household and plant cocoa and vanilla to earn money too,” says Katie from Ragiampun village, Markham District who integrates food and cash crops in the same plot creating gardens for health and wealth.

Facing the Climate Challenge

Challenges remain. Drought has dried up gardens; floods have washed away food crops. Some villages still lack basic infrastructure. Yet, the resilience is striking. When on-farm demonstrations became impossible during a flood, educators adapted by sharing awareness videos through mobile phone technologies. When stigma blocked participation by persons with disabilities, educators like local councillor, Gawan proved their worth by leading demonstrations. The adaptability itself has become a lesson: climate resilience isn’t just about farming - it’s about finding solutions under pressure.

“We used to wait for help from outside. Now we see we are the help.”

Three years on, the project’s impact is evident. Youth once dismissed as “jobless” are now community trainers. Women stand at the front of meetings. Farmers with disabilities command respect as role models. Entire communities are adopting new farming practices that preserve biodiversity and ensure food security. Perhaps most importantly, the mindset has shifted. As Lambert from Damborade village of Morobe LLG puts it: “We used to wait for help from outside. Now we see we are the help.”

Looking Beyond Morobe

The SKILLS Youth Project is nearing its completion, but its influence is only beginning. SAVE PNG’s Agri-Learning Centre is set to continue as a training hub, while peer educators carry their knowledge far beyond Morobe. Training in Oro Province is already underway where farmers are adopting the model to suit their own climate and farming realities.

For many, this is more than a project - it’s a movement. A generation of Papua New Guineans is proving that with knowledge, confidence, and inclusion, they can protect forests, adapt to climate change, and build livelihoods rooted in dignity.

With generous support from the European Commission youth, women, and farmers are reshaping their future with their own hands.

SKILLS Agro-Ecology Project Funded By: