Improved vegetable production systems for community cooperatives in Central Province, Papua New Guinea

The performance of three vegetable production systems was compared in the hot, seasonally dry lowland and in the cooler mid-altitudes of Central Province (CP), Papua New Guinea (PNG). The three systems used were Traditional Farmers’ Practice (TFP), Improved Production System (IPS) and Commercial High Input Practice (CHIP) with tomato cultivated in the lowlands and round cabbage at mid-altitudes. TFP was based on traditional techniques using local knowledge and system descriptions; IPS supplemented the traditional practice with low-cost technologies and practices expected to produce high returns; and CHIP employed techniques and technologies likely unattainable by most farmers due to high fixed and working capital requirements and other barriers. In TFP, pest and disease infestations were high, resulting in lower fruit quality and yield than in IPS and CHIP. IPS produced crop yields and quality comparable to or better than those of CHIP, indicating that the use of additional low-cost technologies and practices in the TFP may enable higher production and create opportunities for smallholder farmers to increase their disposable cash income. The results are discussed in the context of the Improved Practice Vegetable Production System being adopted by smallholder farmers and community cooperatives in CP, PNG, and how these improved systems may contribute to vegetable supplies for major local markets, especially Port Moresby.