JICA, NARI and East New Britain government promote sustainable agriculture in ENB province with JICA’s flagship approach

New Agriculture Project in partnership with NARI, ENB Provincial Administration & DAL: Project for Capacity Development of Sustainable Integrated Farming Systems（SIFS）using the SHEP Approach in ENB Province.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), and the East New Britain (ENB) Provincial Administration signed a Record of Discussion (RD) on 06 January 2026 to officially launch the “Project for Capacity Development of Sustainable Integrated Farming Systems (SIFS) using the SHEP Approach in East New Britain (ENB) Province.” The new project aims to build an ecosystem for the continuous implementation of agricultural activities based on the concept of Sustainable Integrated Farming System using SHEP approach in ENB Province. The project will run for four years, with JICA providing technical expertise, training opportunities in Japan, equipment, and other forms of support. The primary beneficiaries will be local community members in East New Britain Province.

In the project, JICA will introduce “SHEP (Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion) Approach ” in PNG which the first in the Pacific Region. The SHEP Approach is an agricultural development model introduced and proven to be effective in over 50 countries worldwide by adopting the sociocultural contexts of each country. It focuses on promoting farming as a business by shifting farmers’ mindset from the traditional “grow and sell” approach to a market-oriented “grow to sell” strategy. This transformation aims to increase income, improve livelihoods, and foster self-reliance among farming communities. The SHEP approach may also promote female participation in decision making in agriculture activities and household finance through financial management trainings and visualization of gender role in agriculture communities.

JICA looks forward to working closely with the Government of PNG for the sustainable development of the agriculture sector in the country.