Eight years on from a civil war which cost up to 15,000 lives, the people of Central Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, are enjoying a range of new opportunities in their ongoing quest for lasting peace.

Leading Bougainville sustainable agriculturalist Bruno stands with his son in his nursery which local agriculture students use for demonstration purposes.
Photo courtesy of Kastom Gaden.

"Try some of these," says Rex Tara, Oxfam Australia´s Disaster Management Program Officer, from the Solomon Islands office, handing me some small honey-coloured seeds. We are in Siuema, a remote village in Avaipa province in mountainous Central Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The seeds are cardamom, produced by local spice farmers whom we support through the Melanesian Farmers First Network (MFFN) a community of small-scale agricultural producers in PNG, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, which promotes improvements in food availability and community health.

During the 1989-1998 civil war, the people of Central Bougainville were forced to rely on the jungle for everything due to a 10-year military blockade which prevented food, medical supplies, fuel, and arms from reaching the island.

Food variety is still limited to the standard root crops and the inevitable betel nut and coconut leaf for chewing and smoking. A continuing roadblock and no-go zone has made access for outsiders difficult and almost impossible during the wet season. Moving quantities of produce means relying on walkers to hand carry.

Through the MFFN's exchange of ideas, several farmers have begun producing cinnamon, cardamom and chillies, understanding the importance of moving beyond subsistence farming to improve their livelihoods and pay for education and health care. The MFFN helped secure a spice company interested in purchasing the cardamom.

"We produced one tonne of dried cardamom, but we didn't have the funds to move it," explains Alfonse, Avaipa electorate's newly-elected member in the Bougainville Autonomous Provincial Government and an adviser to MFFN partner Paruparu Education Development Centre (PEDC).

"By the time we moved it (one year later), it was full of weevils. Naturally some of the farmers are not very happy." While the spice exporter promised to try and salvage some of the cardamom via extraction of cardamom oil and pay 'later', it was not a good start.

The news, however, is not all bad. The introduction of a bi-weekly market has seen a steady flow of farmers into Paru Paru with excess produce for sale.

"We have seen that livestock is the area where we need more work," explains leading Bougainville sustainable agriculturalist and PEDC team member Bruno. "So we are introducing houses for pigs so that farmers can more easily collect manure." Workers have also attended seed saver courses and have learnt new techniques for handling and storing seeds.

One of the greatest benefits has come from the introduction of email via radio frequency. "For years if people wanted to send a letter they would have to walk 10 hours to Arawa or three days to Buka," Linus Siu from PEDC's support services team says. "Now they can send an email for a small fee from the community centre."

"Last year we had a serious malaria outbreak. More than 20 people in the area died and it was only because we were able to use the communication system that we were able to request 13 cartons of malaria treatment, which arrived by emergency chopper."

As lasting peace comes closer with the establishment of a 41-seat Bougainville Autonomous Provincial Government, some educational services are re-establishing in Avaipa. Many of the men and women in Central Bougainville were not able to finish their formal education because of the crisis. They have had terrible experiences and show a resilience and determination to make an independent Bougainville.

They are sure that the time for war is over - it is now time for new beginnings.

Story by former Oxfam Australia Pacific Regional Manager David Brown.

To find out more about our work in Papua New Guinea visit www.oxfam.org.au/world/pacific/png