Author: Collethy Jaru
Jaru, Collethy, 2025 Using Indigenous Knowledge to enhance food security in the wake of climate change in rural Papua New Guinea., Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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Food security in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been significantly impacted in recent years by climate change. Growing challenges to local food stability threaten this young nation’s rural population (approximately 80% reliant on rain-fed subsistence farming). Altered agricultural conditions, rising sea levels, frequent floods and prolonged droughts have posed increasing challenges to local food systems.
In response, this thesis investigates how Indigenous knowledge, skills, tools and technologies (IKSTT) can enhance food security in rural PNG communities. IKSTT, which is rooted in centuries of environmental and land adaptation, offers effective methods for climate change adaptation and mitigation, yet is often ignored and overlooked in formal policy frameworks. This thesis focuses on the main question: how can IKSTT improve food security in the face of climate change in rural PNG?
Using a mixed-methods approach, the research involved fieldwork in two rural communities (Yabem and Upper Bena) which included 477 household participants, 25 focus group discussion participants, 23 In-depth interview participants, and 22 consultative workshop participants. Fieldwork was conducted in 2022 to explore local IKSTTs used for cassava cultivation, storage and adaptation. Data from these two communities were compared with modern agricultural practices and analysed using SPSS and NVivo to assess the recognition of Indigenous knowledge (IK) within the local communities as well as the official policy frameworks. This thesis also reviewed climate change impacts on rural agriculture, focusing on how daily weather fluctuations and socio-economic disparities contributed to local food insecurity.
The findings revealed that IKSTT, particularly in cassava cultivation, preparation and storage, plays a crucial role in assisting communities mitigate the effects of climate change. Cassava (though introduced) has become a vital local food crop in these communities, serving as a reserved and staple during prolonged droughts. Indigenous weather forecasting on local environmental indicators like birds and plant flowering has also aided in adaptive decision-making. However, challenges such as poor road access, geographic isolation and inadequate project monitoring have hindered the effectiveness of IKSTT community-based projects.
This thesis also identified significant barriers to integrating IK into official food security and climate adaptation frameworks. Despite IK’s proven important role in resilience and adaptation, these official policy frameworks continue to prioritise modern agricultural methods, overlooking the sustainability of Indigenous practices.
In conclusion, this research argues for a more inclusive approach, recommending that rural Indigenous voices and knowledge lead future agricultural, food security and climate adaptation policies in PNG. IK can be integrated into sustainable official policies by establishing knowledge-sharing platforms between local farmers and scientists. Importantly, IK is not merely a relic of the past but a dynamic and vital resource for addressing contemporary food security challenges. Embracing and applying IK offers PNG a pathway to develop resilience and sustainable food systems capable of withstanding climate change pressures in rural and remote communities.
Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, cassava, food security, climate change, Papua New Guinea, community-based projects.
Subject:
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2025
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Professor Udoy Saikia