The Wayana Tourism & Culture Center, with support from the USAID’s Lukautim Graun Program, recently hosted the Asbin Festival. Asbin is a winged bin which originated in PNG and holds a special cultural significance for the people in the Highlands Region. It has a variety of distinctive characteristics that require specific skills and knowledge to cultivate holds special cultural significance for the people in the people in the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea however, this traditional knowledge is being lost. The Asbin Festival provided an opportunity to preserve this traditional knowledge, promote the conservation of native food species, and enhance economic, social, and environmental values in the community. Director of Wayana Tourism and Culture, Tralla Daisy expressed gratitude for the support of donor agency in the Asbin Festival as it has reignited local interest in the winged bean particularly from framers around the area. “Thank you, USAID, for coming forward to be part of this event, as this demonstrates your interest in working with us to preserve, protect and promote our traditions and cultures.” Winged bean plays an important traditional role in peace ceremonies, compensation payments, bride price ceremonies, debt repayment, and family status among clans and tribes. For example, winged beans are sometimes offered with other food crops and gifts as a sign of peace. People from Lufa, Okapa and Ungai Bena districts brought their own cooked asbin to sell at the festival. Small local businesses like Mino Orito Bricks, Monique Hair and Beauty Salon, Yasina Nature Park’s Women’s Bilum, and Eastern Highlands Province Floriculture were among those that used the event to promote their products and services. Many businesses and Non-Government Organisations also set up stalls to do their awareness and promotions like MiBank Agents, Yasina and Jedo who assisted several winged bean farmers, mostly women, to open bank accounts.