The National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) recently welcomed Australian volunteers Jenny and Stephen Clark to its headquarters at Bubia, Morobe Province.
The Clarks joined NARI this month and will stay on for 12 months as part of the Australian Volunteers Program – an Australian Government funded initiative.
Both have a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Jenny, with her teaching background and experience in curriculum development through previous assignments with the Australian Volunteers Program in Tanzania, is set to guide NARI in developing its Training of Trainer programs and revising its training policies and guidelines.
She will also help develop and guide basic in-house training.
Stephen, with expertise in agronomy, experimental design, and scientific writing for the farming community, brings experience from his time as a research scientist with the Western Australia Department of Agriculture and his volunteer work in Tanzania with ECHO-East Africa.
At NARI, he will mentor and provide hands-on training to NARI scientists in scientific writing, helping them improve research designs, data analysis, and presentation to ensure their findings meet international publication standards and contribute to high-quality, impactful research.
Ms. Lina Asiri, the Acting Human Resource Manager at NARI, views the partnership with the Australian Volunteers Program as a valuable opportunity to enhance capacity building, equipping NARI’s research teams with long-term skills in research methodology, scientific writing, and the publication process.
This initiative aims to promote sustainable, high-quality research that supports NARI’s strategic objectives.
Director General Dr. Nelson Simbiken warmly welcomed Jenny and Stephen to NARI Headquarters, where he highlighted NARI’s mission to support farmers in transitioning from subsistence to commercial farming, as outlined in the Strategic Results Framework 2022-2031 and the Strategic Implementation Plan 2022-2027.
He also expressed gratitude for the continued support from Australia and other development partners in advancing agricultural research in Papua New Guinea.