Milne Bay Agriculturalist Mr. Skipa Christopher, who has been instrumental in a number of rural rice projects in the province, is now undergoing training in Japan, to elevate the work he is already doing.
“The Milne Bay Administration, under the Division of Agriculture Livestock, have given me this opportunity to studying here in Japan, under the JICA Scholarship.”
Mr. Skipa is going through a training course on vegetable production technology for the improvement of small-scale farmers at the JICA Tsukuba International Training Center located in Tsukuba City; a location that is called the “science city”.
“I will be here for 8 months, studying a variety of horticultural crops in production, management and marketing.”
Mr. Christopher explained that through the course, he and other training member, will travel to local farm sites, cooperative farming groups, research institutions and visit large commercial farms.
“We will train on different aspects of vegetable production. So far, I have been really enjoying my training as it is practical and simple and very interesting as well, as involves the use of technology.”
This is the very first time for Mr. Christopher to travel overseas and although he misses his family, he is determined to make good on this call to duty.
“Once I complete my training, I will be able to be of better service to others by improving farming systems and gain and pass on the knowledge and skills on the science of business farming.”
He had always dreamed of studying in Japan and now that Mr. Christopher is living his dream; he has immersed himself in his training and is fully embracing the Japanese Culture. Mr. Christopher humbly offered that you need to work hard, make a lot of sacrifices, be humble and be of service to others, while you work at achieving your personal goals.
He added that as an agriculturalist, there are countless opportunities, both domestic and international, one only need to stand out by impacting and improving the lives of those around them.
“Don’t be too complacent in life. Go out there and do something for yourself, your family, your community, your province, and the nation.”