National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)

NARI is a public funded, statutory research organisation established by the PNG Government in 1996. The Institute aims to support small scale and shareholder farmers who comprise approximately 80% of the population in PNG. With diversity being key to sustainability, NARI provide both research and technical advice and diagnostic services to support farmers and the agriculture sector in PNG. Research by the institute encompasses staple food crops, emerging food and cash crops, livestock and resource management. Entomology is an important research area in agriculture with insects comprising so many pests to crops but also many beneficials which can provide sustainable biocontrols for insect pests. Rapid and accurate diagnostics is an important component of pest management and agricultural entomology and NARI aims to build entomological capacity within the organisation and manage their entomological collections as a resource to support insect diagnostics and research.

NARI have partnered with UNSW in the planning and implementation of entomology training workshops, and in institutional capacity building through the establishment of a biodiversity server at NARI and participation of NARI staff in advanced entomological collections and database management training at UNSW

The partnership aims to provide a framework for ongoing capacity building beyond the PSLP project period, through the establishment of the biodiversity database, to be housed at NARI and operated in full by PNG public servants at the completion of this project. Through the program we will also link NARI and other PNG public sector organisations to global initiatives such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (www.gbif.org), so that it keeps abreast of future technological developments and funding opportunities.
www.nari.org.pg