Rural Economic Impacts

In rural communities of Papua New Guinea changes can be brought if the community leaders and the councilor have a plan to work. This plan is the guide for the change of the community. Gerup community has drawn up this plan. One such on the plan is the economic development plan. In the rural setting like Gerup are the garden produce, coffee production, and the merchandising of both formal and informal. The villagers’ production from their farm plots gives them the base. The surplus is marketed for cash. Other villagers try to plan specifically for market. There are some crops like the cabbages, English potato and some green vegetables.

Seasonally, coffee helps a lot for the cash flow in the Gerup community. When it is the coffee season there will be a lot of cash. This is the time so much merchandize is traded. Merchandizes like clothes, both new and second-hand, rice, tinned fish, soap, sugar, cooking oil, kerosene, etc are traded. The informal sector also flourishes during the period of coffee season.

Much big expenditure such as school fees, bride price and opening of new buildings such as accommodation, church, stores etc observe the opening ceremonies. Even the formal sector like established trade stores and second-hand shops gain too.

Gerup village development plan





Gerup village is in the under the Sialum LLG council ward 11. This council ward has five villages and they are Gerup, Buamgo, Mineneko, Karako and Mayawa. The main business activities in this ward is the growing, processing and selling of coffee. It also has small trade stores valued at $20, 000. Small informal markets too operate along side the formal stores. Other government services that are in this village are primary school, a two men aid post, a court house, the ward-house which houses the councillor's office and a proposed agricultural development site. The development plan for this ward was developed through the bottom up system. The main pillars of the ward are: Agriculture, Economic, Education, Water and Sanitation, Law & Order and 3km of road (Saniwo to Gerup Primary school), Housing and properties. The Agriculture development will specifically look at the improvement and increase in the cultivation of coffee trees, look at the garden produce for Gerup market and possibly to Nunzen, Nanda, Sialum and Finschafen markets. Organizing the people into small communal groups such as the family or clans. These group can help each other when ones needs assistance the members will help. The plan to bring an agricultural extension officer to be based at Gerup. Gerup people to allocate a piece of land where the officer can use to develop new methods of cultivation and run trails etc. The officer to also organize training for village farmers on coffee production, processing, husbandary and quality control. Economic flat form is to look at means to increase number of formal business like stores. When store owner need to buy new goods the communal groups help in deliverance from the coast to their respective stores. Assist the inform sector to also get recognize as they also support the income base of the ward. If the store owner want licence to operate the council help in the documentation. Set up a credit facility for the communal groups can assess funds for projects like chicken, fish pond, piggery, etc. Education: the ward to see that the four elementary schools are functional. Any need to improve the school by building new classrooms the representative of the school to the board of the ward seeks assistance. If the school Teacher-in-charge needs to go to collect school materials the people will assist. If the needs repair and maintenance the labour will be provided by the communities concerned. The primary school needs improvement the ward council board can see to it that proper funding proposals are compiled and submitted to the possible donors. Labor needed for repair maintenance and construction can be supplied by the ward 11 members. Organize with the college students from the ward area to visit elementary and primary schools to make awareness of college life, employment prospectus, subject studied, time management, etc. Water and Sanitation; the whole of the ward area villages do not have proper water supply excluding Mineneko, Karako and Mayawa. These three have a single or communal whereby every one use only one tap. Only Gerup village has improve sanitation facilities. The other villages need to get funding to buid their sanitations.They also needs funding for water to be supplied. It is proposed that when the Gerup water supply reaches Gerup the other villages can connect from it to their village by just constructing reservior tanks to build pressure then release to their respective villages. Law and order; the ward to make sure the drug cultivation is reported and brought to stop. Those insist to be taken to the justice. Control social activities like dancing, clubing etc. Propose to put a cop shop where a village police officer be station at least twice a week at the cop shop. All police case and any land dispute, domestic matters be heard twice a week to bring justice and peace in the communities. Road construction and maintenance; the road from Saniwo to Gerup be improve monthly. One day in month a village will do maintenance and construct about 500 meters. Eventual after four to five years the road from Saniwo to Gerup will be done up well.