A Pilot study of smallholder coffee inputs, Foi village, Papua New Guinea: preliminary results

Abstract

A small pilot survey of labour inputs for five coffee farmers was conducted in the Bena Valley of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Observations were made by locally recruited village enumerators. A number of problems were identified during the survey, as follows: Close supervision of enumerators was needed if reliable results were to be obtained; and the farmers were only observed for some of the available time. Some preliminary results are presented. These show that farmers put more effort into coffee production than into other cash crops. During the survey period, which was during the non-flush season, more time was devoted to weeding (53 per cent of labout inputs) than to other coffee related activities. There were large differences among the five farmers in time devoted.to coffee-related activity, suggesting that a large sample would be needed to obtain reliable results.